Colombia is an easy trip from the United States. It shares the same time zone as the East Coast and isn't much farther than many Caribbean islands. The nonstop Avianca flight between Miami and Cartagena takes about three hours. From New York, you're likely to be routed through Bogotá, a five-and-a-half hour flight; the connection to Cartagena is another hour and a half. If you have a long layover in Bogotá, arrange in advance to have a guide take you to the capital's major sites. In four hours you can easily visit the historic neighborhood of La Candelaria, including the Gold Museum, the marvelous Botero Museum, and the Plaza de Bolívar.

Once you're in Cartagena, the best beaches are in the Rosario Islands, an hour and twenty minutes from the marina by launch. For a quick dip in the Caribbean, go to the busy, fun beach in Bocagrande, five minutes from the old city by cab. Another option is to hire a cab to take you to the small fishing village of La Boquilla, five miles north of the city.

Finally, a word on safety: Colombia's long-running civil war and campaigns of narco-terrorism have never erupted on Cartagena's streets; here the political strife and horrific violence feel very far away. If you take the usual precautions, you should feel safe walking around the historic center day or night. That said, the country's political situation is always changing. In the past few years, the change has been for the better, with the country becoming increasingly peaceful and stable (with the exception of parts of the mountainous interior and the Amazon Basin).

The country and city code for Cartagena is 57-5. Prices quoted are for March 2007.

Lodging
One of the best ways to see behind Cartagena's gates is by staying in a historic hotel—especially when it's luxurious. In 2004, native Bogotan Gustavo Pinto opened the Agua Bed and Breakfast after spending a year renovating an abandoned 17th-century tobacco baron's mansion. The rooftop pool and sunbathing tower look out past the cathedral and pantile roofs to the sea (664-9479; aguabedandbreakfast.com; doubles, $270). In a former Clarissan convent, also 17th-century, the Hotel Santa Clara is now a Sofitel, with many intact historic elements but updated amenities. Notice the original confessional windows on the way to the chic bar behind the old nave. The new wing is off the pool (664-6070; hotelsantaclara.com; doubles, $334–$445). A sister property in the nearby Rosario Islands, the Hotel San Pedro de Majagua has bungalows and no TVs, phone, or Internet to distract you (664-6070; hotelmajagua.com; doubles, $100–$198).

You can sightsee your way through history without bedding down in it at the area's best budget seaside hotel. With an elegant pool and large rooms, the Cartagena Millennium, in Bocagrande, is more South Beach than South America (665-8499; hotelcartagenamillennium.com; doubles, $165–$190).

Your hotel will also be able to arrange for a guide, or you can go to the entrance at the San Pedro Claver Cloister and ask for Willy or one of the other government-certified guides, who wear badges showing their credentials (about $30 for an afternoon).

Dining
Located in the plaza opposite the Church of San Pedro Claver, Café San Pedro serves a variety of Asian-influenced Colombian dishes. Despite its proximity to major historic sites, it's not a tourist trap (664-5121; entrées, $10–$17).

A sleek white-and-lime-green cube on a quiet street near the Church of Santo Domingo, 8-18 is Cartagena's hippest restaurant. The menu has updated classics such as salmon seviche and shrimp wrapped in a banana leaf (2-124 Calle Gastelbondo; 664-2632; entrées, $15–$18). Lively Cuban music and a laidback vibe can be found at La Vitrola (2-01 Calle Baloco; 664-8243; entrées, $15–$30).

Santísimo serves sophisticated nouvelle dishes in a lovely mango-tree-shaded courtyard. Candlelit paintings of Christ, the apostles, and the saints decorate the interior, and every item on the dessert menu is named for a deadly sin—except the aptly dubbed Original Sin (8-19 Calle del Santísimo; 664-3316; entrées, $9–$18).

For a lively, plentiful lunch in San Diego, try Mesón Caribe, where locals gossip and watch soap operas while dining on chicken, beef, beans, fried potatoes, and vegetable soup (7-62 Calle la Tablada; lunch entrées, $3–$6). Or for about $4 have a quick, simple lunch of pork and beans with a fresh fruit shake of níspero, zapote, or lulo at Lonchería Bolívar (32-20 Calle de Nuestra Señora del Andrinal; 660-0337).

If you're in Getsemaní, stop at La Casa de Socorro for some of the best local cuisine, including a moist lime-marinated grilled chicken breast, coconut rice, and coconut pie (8B Calle Larga; 664-4658; entrées, $7–$10).

Nightlife
Start your night with a drink at El Coro, the bar at the Hotel Santa Clara, or with salsa music at Donde Fidel (32-09 Plaza de Los Coches). Club hoppers head to Getsemaní's Calle del Arsenal, which has plenty of options, most of which don't open before 11: Palos de Moguer is an outdoor spot overlooking Ánimas Bay and Puente Román, a bridge named for the father of local celebrity Teresita de Román (at Baluarte del Reducto); La Carbonera, a friendly beer bar, plays pop-tropical crossover hits (No. 9A-47); and Mr. Babilla is a kitschy, cavernous disco/cantina with nightly tabletop dancing to the blasting reggaetón (No. 24). Centro's Babar is Cartagena's most sophisticated nightclub. The crowd is upscale and showy, and the dance floor throbs to the Latin pop–techno beat (3-37 Calle San Juan de Dios).

Reading
Lonely Planet's Colombia is reliable ($23). In addition, read Of Love and Other Demons, by Gabriel García Márquez (Penguin, $14). Although not about Cartagena, Michael Taussig's Law in a Lawless Land provides a harrowing portrait of the civil war that has ravaged many parts of Colombia over the past 25 years (University of Chicago Press, $15).