Cartagena

Historic Center of Cartagena

Overview

Cartagena is the number one tourist destination in Colombia.  Don’t let that scare you though.  Though it is full of tourists and sometimes crowds, there’s a good reason.  It’s because this walled colonial city is absolutely striking.  The vibrantly colored buildings match the vibrant personalities of the local people there, and perfect white sand beaches are only a stone’s throw away.  Do not let the crowds or its popularity scare you off.  Cartagena is worth the visit.

Getting There/Arriving

Air- Rafael Nunez International Airport has flights arriving from all over.  Within Colombia, there are regular flights to Bogota, Medellin, Cali, and San Andres.  International flights go to and from Panama, Lima, Caracas, and Miami.

Bus- The bus station is about 4 miles (6 km) from the old city, the main tourist area of Cartagena.  A taxi can get you there quickest, but will cost more, while a local bus can get you there for about $1US.  Buses go to Baranquilla, Santa Marta, Medellin, and Bogota regularly.  If in high season, book in advance.  If not here in high season, remember that you can negotiate rates for long term buses.

Getting Around

Walking- If traveling to Cartagena, the chances are high that you will be staying in or near the historic center.  If that’s the case, you won’t need much other than your own two feet to get around.  Cartagena is the perfect walking city with its gorgeously colored buildings and walled exterior.  Take your time and your camera as you could walk for days.

Cab- If you do need to get somewhere quick or are going out partying at night, it might be a good idea to take a taxi. They can be flagged down almost anywhere, but remember to negotiate a price before getting in and taking off.

Where to Stay

Old town square in the historic center of Cartagena

There’s two main options for where to stay in Cartagena.  If you want to splurge a bit more and be closer to the action, then stay in the historic center within the walls.  There’s plenty of restaurants, bars, and sites to see within the walls.  Just outside the walls is an area of the city called Getsemani.  It’s a short 5-10 minute walk to the historic center, prices are cheaper, there are fewer tourists (but still plenty), and this is more of the backpacker area of Cartagena.  Depending on how old your guidebook is, it may claim this area is unsafe, but it has gotten much safer over the years.  We stayed here and experienced no issues whatsoever.

Where we Stayed- We arrived in Cartagena in the afternoon with no place to stay.  We had our eyes set on a few places, but they were all booked up.  In true Colombian fashion, one of the more popular places in town that was booked saw us all tired and sweaty from walking around with our packs, so they made a phone call for us and directed us to a place that had rooms for the same rate as theirs.  When we arrived at Villa Colonial Hotel, we were delighted.  It was nicer than the place we were hoping to stay, and we had a nice, big room with a/c, cable, and a nice little balcony.  All for about $24US.  The owners spoke very little English, but we were super nice and patient with our broken Spanish.  It was fantastic practicing with them, and I can’t recommend this place enough.

Food and Drink

My morning breakfast ritual

Unfortunately we weren’t in Cartagena for very long, and we took a side trip to the wonderful beach of Playa Blanca (more on that soon), so we had to go easy on the budget when it came to food.  We didn’t eat out often at all, but one of the positives about Cartagena (that we also found while in Taganga) was the availability of street carts.  We took advantage of the many fruit juice carts littered around the city, and we typically got a fresh tropical fruit smoothie for breakfast.  For the bargain price of about $1-$2US, you could get a giant fresh fruit smoothie, with whatever combo you wanted.  Fantastic way to start the day, and I would guess that we started nearly half our days in Colombia in this manner.

Then there was what we called Shrimp Street. While on the beaches of Taganga, we got used to vendors walking the beach with a cooler filled with fresh seafood.  They would sell little plastic cups of seafood cocktail, whipped up right there in front of us.  The seafood of our choice, a little ketchup, a little mayo, some onions and lemon juice, and a bit of hot sauce, quickly mixed in a cup and sold for about $2-$3US, this was the perfect little meal.

If staying in the Getsemani area of Cartagena, to get to the historic center you head towards Torre del Reloj (the Clock Tower).  If you walk down Av Urdaneta Arbelaez Lemaitre, there is a row of food stands.  Some serve fruit juices and smoothies, and many serve the same seafood cocktail concoction we got on the beach in Taganga.  They all have little tables and chairs out front, and it’s a great place to get a good, cheap meal and do a little people watching.  We ate at Shrimp Street often.  We also hit up a few local markets for several meals.

Things to Do

Historic Center- Wandering around the historic center can take up days of your itinerary depending on your pace.  If you’re a photographer, the bright, vibrantly colored buildings are a wonder, and the giant walls of the fort make for awesome photo ops.  The plethora of open courtyards with restaurants and bars make for fantastic places to sit, chill, and have a drink.  While touristy, there’s no denying the stunning beauty of the historic center.

Castillo de San Felipe- This fortress built in 1657 is the largest Spanish fort built in the Americas.  You can visit the fort for about $5US.

La Popa Hill- A church, monastery, and ruins from a convent dating back to 1608 are located on La Popa Hill.  But the main reason for visiting this area is because it provides a great vantage point of the harbor and city.

Head to Playa Blanca for a great beach experience

Beaches-  There are several beaches in the area to visit, some closer and easier to get to than others.

• Bocagrande- You can take a stroll, a 10 minute bus ride, or a taxi (about $3US) from the Clock Tower and arrive at Bocagrande.  This beach is littered with big hotels and apartments, and the usually friendly and only mildly annoying touts are a little more aggressive here.  Not the most beautiful beach in the area, but a beach nonetheless.
• Marbella- This local’s beach just north of Las Bovedas, it is typically less crowded than Bocagrande and is decent for swimming.  The currents can get rough here, so make sure you heed any warnings.  The beaches of the Hilton and Las Americas hotels are cleaner and nicer.
• Playa Blanca- Stay tuned for a page and post dedicated to Playa Blanca, but this nearby beach is one of the most stunning in the area.  A short boat ride from Cartagena, this beach is packed daily, but if you choose to stay overnight, you can rent hammocks for dirt cheap and enjoy some peace and solitude.

Volcan de Totumo- One thing I wished we would have done but simply didn’t have time or funds for was the clay baths at Volcan de Totumo.  You basically go to a mud lake in the volcanoes crater for a bath and massage.  Some areas of the mud lake are over 1500 feet (500 m.) deep.