Cartagena
Overview
Cartagena, Colombia is a located on the Caribbean Sea and is a popular tourist destination for both Colombian and foreign visitors. The population of Cartagena is over 1 million, however there are only two parts of Cartagena that are generally visited by tourists, which makes the city feel much smaller and quaint.
The city can be divided into three parts; the metropolitan area, which generally is not visited by tourists, the Colonial City (or old town) and Bocagrande.
The colonial, walled city of Cartagena was built by the Spanish in the 17th century and is truly and incredible place to visit. The fortress walls are still intact and you can really get a feel of what life must have been like in the colonial days. Today the old town of Cartagena has a lively nightlife, excellent restaurants, and its cobblestone streets that are perfect for exploring the city by foot. During the day the area is bustling with activity and it’s nice to take a break and people-watch from one of the many sidewalk cafés. This area of Cartagena is clean, beautiful and safe. There are a lot of street hustlers and vendors, who will try to sell you anything from cigars to rum to tee-shirts, but they are quite harmless (although somewhat annoying after awhile). When exploring this part of the city expect to see beautiful Spanish cathedrals, colonial buildings with flower covered balconies, and many plazas with restaurants and cafés.
Walking distance, or a short cab ride away, is the beach neighborhood, Bocagrande, where you will find modern, high-rise building lining the beach. Bocagrande is where the primary beach at Cartagena is located. In the evening the discothèques in Bocagrande go off quite hard with Latin style music and dancing, which can be a nice alternative to the slightly more tame bars in the colonial city.
As always, when traveling in any foreign country, the normal rules of the road apply, and although Colombia has a reputation of violence and kidnappings, Cartagena is quite safe. When visiting you will see plenty of police officers on the streets protecting the tourist industry.
The climate in Cartagena is typical Caribbean with the sun shining year around. There is no bad time to visit Cartagena, however December thru April are generally the driest periods while October thru November receive a bit more rain.
> Read
Cartagena
Destination Reviews
What to See and Do in
Cartagena
Cartagena Beach
The main beach at Bocagrande is mediocre at best, but is still popular with the locals and visitors. Vendors rent beach chairs and umbrellas and there are plenty of places to eat lunch and have a snack. The social scene at the beach is quite lively and it’s a great place to go meet people and find out what’s going on in the evening. If you’re looking for a more pristine beach experience we recommend catching a boat to Islas del Rosario and hitting one of it’s many islands. A popular beach in Islas del Rosario is Playa Blanca located on the island of Baru. It’s a great place for sunbathing, swimming and snorkeling.
Cartagena Tours
The main draw at Cartagena is the old town and we recommend spending a few days exploring it. A great way to wrap your arms around the historical, cultural and architectural significance of the old town is to take a guided tour. There are a few different options for Cartagena tours; you can take a guided walking tour, a tour by chiva (a colorful open-air bus) or horse drawn carriage. You can pick up tours in Bocagrande at Av San Martin at Calle 4 or in the old town city center in plaza Bolivar. Finding someone to take you on tour of Cartagena is not difficult so we recommend you shop around and find the one right for you.
Scuba diving in Cartagena
There is excellent scuba diving in Islas del Rosario located about 45 min offshore form Cartagena. There are scuba shops in Bocagrande as well as the old town that offer both day trips and overnight packages were you spend the night on one of the islands. If you have the time and money, we highly recommend spending a couple of days diving, a night dive and spending the night on one of the islands. A great company to take care of the details for you is
Dolphin Dive School located in the old town.
Cartagena Nightlife
Cartagena has an excellent nightlife scene. In Cartagena’s Zona Rosa you will find plenty of bars, taverns and discothèques full of Colombians on holiday. Look around Av del Arsenal and you will have several options to choose from. In Bocagrande there are several discothèques up and down the strip -check out La Escollera on Carrera 1 at Calle 5 for wild night of Latin dancing.
> Read
Cartagena
Activity Reviews
Hotels in
Cartagena
There are plenty of Hotels in Cartagena that cater to all budgets.
Casa Viena – dirt cheap accommodation that’s popular with backpackers. Calle San Andres No 30-53. Tel: +57 5 664.6242. email:
hotel@casaviena.com
Hotel Doral – affordable, nice space and popular with backpackers. Calle de la Media Luna No 10-46. Tel: +57 5 664.1706
Hostal San Diego – nice, quiet spot located on the northern end of San Diego. Calle de Las Bovedas No 39-120
Casa del Curato – A nice midrange option located in barrio San Diego. Tel: +57 5 664 3648
Hotel Santa Clara – Formerly a 17th century convent, now a Lux hotel spa. Quite expensive, but if you want to spoil yourself this is the place to be. Tel: +57 5 664 8040
> Read
Cartagena
Hotel Reviews
Exploration 2.0
Baraaza.com is where travelers come together to help one another find information
about destinations around the world. Please share your travel wisdom for destinations
you have visited and help grow our knowledge base. There are 4 ways you can share:
- Write a Destination Review
- Write an Activity Review
- Post Photos
- Post a Video
We offer an online meeting place for travelers seeking information from people with
similar backgrounds and travel styles. All our content is searchable by author age
range, gender, travel style, travel budget, and more. Visit the Member Visits tab to contact members who have already
Cartagena
Travel Resources
Travel Resources