The malecón in the historic city center of Santa Marta, Colombia, is a seaside promenade that runs for about 10 blocks from north to south. There’s a small but dirty beach and several street vendors along the way.
The main plaza in the historic city center of Santa Marta is Parque de Bolívar. It’s a long stretch of trees and shrubs followed by a large open space. There are some important buildings surrounding it.
Cathedral Plaza (Plaza de la Catedral) in the historic city center of Santa Marta, Colombia, dates back to the late 18th century. It contains some of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
A very popular place to visit in Santa Marta is Parque de Los Novios. It has a few monuments in the middle, but the main attraction is the restaurants with outdoor seating.
Santa Marta has a good selection of hotels for all budgets. I’ve stayed at a few of the hotels in the historic city center on my trips to the city.
One of the highlights of Santa Marta is paying a quick visit to the Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama monument, which is located a bit out of the way of the historic city center. It’s the most visited monument in the city.
La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino is a popular place to visit in Santa Marta, just a 15 minute taxi ride from the city center. It’s a peaceful green area tucked away within the sprawl of the modern city, but you wouldn’t know it by being there.
Santa Marta was founded in 1525 and is the second oldest surviving European settlement in South America. The historic city center has really changed for the better since my first visit in 2014 and is a nice place to explore for a few hours.
There are several very good restaurants in the historic city center of Santa Marta to choose from. On each of my trips there, I’ve had a hard time deciding where to eat, whether to stick with favorites or to try new places. There are many choices such as traditional Colombian food, seafood, burgers, Mediterranean, pizza, and pasta.
Santa Marta is the second oldest surviving European city in South America, founded in 1525. It’s also the place where the liberator Simón Bolívar died, at La Quinta de San Pedro.