Cartagena, Spain

Will be visiting Cartagena whilst on a cruise in September, don't know anything about it. Could anyone please give me an idea what it's like and what there is to do there.:)

many thanks

Val

Stopped there briefly at the end of April. We loved touring the Roman theater & museum -- really lovely museum! Fun to see ruins of a Roman theatre (although the theatre in Orange, France is more complete); fascinating.

After that, we walked through the town (lovely architecture), and stopped at Valor (near the theater) for hot chocolate (super-thick & rich, almost like a chocolate sauce!) and churros. I recommend you definitely should get the hot chocolate & churros -- plus it's a generous portion; DH and I shared...

Heard from a fellow cruiser that the Military museum was fantastic as well.

Neat little city -- we really enjoyed it!

And one real joy is, you step off the ship and straight on to the promenade- no busy port to negotiate. Lovely town; lovely harbour.

Jo.

Forgot to mention that we also stopped at a restaurant on the main drag called Columbus. Sat outside and people-watched the tourists and local shoppers. Had yum-yum-yummy paella.

Portions were huge -- we ordered two different 2-person paellas and a side of grilled fresh sardines for 6 people and had TONS leftover. The staff was friendly, the food excellent, and the atmosphere was superb. Since we were headed back to the ship, we were sad to leave all the leftovers.

Being on the main drag, it was probably overpriced, but we didn't think it was all that expensive -- for as lovely an experience it was, we thought it was a great value!

Cute little port area... wanna go back! :)

And one real joy is, you step off the ship and straight on to the promenade- no busy port to negotiate. Lovely town; lovely harbour.

Jo.

Agreed! Good point!

We visited Cartagena while on a TA cruise last December - and it was a lovely surprise for us too.

As mentioned here - very easy to access. Just step off the ship and there you are. The dug out Roman Theater is a delight!

A picture is supposed to be better than many words.. so here is a link to our set of photos from there.. Just click on "slideshow" (upper right, and F11 if you want to see in full screen mode)

Miriam

Thanks for the lovely photos. We're also going to Cartagena in September on a Holland America cruise, ad your photos helped us decide not to bother with a ship's tour for that port. That cruise is also taking us to Haifa and Ashod.

Marcia

No, no need for excursions there.. And don't miss the museum and the Roman theater - the entrance is from the main street - quite close to the port!

Haifa and Ashdod.. Well.. that's of course another story. Here you will definitely need excursions.. :o

By the way - my husband reminded me that in Cartagena we drank the best hot chocolate ever (very suitable for December, maybe less so in September?) - but I can't tell you the name of the cafe! :confused:

Enjoy your cruise - and all of the ports!!

Miriam

We visited Cartagena while on a TA cruise last December - and it was a lovely surprise for us too.

As mentioned here - very easy to access. Just step off the ship and there you are. The dug out Roman Theater is a delight!

 

A picture is supposed to be better than many words.. so here is a link to our set of photos from there.. Just click on "slideshow" (upper right, and F11 if you want to see in full screen mode)

 

 

 

Miriam

Miriam: Thank you for the pictures they were wonderful. We are on the Equinox T/A in Oct and we will walk in to town also.

Miriam: Thank you for the pictures they were wonderful. We are on the Equinox T/A in Oct and we will walk in to town also.

Glad to be of help.. :)

By the way -what are your other ports of call? If you're interested - maybe we have photos from other stops too! ;):D

Miriam

Glad to be of help.. :)

By the way -what are your other ports of call? If you're interested - maybe we have photos from other stops too! ;):D

Miriam

thanks for sharing the photos, it looks a lovely place. We are also going to Calvi in Corsica , do you have any photos? I have never been to either of these ports so my knowledge of them is limited. All the other ports we visit I am familiar with.

Thanks

Val:D

thanks for sharing the photos, it looks a lovely place. We are also going to Calvi in Corsica , do you have any photos? I have never been to either of these ports so my knowledge of them is limited. All the other ports we visit I am familiar with.

Thanks

Val:D

Sorry, haven't been to Corsica (yet :o!)..

Enjoy your cruise!

Miriam

Miriam - Thanks for the great pictures. I also looked at your pics from Barcelona. What was the name of the hotel you stayed at? That was beautiful !

Thanks

Dee

Miriam - Thanks for the great pictures. I also looked at your pics from Barcelona. What was the name of the hotel you stayed at? That was beautiful !

 

Thanks

 

Dee

Dee - we are glad you enjoyed them!

Our hotel in Barcelona was The Continental Palacete - on the Ramblas (2 blocks the "other way" from Placa Catalunya). As you could see it is indeed located in a real "palace"..

I "got" it from some Texans who use it a lot while repeating TA cruises .

You can read about it on Tripadvisor of course, but if you want more information, I'll be glad to answer you privately - miriam10_il@yahoo.com.

Miiram

We visited Cartagena while on a TA cruise last December - and it was a lovely surprise for us too.

As mentioned here - very easy to access. Just step off the ship and there you are. The dug out Roman Theater is a delight!

 

A picture is supposed to be better than many words.. so here is a link to our set of photos from there.. Just click on "slideshow" (upper right, and F11 if you want to see in full screen mode)

 

 

 

Miriam

Nice pics Miriam!! What time of the year were you there? Looks a bit cool. I see you wearing your coat & sweaters. Also looks like you were on the Voyager of the Seas. Did you take it to/from Galveston, Texas??

Alan & Regina

Nice pics Miriam!! What time of the year were you there? Looks a bit cool. I see you wearing your coat & sweaters. Also looks like you were on the Voyager of the Seas. Did you take it to/from Galveston, Texas??

 

Alan & Regina

YES! Indeed the Voyager.. From Barcelona TO Galveston (your neighborhood, I presume? :)).. December 2009, which explains the warm clothes.. But still a sunny and great day in Cartagena!

Thanks for liking my picture - and commenting on them!

Miriam

YES! Indeed the Voyager.. From Barcelona TO Galveston (your neighborhood, I presume? :)).. December 2009, which explains the warm clothes.. But still a sunny and great day in Cartagena!

Thanks for liking my picture - and commenting on them!

Miriam

Yep, we live about a 40 minute drive from Galveston, between Houston & Galveston Island. Hope you got to spend a little time on the island. A couple that work where I do (Hewlett Packard) was also on that cruise. We'll all four be on the one this year :D.

That's why I found your pics. Very nice photography!!

Thanks,

Alan & Regina

Yep, we live about a 40 minute drive from Galveston, between Houston & Galveston Island. Hope you got to spend a little time on the island. A couple that work where I do (Hewlett Packard) was also on that cruise. We'll all four be on the one this year :D.

That's why I found your pics. Very nice photography!!

Thanks,

Alan & Regina

Noooo.. We didn't see much of your island.. :(

Actually the disembarkation process took so long that we almost missed our afternoon flight to Vegas! :( (spent 2 days there, just to see how it has changed since 1978 - the time of our last visit)

But that was the only "unpleasant" thing about that cruise. I am sure you'll love it! (and meet a LOT of other Texans there!).

As you are going to take exactly the same cruise, here is a link to the rest of our photos from it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gigiush/collections/72157622939122933/

You'll see that there ars sets there of all the ports (Cartagena is just one of them) - AND of the ship itself. I am sure it will whet your appetite in BIG way! :)

Miriam

Thanks Miriam - very nice of you.

Alan & Regina

hi guys,

interested in seeing the roman theatre etc in November when we stop off on our ta, is it well signposted to there and is it far to walk?

Can anyone remember this hot chocolate place? I want to try it!

I have just had an operation on my heel and wont be fully recovered by the time november comes around :(

Guess our TA cruisers are starting to look around for what to do at the ports :).

Hopefully, your foot will be healed by cruise time.

Alan & Regina

Regina and Alan, thanks for commenting on our photos.:)

PurpleJet - you enter the Roman Theater through the local Museum.. The entrance is from the main (pedestrian) street (on the right side) quite close to the port . It may be about 500 yard or so from the dock (I hope I got that right! :confused:). I am sure you won't miss it (ask for a map at the hospitality desk on the dock) .. Anyway, the moment you disembark you are already in the city, which is very nice.

The chocolate we had in a cafe (we sat outside) further on the same main street. It wasn't that far, but I am not sure what your heel will feel about that distance!We don't remember the name of the cafe, but it was on the left side, very near (but on the opposite side) to a store that sold all kind of "junk" for 2 Euro each (Todos a Dos.. ).

Have a lovely cruise guys!

Miriam

Guess our TA cruisers are starting to look around for what to do at the ports :).

Hopefully, your foot will be healed by cruise time.

 

Alan & Regina

ooh fancy seeing you here lol.

Yes i guess we are looking around now - i think that we will just have a wander around cartagena, as none of the tours really appeal to us. hubby is interested in roman stuff so we will probably go there, I am interested in the hot chocolate lol

Regina and Alan, thanks for commenting on our photos.:)

 

PurpleJet - you enter the Roman Theater through the local Museum.. The entrance is from the main (pedestrian) street (on the right side) quite close to the port . It may be about 500 yard or so from the dock (I hope I got that right! :confused:). I am sure you won't miss it (ask for a map at the hospitality desk on the dock) .. Anyway, the moment you disembark you are already in the city, which is very nice.

 

The chocolate we had in a cafe (we sat outside) further on the same main street. It wasn't that far, but I am not sure what your heel will feel about that distance!We don't remember the name of the cafe, but it was on the left side, very near (but on the opposite side) to a store that sold all kind of "junk" for 2 Euro each (Todos a Dos.. ).

Have a lovely cruise guys!

 

Miriam

Thanks for all your info - hopefully it wont be too fat for me to walk!

Just opposite the dock is the pedestrianised shopping area - Calle Mayor where you will find lots of places to eat and drink as well as plenty of shops. The famous chocolate cafe is VALOR (they are all over Spain) but I recommend you also order a glass or bottle of water as the drink is so thick!!

Other ideas for Cartagena are: a hoho bus tour (stops opposite the terminal) or boat trip around the port, or visit the Castle. This is a fine city and as many others have stated the architecture is superb. Walking is easy and everything is close by - except El Corte Ingles (department store) for which I suggest a taxi.

As a major port it has a fine Naval Museum and the first submarine can be seen on the lovely port walkway.

Enjoy!!!

Just opposite the dock is the pedestrianised shopping area - Calle Mayor where you will find lots of places to eat and drink as well as plenty of shops. The famous chocolate cafe is VALOR (they are all over Spain) but I recommend you also order a glass or bottle of water as the drink is so thick!!

Other ideas for Cartagena are: a hoho bus tour (stops opposite the terminal) or boat trip around the port, or visit the Castle. This is a fine city and as many others have stated the architecture is superb. Walking is easy and everything is close by - except El Corte Ingles (department store) for which I suggest a taxi.

As a major port it has a fine Naval Museum and the first submarine can be seen on the lovely port walkway.

Enjoy!!!