This beautiful example of Spanish colonial architecture contains a small museum dedicated to the Spanish Inquisition's brutal persecution of heretics once carried out in these very chambers. Visitors can still see some of the torture devices used to extract confessions of heresy and witchcraft, along with some of the questions used in "witch" interrogations, which are still displayed on the museum wall. Needless to say, no prisoner could hope to be acquitted of their purported crimes against the Catholic Church, and most met their tragic end at the very guillotine still on display in the courtyard.

Museo del Oro Zenú is Cartagena's response to the famous gold museum in Bogotá. Here you'll learn about the culture of the Zenú people through the artefacts of their tribe: over 600 gold, silver and ceramic pieces are on display. Other highlights include displays on body painting and textiles, and an exhibit focusing on the engineering prowess of the Zenú — learn how they built a vast network of canals over 2,500 years ago.

Enclosed within a protective wall reaching up to 20 m in width, the Ciudad Amurallada (or "Walled City") is Cartagena's old beating heart. Packed with well-preserved colonial buildings, it's a pleasure to stroll through; its streets of colourful low-rise merchant homes marked by iconic balconies are now mostly walked by either tourists or students who attend classes at the University of Cartagena during the day and linger for meals and nightlife after school is out. Cafes in Plaza Aduana and Plaza Santo Domingo teem with patrons, forging an incredibly jovial atmosphere; the districts of San Diego and El Centro are two not to be missed. There is plenty of food and shopping to be had, with a mixed bag of world-class restaurants and street food hawkers and the incredibly photogenic palenqueras — women dressed in vibrantly coloured clothing selling fruit in the streets — images of whom have become emblematic of Colombia as a travel destination.

Once the residence of Travancore royals, the roughly 200-year-old Puthe Maliga Palace (also known as the Kuthira Malika) has been converted into a fascinating museum containing historic artefacts pertaining to the Travancore dynasty. A guided tour of the palace is included in the ticket price; admission to palace grounds is free.