Check out our amazing trip to Cartagena!
As the first Spanish colony in the Americas, Cartagena was an immensely important port city due to its location on the Caribbean Sea. Now Cartagena is a popular tourist destination that attracts people with incredible architecture and spectacular beaches close to the city. Compare to other Colombian cities here you can often hear English language.
How to get
Cartagena has an airport so you can get here by plane from the main Colombian cities. Our flight from Medellin took just 1 hour and cost around 100$ for a round trip. We flew with Viva airlines to Cartagena and took LatAm airlines for a flight back. From my point of view, LatAm has better service and more comfortable seats, but both airlines are good for short flights. We took an Uber from the airport to the hotel, which cost around 60000 COP if you live in the old town.
Where to stay
There are two places to stay in Cartagena if you’re only there for the weekend: the old town or the islands. Take a boat to the Rosario Islands instead of heading to the closest beach if you’d rather spend the weekend by the sea. While the beaches in the city are unclean and overcrowded, the Caribian paradise can be found on the islands. I suggest taking a free tour if you’re interested in learning a little more about the history https://freetourcartagena.com/
What to do
Spend a day exploring the old city, take a coffee at the Santuario de San Pedro Claver fountain, buy some fruit from the locals, and watch the sunset from GARITA DEL BALUARTE SAN FRANCISCO JAVIER.
But make sure that you’ve seen:
- Getsemani neighborhood
Here, you’ll see stunning murals and colorful homes. Everywhere you step, there is fantastic street art.
- Santo Domingo Square
Very cozy square for a lunch or just a coffee.
- Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandría
The cathedral is a component of the walled city of Cartagena’s overall architectural scheme. Allow yourself to step inside to take in the beauty as you’re walking through the city’s streets.
Tips:
- On our trip to Cartagena, we spend 2 days just walking around the city center, but there are also a lot of beautiful islands around
- To avoid overcrowded beaches don’t go to Baru, even if it’s highly recommended by some agencies.
- Check the websites of beach clubs directly if you want a day excursion to a great beach; they offer transfers and are less expensive than arranging through a local agency.
- I advise avoiding purchasing lemonade or any other fruit-flavored drinks from a street vendor because they are overly sugary and unappealing.
- The city itself is quite safe with a lot of bars open at night, anyway, you should be careful and don’t leave your belongings unattended. A different story if you go to Baru, there are a lot of thieves at the beach, so never live your staff!
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