Americans Can Fly Nonstop To These 4 Gorgeous Colonial Cities In The Caribbean

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All of us love the Caribbean for its paradisaical white-sand seashores, seas of probably the most unimaginable turquoise coloration, and naturally, the luxurious all-inclusives the place even commoners like us get handled like royalty.

That mentioned, generally you need a bit greater than bottomless brunch and margaritas by the pool. Now and again, the tradition buff in you comes out, and glitzy Lodge Zones simply don’t reduce it.

However hey, we’re not precisely itching to fly throughout the pond to freeze our bottoms in Europe this season, both. Seems, you do not have to go to the Outdated Continent to get a style of that historic aptitude.

These 5 gorgeous colonial cities within the Caribbean really feel like an extension of Europe within the New World, minus the grey skies and wet Fridays:

Cartagena, Colombia

Colombia’s colonial centerpiece, Cartagena is a culture-loaded city that is been nearly completely preserved from colonial occasions.

Sure, it has skyscrapers and a chaotic business zone that does not precisely set it aside from the remainder of South America, however at its core, it homes a UNESCO-protected walled heart, full with cobble-paved lanes, horse-drawn carriages, and ornate Baroque church buildings.

On the sting of the Historic Middle, Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas is a Spanish-built fortress on the shores of the Caribbean, with tunnels and hidden passageways galore for the historical past lovers.

If seashores are your essential draw, you’re spoiled for selection: from the white sands of Playa Blanca to the palm-lined shores of the Islas del Rosario, postcard-perfect turquoise waters are all the time inside simple attain.

Fly Nonstop From The U.S. To Cartagena, Colombia (CTG)

Willemstad, Curaçao

The capital of Curaçao, an island within the Dutch Caribbean that is rapidly rising in popularity, Willemstad is a colonial gem but to be (actually) found by the plenty.

With Northern Mannerist homes à la Amsterdam, besides they’re candy-colored, and vibrant road markets, the place they promote not stroopwafels and salted hering, however contemporary fruit and spicy curry takeouts, Willemstad is the right marriage between Dutch and creole cultures.

Nothing wanting Amsterdam’s Caribbean religious sister, it’s even traversed by canals, with a floating Queen Emma Bridge connecting the colourful Punda and Otrobanda districts, the place you may discover conventional eating places dispensing cornmeal dumpling soup, beef stew, and different Curaçao delicacies.

That is nonetheless the Caribbean, in any case, and a brief stroll from the Historic Middle, Mambo Seashore has the white sands and calm waters you are looking for, whereas Sea Aquarium Seashore is dotted with full of life bars and eateries, making it supreme for a simple, full of life seashore day.

Fly Nonstop From The U.S. To Willemstad, Curaçao (CTG)

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The primary metropolis ever constructed by European settlers within the New World, Santo Domingo is an open-air museum sometimes missed by Punta Cana-bound vacationers.

With a heavily-fortified bay, a landmark stone-built cathedral that dominates a cafe-lined central plaza, and a colourful colonial core peppered with family-owned cantinas, it’s all the cultural Caribbean getaway you might want to cleanse your palette.

To not miss whereas exploring Santo Domingo’s UNESCO World Heritage Website of a Historic Middle: the Catedral Primada, the oldest cathedral within the Americas, Alcázar de Colón, Columbus’ former palace, and Fortaleza Ozama, a sixteenth century fortress on the banks of Ozama River.

Santo Domingo will not be as resort-oriented as Punta Cana, however the neighboring Boca Chica additionally has bright-blue seas and white sands, and even higher, it is solely a 30 min drive from the town.

Fly Nonstop From The U.S. To Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ)

Santiago, Cuba

Overlook Havana: Cuba’s hottest vacation spot for 2025 is the offbeat, yet-to-be-ruined-by-the-masses Santiago.

It isn’t the oldest European-settled metropolis within the Americas, as Santiago takes priority, however it’s among the many first to have been based, with its beginning date being traced again to 1515. Oh, and belief us once we say, it has the architectural grandeur to again it up:

A UNESCO World Heritage fort, Castillo del Morro has guarded Santiago Bay for hundreds of years, and it’s one of many best-preserved Spanish army websites in Cuba.

Over at Céspedes, the historic coronary heart of the town, there is a cathedral-backed essential sq., a landmark Metropolis Corridor, and a plethora of museums and cafes to find. It is the right spot for absorbing the tradition and experiencing Cuban life with out the Havana crowds.

Different noteworthy sights embody Casa de Diego Velazquez, the oldest surviving home in Cuba, and the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, the place Cuban revolutionary heroes like José Martí and Fidel Castro relaxation.

Fly Nonstop From The U.S. To Santiago, Cuba (SCU)