Fodor's Expert Review Plaza de la Aduana

Cartagena has always opened its doors to visitors, and most have passed through this plaza. While it now hums with tourists and idling bicycles, in previous centuries the hubbub rose from arguing traders and customs officers or rapping boots as soldiers paraded or ran in frantic defense. Cartagena's most expansive square, it is bordered on one side by the impressive Casa de la Aduana, (the Customs House), now the city hall. In the evenings, the square is particularly pleasant as the colonial arches and balconies are lit up, and often a lone trumpeter sets up near the statue of Christopher Colombus, playing tunes that add to the romantic ambience for which Cartagena is so loved.