Museums in Cartagena

Cartagena's museums are not the city's strongest suit and it's worth knowing that going in. The best experience by far is the Zenú Gold Museum — modern, fully equipped, bilingual throughout, and blissfully air conditioned. It has beautiful displays of pre-Columbian artifacts, pottery, and gold relics that give real context to the region's indigenous history. The Palace of the Inquisition is a different story: the exhibit is run down, almost entirely in Spanish, and only one small room has A/C. That said, it's worth visiting for the stunning entrance architecture, the infamous side window used for anonymous denunciations, and the collection of torture devices that will stop you in your tracks. Go in the morning and bring Google Lens for translations. The Naval Museum is best enjoyed by kids who want to climb through run down replica submarines and naval ship interiors, explore small model boats, forts, maps, and historic buildings — more novel than educational, but they'll love it.