Santa Marta

Founded on 29 July 1525 by Rodrigo de Bastidas, Santa Marta is Colombia's oldest surviving city and one of the earliest Spanish settlements in South America, set on a Caribbean bay with beaches, a walkable historic centre, and a dense café and restaurant scene. Simón Bolívar died here in 1830 at the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino. The city also serves as a gateway to Tayrona National Park and Ciudad Perdida, with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta rising behind the coast.

• Population499,192
• Nearest water from center0.8 km
• Nearest mountain from center3.7 km