History: The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a fortress in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. Construction began as early as the year 1536 and it’s located on the hill of San Lazaro which is just outside the old city of Cartagena. The name was given in the honour of King Philip IV of Spain. Under his reign the fortress was significantly expanded in the year 1657.

Information about your visit: You can easily and cheaply reach the castle from the old city by taxi or bus. The entrance fee is 25’000 colombian pesos which is currently about USD 8. Not cheap for Colombian standards but the visit is a must see when you are in Cartagena and well worth it. Audio guides are in six different languages available (including English, Spanish, German and French) or you can book a guide (Spanish or English spoken). It’s advisable to take enough water with you. There is a little souvenir shop with a few foods in the top of the castle but selection is very limited. You can easily spend two hours if you want to see and listen to everything. And as you can see below the view from the top is just spectacular!

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