Hot and humid Cartagena is the heart of Colombia’s Caribbean region. It has a spectacular historic walled city and a massive Spanish fortress. There are beaches nearby with good opportunities for day trips.
My Posts on Cartagena
General Info:
Areas:
Attractions:
- Caribbean Naval Museum (Old Town)
- Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
- Church of San Pedro Claver (Old Town)
- La Popa Convent
- Walls of Cartagena
Tours:
Introduction to Cartagena
Cartagena de Indias is easily the most beautiful, photogenic, and historic city in all of Colombia. It’s a must-see when visiting the country. It’s set on the Caribbean Sea with the Old Town behind Spanish colonial walls, full of several colonial-era buildings with large flowered balconies.
When to Visit Cartagena
I’ve been to Cartagena more times than I can remember and during almost every month of the year. Personally, March has been the best month I’ve visited. The weather is less humid with a nice breeze and there are fewer people.
If you’re looking to avoid crowds, keep in mind high season is from December through mid-January, Holy Week, and June, when Colombians have a school break. If weather is your main concern, you’ll want to visit between December and May, which is dry season.
Getting to Cartagena
As a major tourist destination, Cartagena is very well connected by bus and plane.
Rafael Núñez International Airport
There are several flights a day from major cities in Colombia, and from international cities like Miami, New York, Atlanta, Toronto, Montréal, Lima, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Madrid, Zurich, and Panama City to Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport (as of December 2023). It’s a relatively small airport.
Taxis from the Airport
Taxi service from the airport is safe and easy. At a booth outside the taxi stand, you tell the attendant the area you’re traveling to. They give you a receipt with a fixed price to pay the driver once reaching your destination.
Bus Terminal
The bus terminal is very far from the city center. It can take a very long and expensive taxi ride to get there, but there are buses to all major cities in Colombia. The most frequent buses go to nearby cities like Barranquilla and Santa Marta.
MarSol Transfers
If transferring between Cartagena and Santa Marta or Barranquilla, you can use MarSol. They pick you up from your hotel and drop you off at your destination for a good door-to-door service that is very reasonably priced. It will probably save you time and money in the long run if you choose this service rather than going to the bus station, and the hotel will reserve it for you. It costs roughly COP$60,000 per person (as of December 2023) from Cartagena to Santa Marta and it’s about COP$35,000 to Barranquilla (as of December 2023). It’s not the most comfortable ride but it’s convenient.
Getting Around Cartagena
Getting around Cartagena is easy. Most tourists will stay in either the Old Town, Getsemaní, or the modern area of Bocagrande. You can easily walk to most major sites from Getsemaní or the Old Town, but will most likely need a taxi from Bocagrande, which can add up quickly.
Taxis in Cartagena
Taxis in Cartagena don’t run on meters. I’ve paid different rates for the same route, all within a couple thousand pesos. You might want to ask the price before getting into the taxi.
There are both yellow and white taxis that work in the city. The yellow taxis are cheaper while the white ones, which tend to gather around luxury hotels, charge much higher prices.
Accommodation in Cartagena
There are plenty of excellent hotels for all budget ranges. The prime place to stay is within the Old Town, and you’ll usually pay a premium for it. The best luxury hotels and several other great places to stay are located there, but most of the best restaurants are also there.
If you’re looking to save some money, stay in Getsemaní. There are some great places to stay, usually at a more reasonable price than the Old Town, and several terrific restaurants can be found there as well. It’s only a short walk to the Old Town yet has a more authentic feel.
Bocagrande is my least favorite place to stay. It’s full of modern high-rises and reminds me a lot of Miami. Still, there are plenty of hotels and restaurants around this part of town.
Doing Laundry in Cartagena
If you need to do laundry during your stay in Cartagena, avoid the high prices charged by hotels and head to this little place in San Diego. They can finish your laundry in a few hours or for a lower price have it ready by 2pm the next afternoon. They charge by the kilo and at a very fair price.
Beaches in Cartagena
If you’re looking for beaches, Cartagena has them but they aren’t that great. I wouldn’t recommend them. They’re overcrowded and dirty and the water isn’t what you’d expect from a typical Caribbean beach. It’s better to book a day trip to one of the resorts on the Rosario Islands or Isla Barú, but skip Playa Blanca. I would’ve recommended it in 2015 but it’s been completely destroyed by mass tourism and lack of care by the locals.
Safety in Cartagena
Cartagena is generally a safe city. I’ve stayed in all three areas of the city catering to tourists and have never had a problem at any time of day. However, it’s not without problems.
Unfortunately, sometime in 2023 it seems like the Old Town has turned into Colombia’s biggest red light district. Shortly after sunset, prostitutes and drug pushers flood the streets around Puerta del Reloj and the old squares openly offering their products and service. To make the situation worse, many women on the streets are trafficked and forced into prostitution. While this doesn’t necessarily pose a safety threat to visitors, it does take away from the charm of the city and is definitely not a family-friendly atmosphere.
Furthermore, there have been reports of local police shaking down tourists, especially young males traveling alone or in groups. They often claim these men are carrying illegal drugs and threaten to throw them in jail, often working in tandem with local criminals. This usually results in the tourists paying bribes to “stay out of trouble”. Two friends of mine visiting Cartagena were walking around the city walls when two police approached them and told them they witnessed them buying drugs. Luckily they were able to get out of the situation by surprising the police with fluent Spanish and Colombian IDs.
In any case, don’t let anything deter you from visiting Cartagena. Just be aware that these things happen and to keep your head on a swivel. Most visitors have no issues during their time in the city and go home with nothing but great memories.
Weather in Cartagena
Cartagena is unbearably hot and humid. It’s important to drink plenty of liquids and try not to stay outside for very long periods. You might want to take a towel or an extra shirt to change into while walking around during the day. I get drenched in sweat just about every time I leave my hotel room.
Flooding in Cartagena
Rainy season runs from June through November. When it rains heavily, some of Cartagena’s streets can turn into rivers. This causes traffic to back up and plans to be delayed. If you’re in Bocagrande and it’s raining heavily, don’t count on getting to the historic Old Town easily. I’ve missed out on a reservation at Mistura because taxis wouldn’t or couldn’t take me to the Old Town because of flooding. I’ve also had to wade through knee-deep water to get to my hotel.
Annoyances in Cartagena
Money-hungry locals can often ruin the experience for visitors. I like to call them “vultures”. Here are the two most common annoyances:
Street Vendors
A huge annoyance is the street vendors selling junk and souvenirs, rapping, or begging. They’re mostly in the Old Town but also bother people in Getsemaní and Bocagrande. Some are like vultures and will keep pouncing on you no matter how hard you push them away. Just say no. And if you want to eat in peace, under no circumstances should you sit outdoors.
Tour Sellers
Tour sellers are another problem. They’ll start filling out tour vouchers without your approval and pester you until you buy or get angry and walk away, and sometimes they’ll follow you until you give in. Some will give you a voucher and when you show up for a tour, your name is nowhere to be found on the list.
For example, a street vendor named Angelo sold me a chiva tour of the city in 2014. It worked out well in the end, but there was a little confusion at the beginning because he undercut the price of the tour and charged us COP$40,000 each. We ended up having to pay an extra COP$9,000 admission to one of the sites on the itinerary. He also fought with Mauricio (see below) the next morning over who was going to sell us a boat tour to the Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca. It was quite an embarrassing scene. We didn’t buy from either of them.
If you want to avoid any hassle or possible rip-off, it’s best to book tours through your hotel or directly from a tour operator. Tour companies actually prefer this and will tell you that you’re not obligated to buy anything from the vultures.
Local Guides
Sometimes you can get lucky and find decent local guides. If you’re interested in hiring a guide, make sure you bargain.
On my very first visit to the city in October 2014 I hired Mauricio for a walking tour of the city. If he’s still working, he stands outside of the Puerta del Reloj every morning looking for customers. He did a good two hour walk through the old town and Getsemaní, stopping at several important spots along the way. Mauricio speaks good English and tries very hard to make sure his customers are happy. At the end of the tour, he will aggressively try to sell more tours, but just be firm and tell him no if you aren’t interested.
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