2019

BARRANQUILLA

BARRANQUILLA “TheGoldenGateofColombia”

Barranquilla,thecapitalof joyandkindness,hasbeenpositionedasahigh-levelcorporatedestinationwhere culture, business and entertainment come together to create unforgettable experiences. Overthe years, it has been known as the capital of the Colombian Caribbean Coast and one of themainindustrialcitiesofthecountry.

Thecityisrecognizedasthe“GoldenGate”ofColombiaforbeingthemaingateofentranceandexitofall commerce in the country since the early start and for being a pioneer of Aviation,telecommunications, port development, among other great events. Barranquilla is the birthplace ofgreatartists;itistheofficialhostcityoftheColombianSoccerTeamandtheplaceofthecountry'smostimportantculturalfestival:theBarranquilla´sCarnival,declaredbytheUNESCOasaMasterpieceoftheoralandintangibleheritageofhumanity.

Generalities

LocationandPopulation

Barranquilla is located in the Stateof Atlantico, in the northernCaribbean Coast of Colombia andSouthAmerica. It is locatedon thewestbankof theMagdalenaRiver,7.5 kilometers from its mouth attheCaribbeanSea.Currently,isthefourth most populated city inColombia, with approximately1,288,271 inhabitants (DANE,2017).

ExchangeRate

ThecurrencyinColombiaisthepeso.Thereare$1,000,$2,000,$5,000,$10,000,$20,000,$50,000and$100,000bills,and$50,$100,$200,$500and$1,000coins.Itisadvisabletoexchangedollarsandotherforeigncurrenciesintopesosatexchangehousesinairports,hotelsandbanks.Itshouldneverbedoneinthestreet.Inaddition,ItisrecommendedtoconsultthewebsiteoftheBancodelaRepública(ColombianCentralBank),whichpublishesthedailyrepresentativeexchangerate(officialdollar):

http://www.banrep.gov.co/es/tasa-cambio-del-peso-colombiano-trm

Youcouldalsousethefollowingwebsite,asacurrencyconverter:

http://www.colombia.travel/es/informacion-practica/convertidor-de-moneda#ctsections

ClimateTheclimateinBarranquillaisknownastropicaldry,withanaveragetemperatureof27°.Itisacitythatdoesnotrecognizethedifferenttypesofstations,butusuallyhastwoperiodsintheyear:Thefirstonethat covers from December toMaywhich is defined for being very dry. It coincideswith the borealwinter, forwhich there are strongwinds anda freshweather.On theother hand, Barranquilla has arainyseason,normallycoveringthemonthsbetweenApriltoNovember,whichis interruptedbyadryperiodbetweenJuneandJuly.ClothesIt is highly recommended to choose comfortable and fresh clothes, taking into account that thetemperatureinBarranquillaisnormallyhigh.Ifyouaregoingtovisitthecity,wesuggestusingclothesincotton,basicshirts,blouses,shortsandjeans.Fortheadventurous,acapwouldbeperfect,asthesunisa bit strong. The nights are a less hot, so you can dressmore elegant if you go out for a drink; butwithoutlosingfreshnessandcomfort,thatisthekey.

Tourism

IfyouareinBarranquilla,youcannotmissthefollowingplaces:

ThegreatMaleconof“PuertadeOro”: It isanopen-airstage,with green areas, gardens, pedestrian paths, benches, lightingand cycle paths. It has two levels of tourist boardwalk, facingtheMagdalenaRiver.

Route of “La Mita”: Is an unforgettable experience in theMagdalenaRiver that starts sailing from thedockof thegreatMaleconof“PuertadeOro”,towards“BocasdeCenizas”orthe

PumarejoBridge.Itendsatthestartingpoint,andlastsanhourandahalf.AdultsmustpayCOP$50,000andchildrenCOP$25,000.

The Window to the World: It is located in the CircunvalarAvenue, near the roundabout of street “Vía 40”. It is a hugemonumentknownforitsmulticolorstructureof4.7metersofheight.ItstandsouttheBarranquilla´smeaningasthe“GoldenGate”ofColombia,asawindowconnects thetwostructures.Inthemonument,youcanfindagraphictimelinethatdetailstheevolutionofthecity.

Carnival´s house: The house collects the most significantelementsofBarranquilla´scarnival. It is located in“Carrera54#49B–39”andoffersaudiovisualtoolsandphotos,sothevisitorcanknowthemeaningandhistoryofthisrepresentativefestivity.ItcontainsaDocumentationCenter,wheretherearemorethan2500piecesof informationrelatedto the festival.TheentrytotheinteractiveroomhasacostofapproximatelyCOP$5,000.

Caribbean Museum: Located in “calle 36 #46 – 66”. TheMuseum fosters the identity of the Caribbean region, throughculturalandhistoricalrepresentations.Ithasavarietyofroomsthat covers different topics such as nature, words, actions,expressions, people, among others. The general ticket has aprice of COP $ 14,000, the special ticket costs COP $ 7,000(Peoplewithdisabilities)andforguidedtour,thepriceisCOP$19,000(Minimumgroupsof5visitors).

“El Prado” Hotel: The historical and cultural wealth ofBarranquillacanbeseen inthishotel,which isrecognized,as the first touristichotel in LatinAmerica.Youcanvisit itduringthenight,andeatthebestpizzasofBarranquilla.

TheCastleofSalgar:Located intheMunicipalityofPuertoColombia, it isabuilding thatcontains featuresofcolonialarchitecture. It was built by the Spaniards at the Colonytime,withtheaimofusingitasastrategicpointintimesof

independence.ItiscurrentlyaRestaurantcalledFortofSantaBárbara.

Handicrafts: it isessential tovisit theMunicipalityofGalapaandUsiacurí, intheStateofAtlantico,toknowmore closely the creation of handicrafts. Usiacurí is amunicipality located 38 kilometers fromBarranquillaanditisrecognizedforthehugeexperienceofitsinhabitantsinworkingwiththepalmofIracaandothermaterials.Amongitsattractions,thereisthe“SantoDomingodeGuzmán”Church,thenaturalwells,thehouseofthepoetJulioFlórezandtheMonument“MusaTejedora”.

In the other hand, in Galapa youwill have the opportunity to visit theMUGAmuseum that has thelargestarchaeologicalcollectionoftheStateofAtlanticowithmorethan5000piecesofceramic, lithicandbone,belongingtotheTairona,ZenúandMocanácultures.Aswellaslivingtheexperienceofbeingacraftsmanforaday,intheartisanworkshop“ElCongoReal”.

Beaches:ThemostpopularbeachesoftheStateofAtlanticoarePuertoVelero,Sabanilla,CañoDulce,SantaVerónicaandPuertoColombia.Amongtherepresentativeplaceswithbeachoffer,thePradomarHotelstandsout. Ithasmorethan70yearsofhistoryand,itislocatedonthefirstlineofthebeachinPuertoColombia,just20minutesfromBarranquilla.Thisplaceallowsthevisitortoenjoyanatmosphereofbreeze,sand,seaandtranquility.

“LaCueva”Restaurant:Itisanoldbarthatbecamefamousfortheartists,writers,andintellectualswhofrequentlyvisitedit. Amongthemost illustriousguestsofthisplacewehaveGabrielGarcíaMárquez,NovelPrizeinLiterature,andtheColombian-Spanishpainter,AlejandroObregón.LaCuevaistheidealplace to enjoy the typical food of the region and revive the artistic expressions of the ColombianCaribbeanregion.Gastronomy:Barranquilla is recognized for itsgreatgastronomicdiversity. Besides the traditional restaurants, the city has asignificant number of Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Peruvian,LebaneseandChineseplacestoeat.Themostpopularrestaurantsare:CucayoandPalenque (typical cuisine),Mistura,Anónimo,ElCellerandCocina33(Signaturecuisine),amongotherspecialties.The old fluvial intendancy: Considered as an icon of high patrimonial value that became a strategiccenter of cultural management in the entrance to the River Avenue and the Historical Center. Itsrecoveryin2014meansthere-encounterofthecitywiththeMagdalenaRiver.Locatedin“Carrera46withVía40”.SanNicolásChurch:ItisachurchofRomanCatholiccultlocatedintheHistoricalCenterofBarranquillain the Plaza of San Nicolás. Its construction was carried out in the seventeenth century, and is nowdeclaredasaCulturalInterestGoodoftheNation,bytheMinistryofCultureinColombia.RomanticMuseum: It is ahistoricalmansion thatoffersdifferentpieces related to the local, regionaland national history of Colombia, It has collections that cover different topics such as art, science,technologyandethnography.Within its facilitiesyoucan findapproximately12,000piecesandroomsdedicatedtothehistoryofBarranquillaandtheinfluenceofforeigncolonies.

TourOperators

AviaturMayraVillanuevaCarrilloMobile:(+57)315 7210027 Email:mayra.villanueva@aviatur.comhttp://eventos.aviatur.com.co/barranquilla2018/

MunditurS.A.S.KarolMonteroMobile:(+57)3103627013–(+57)3106106593Email:ventas2@munditursas.comhttp://www.munditursas.com/category/paquetes-en-colombia/barranquilla/

PremiumCaribbeantoursTatianaViñaMobile: (+57) 318 7669589 Email:reservas@premiumctours.comhttp://www.premiumctours.com/index.php/donde-ir/caribe/barranquilla

Mainclinicsofthecity

• ClínicadelCaribe:Calle80No.49C-65• OrganizaciónClínicaBonnadonaPrevenir:Carrera49CNo.82-54/65• ClínicaAtenasLtda.I.P.S.:Calle80No.49C–10• ClínicaBautista:Carrera38No.71-10Esquina• ClínicaGeneraldelNorte:Calle70No.48–35• ClínicaAltosdeSanVicente:Calle87No.49C–24• ClínicaPrevenir:Carrera49CNo.82–54• ClínicadelaCosta:Carrera50No.80–90• ClínicaReinaCatalina:Calle82No.47–12• CongregaciónClínicaLaAsunción:Calle70BNo.41-93

EmergencyEntities

Togetincontactwiththeemergencyentities,youcancall:

• Ambulance:132• Firefighters:119• Police:123