To explore the life and literary world of Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez (affectionately known as “Gabo”) in Cartagena, here are five highly significant locations that shaped his history and his most famous novels:
1. Claustro de la Merced (University of Cartagena)
This is perhaps the most sacred site for Gabo fans. Following his death in 2014, a portion of his ashes was brought back to Cartagena and placed in a memorial in the central courtyard of this colonial cloister. It is a quiet, public space where you can pay your respects to the author.
2. Sofitel Legend Santa Clara (Former Convent)
This luxury hotel was once the 17th-century Convent of Santa Clara. As a young reporter for El Universal, Gabo witnessed the excavation of the convent’s crypts, where the body of a girl with exceptionally long hair was found. This real-life event inspired his famous novel, Of Love and Other Demons. You can still visit the crypt today via the hotel’s “El Coro” bar.+1
3. Casa de Gabriel García Márquez (San Diego Neighborhood)
Located on the edge of the city walls near the Santa Catalina bastion, this was Gabo’s private residence in Cartagena. While it is not a public museum (it remains a private family home), the exterior is a major stop on any literary tour. It is situated right across the street from the Sofitel Santa Clara, highlighting his long-standing connection to that specific corner of the city.+1
4. Portal de los Dulces (Sweets Market)
Located in the Plaza de los Coches, just inside the main Clock Tower entrance, this portal appears in his masterpiece Love in the Time of Cholera as the “Portal de los Escribanos” (Scribes’ Porch). It is where the protagonist, Florentino Ariza, waits and watches for his beloved Fermina Daza. Today, it remains a vibrant spot where local women sell traditional Caribbean sweets.+1
5. Plaza de Bolívar and “El Universal” First Offices
Gabo arrived in Cartagena in 1948 and began his career as a journalist at the newspaper El Universal.
- The Plaza: On his first night in the city, he famously had to sleep on a park bench in Plaza de Bolívar because he arrived after the city’s curfew and was briefly detained by police—an anecdote he often recalled as his “welcome” to the city.
- The Office: The original offices where he wrote his first columns were located nearby on Calle San Juan de Dios.