Once the first free settlement in the Americas, founded by those who escaped slavery during the colonial period, the town of San Basilio de Palenque still stands today, and with it the unique culture of its inhabitants. A portion of the population still speaks palenquero, a creole tongue that emerged from a mix of several European and African languages, now used almost exclusively in San Basilio de Palenque. Music and dance occupy a place of paramount importance in residents' lives, with the Drums and Cultural Expressions Festival held annually in October. The palenque cuisine deserves a separate mention — a culinary tradition upheld by inhabitants of a small Colombian village has garnered international acclaim, with a cookbook written in the town receiving the highest prize at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2014. If your schedule happens to be too tight for a dedicated day trip (which earns our highest recommendation), try some of the tropical fruit sold by palenqueras in downtown Cartagena. The village was named Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.

Located next to the Church of Suffragio in Piazza Ferrari, the City Museum, Museo Della Città, is housed within a former Jesuit monastery. It has numerous exhibits of local historical and artistic heritage including those in the Roman Lapidary, the Archaeological Section and paintings. It currently has over 1,500 works on display across 40 galleries, and the museum's collection continues to grow as new sections are planned for future openings.

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.

An oasis with a spectrum of colors, here you can stroll through the climate-controlled exhibits with birds, plants, exotic flowers and serene waterfalls. With over 60 butterfly species, this also acts as a learning activity, featuring facts and trivia about the lives of these fragile creatures.