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In my one day in Barranquilla, I found almost nothing worthy of a detour to this industrial city. For example, Barranquilla has been called “the Cleveland of Colombia“. That’s an insult to Cleveland.
Plaza of Peace
Our first stop was the Plaza of Peace (Plaza de la Paz), a wide-open concrete square with a lower part decorated with trees and benches. Our guide, Jorge, told us the plaza used to be a very dangerous place but it has cleaned up quite a bit the past few years. However, it’s still not a great place to be at night.
At one end of the plaza is the Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana), built between 1955 and 1982. It looks like a concrete and steel monstrosity and not a typical cathedral, but Jorge said it’s actually very beautiful on the inside. Unfortunately it was closed so we couldn’t enter.
Museum of the Caribbean (Permanently Closed)
We were then taken to the Museum of the Caribbean (Museo del Caribe). This was our favorite stop of the day. It’s an excellent museum dedicated to showcasing the life of the Caribbean region of Colombia. It’s full of artifacts, videos, and interactive displays. My Colombian friend Natalia told us if there’s one thing you do in Barranquilla, make sure to visit this museum. She was right. Unfortunately, the city had to shut down the museum in January 2020 (as of January 2024, there’s no news about it reopening).
Plaza de San Nicolás
The next stop was in a very seedy part of town, Plaza de San Nicolás. We parked the car and walked through a very long street market until arriving at the plaza. Jorge told me to keep my camera hidden until he said it was ok.
The plaza was very interesting, with a small garden in the middle and surrounded by colonial buildings.
The centerpiece of the plaza was the Church of San Nicolás (Iglesia de San Nicolás), the oldest and most beautiful church in Barranquilla, built in 1637. We spent a few minutes inside before walking back to the car.
Carnival of Barranquilla
As you can see Barranquilla isn’t much of a tourist destination, but it is THE place to be in Colombia during Carnaval. The Carnival of Barranquilla (Carnaval de Barranquilla) is the most well-known and culturally important festival in Colombia. It takes place annually on the four days before Ash Wednesday. It showcases a variety of music and dancing along with colorful and creative costumes.
