Origins
To understand the nightlife of Cartagena's Historic Center, you have to go back to 1533, when Pedro de Heredia founded the city on the territory of the Calamarí indigenous people. From day one, the cobblestone streets you walk today with a cocktail in hand witnessed a violent and fascinating cultural mix. The first taverns were not bars as you know them today: they were stalls selling cane rum, aguardiente, and chicha that operated in the porticos of noble houses, right next to the squares where public executions were held.
The slave trade, the arrival of pirates, and the wealth of the Spanish Crown turned Cartagena into a key port. In this melting pot of cultures, taverns became meeting points for sailors, soldiers, merchants, and freed slaves. While revolutions were brewing in Europe, independence conspiracies were hatched and smuggling pacts were sealed on these corners. Today, when you walk into a bar like Café del Mar or La Vitrola, you are stepping on floors that saw English corsairs and virgins locked in convents pass by.
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A little-known fact: many of these original taverns were in basements and warehouses, because the heat forced people to seek the coolness of stone vaults. These spaces, designed to store goods, became the first speakeasies of the New World. In May 2026, you can still find bars that preserve those original 17th-century walls, with their cracks and legends intact.
Timeline or Historical Milestones
1533 – Foundation and First Sales of Aguardiente
Pedro de Heredia brought the first sugarcane cuttings with him. In the Plaza de los Coches, where tourists now stop to take photos with the palenqueras, the city's first public tavern was established. There, cane aguardiente was sold to soldiers and slaves working on the walls. There were no tables or chairs: people drank standing up, from totumas (gourd bowls), and paid with pieces of eight.
1610 – The Inquisition and Clandestine Bars
With the arrival of the Tribunal of the Holy Office, drinking in public became dangerous. The Inquisition persecuted drunkenness and blasphemy, as well as the consumption of fermented beverages by indigenous people and blacks. This forced many taverns to go underground, operating in backyards and basements. The Palacio de la Inquisición (now a museum) was where "sinners" were judged, but two blocks away, on Calle de la Amargura, bars operated without royal permission.
1741 – The Defense Against Vernon and Smuggled Rum
When English Admiral Edward Vernon tried to take Cartagena, bars became recruitment centers. It is said that in the Plaza de los Mártires (now Plaza de la Aduana), smuggled Jamaican rum was distributed to boost troop morale. After Vernon's defeat, the liquor trade boomed. The warehouses of the San Diego neighborhood, near the Church of Santo Domingo, stored barrels of rum brought from Cuba and Venezuela.
1811 – Independence and Republican Gatherings
Enlightened Creoles met in taverns like La Cueva del Pirata (now disappeared, but its name survives in some venues) to plan independence. They drank champán criollo (a mix of rum and fruit) and read forbidden poems. Many of those bars were on Calle de la Factoría, where the best signature bars are concentrated today.
20th Century – The Era of Port Bars
With the construction of the Panama Canal and the tourism boom in the 1950s, the Historic Center filled with elegant bars. La Vitrola, opened in 1950, became the meeting point for intellectuals like Gabriel García Márquez. Café del Mar, opened in the 80s, put Cartagena on the map of world-class sunsets. But traditional bars, like El Bodegón de la Candelaria and La Terraza del Santísimo, still operate in 18th-century mansions.
Key Figures or Events
Gabriel García Márquez and Cartagena's Bohemia
Gabo lived in Cartagena between the 60s and 80s. His favorite bar was La Vitrola, on Calle Baloco. There he wrote parts of Love in the Time of Cholera and got drunk on ron Viejo de Caldas. Today, the bar still has the same mahogany counter and the same vinyl record player. The waiters will tell you that Gabo always asked for a table in the back, near the window, to watch the women walk by.
The Legend of La Llorona at Portal de los Dulces
At the Portal de los Dulces (facing Plaza de los Coches), where alegrías de coco and enyucados are sold today, locals say the ghost of a weeping woman appears. It is said she was a slave who poisoned her master with a milk candy and was hanged in the same square. The bartenders at Bar Havana (on the same corner) swear they have seen her silhouette at 2 in the morning, just as they close the cash register.
The Duel of the Captains on Calle de la Amargura
On Calle de la Amargura (now full of bars like El Barón and La Movida), a legendary duel took place in 1798. Two Spanish captains fought with swords over the love of a mulatta woman named Remedios. Both bled to death on the cobblestones. Since then, bar owners claim to hear footsteps and the clash of metal on full moon nights. Some bartenders offer a drink called "Sangre de Capitán" (rum, cinnamon, and lemon) to calm the ghosts.
The Pirate Francis Drake and the Lost Tavern
Although Drake sacked Cartagena in 1586, a local legend says he buried a treasure under what is now Bar El Santísimo, on Calle del Torno. The bar, which operates in a 17th-century mansion, has a basement that the owners have never opened for fear of curses. The house cocktails are called "El Tesoro de Drake" and "La Maldición del Pirata," and are served in copper cups.
Current State
Today, Cartagena's Historic Center is experiencing a renaissance of its historic taverns. While modern bars like Alquímico (voted one of the best in the world) offer signature cocktails with molecular techniques, traditional venues keep colonial recipes alive. In May 2026, you can walk from Plaza de los Coches to Plaza de Santo Domingo and find:
- La Vitrola (Calle Baloco, corner with Calle del Sargento): Open Monday to Saturday, 6pm-2am. Cocktails from $35,000 COP. Specialty: passion fruit mojito and aged rum. Atmosphere: live jazz and photos of Gabo on the walls.
- El Bodegón de la Candelaria (Calle de la Candelaria, #3-12): Open daily, 11am-11pm. Dishes from $22,000 COP. Specialty: artisanal aguardiente with lemon and salt. The building dates from 1720 and has a hidden chapel on the second floor.
- Bar Havana (Portal de los Dulces, Plaza de los Coches): Open Tuesday to Sunday, 4pm-1am. Cocktails from $28,000 COP. Specialty: soursop daiquiri. Terrace with a view of the statue of Pedro de Heredia.
- Alquímico (Calle del Torno, #2-45): Open Wednesday to Saturday, 6pm-2am. Cocktails from $45,000 COP. Specialty: "Elixir Colonial" (rum, cocoa, sweet chili, and mint). The menu includes a card with the history of the mansion.
The current trend is historical cocktail tourism: bars offering guided tastings about the colonial era. For example, at La Terraza del Santísimo (Calle del Torno, #2-40), you can try an "Aguardiente de la Inquisición" (cane aguardiente macerated with cinnamon and clove) while a guide tells you how the Dominican friars distilled their own liquors in the convent next door. Prices are a reference for May 2026, and it is recommended to check hours before visiting, as many are closed on Mondays.
For cultural travelers, the best time to tour these bars is between 7pm and 11pm, when the light from the colonial streetlamps creates a magical atmosphere. Wear comfortable shoes: the cobblestone streets are beautiful but treacherous, especially after the third cocktail. And if you hear a wail at the Portal de los Dulces, don't be scared: it's just La Llorona asking for a drink.
Embark on a nighttime tour of Cartagena's living history while savoring unique cocktails. The night in the Historic Center is not just noise and lights: it's a 500-year journey in every sip.