Café San Alberto

Café San Alberto is the Cartagena branch of one of Colombia's most decorated coffee brands. The company, San Alberto SAS, grows its coffee at an estate in Buenavista, in the department of Quindío, where it also runs a terrace for visitors. It promotes itself as the most awarded coffee in Colombia, and its Cartagena coffee shop on the Plaza de Santo Domingo gives visitors to the coast a chance to try it without travelling to the mountains.

The shop is at Carrera 3 # 35-18 on the plaza, in the heart of the walled city, and it is open every day from 09:00 to 21:00, which makes it as useful for an evening coffee after dinner as for a morning start. Beyond ordering a cup, the brand offers coffee experiences at its Santo Domingo shop, and kimkim has described a "Coffee Baptism" that follows the bean from tree to cup and ends with a tasting. Details of the current experiences are listed on the brand's website, so check what is available before you go.

Bags of coffee, souvenirs and coffee kits are sold, and the brand also has an online shop, so it is a good place to buy a gift to take home. If you plan to visit the coffee region later in your trip, the Buenavista terrace in Quindío is the brand's other visitor location.

The café suits coffee enthusiasts, couples and anyone who wants a calm break between sights. The Plaza de Santo Domingo is one of the busiest squares in the walled city, lined with restaurants and bars and home to Botero's statue known as Gertrudis, so a seat here is also a good way to watch the life of the old town. Free walking tours meet beside the Botero statue in the afternoons and at weekends.

For enquiries, the shop's direct number is +57 318 589 5648, and the brand's general lines are +57 601 213 2390 and +57 317 502 6246. From the café, the walls, the Torre del Reloj and the Plaza de Bolívar museums are all a few minutes' walk away. Allow half an hour for a coffee, or longer if you book a tasting.