Cartagena was the most anticipated stop (at least for me) on our 12 day trip to Colombia. A beautiful town, full of history, art and culture, delicious food, coffee and drinks at dusk, not to mention the paradisiacal beaches of blue water and white sand just around the corner. But... will my high expectations have been met?
Come with me as I share what to do in Cartagena de Indias, where to stay, how to get around town and enjoy the beaches of the Colombian Caribbean coast.
All posts about our trips to Colombia, for you to get inspired and plan your next trip:
How to get to Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
We were in Bogotá, from where you can go by plane or bus to Cartagena. Since it is a 21+ hour ride by bus, we flew with VivaAir, a low-cost airline (now bankrupt!). Everything went well on the flight, which lasted around 1h30.
The airport in Cartagena is not far from town and we took a taxi when we got there - not the friendliest taxi driver in the world, but it all worked out.
Colombian main air carrier is Avianca, which links Bogota with all major cities in South and Central America and with the main hubs in the USA and Europe. We flew from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Bogota with Avianca, on a direct flight, and it all went well.
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Where to stay in Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena was one of the stops on the trip we took in January to Colombia, which also included the country's capital, Bogota , and a few days at the most beautiful beaches in mainland Colombia, in Tayrona National Park.
In Cartagena, we chose to stay in an Airbnb We chose to stay in an Airbnb in Cartagena - as in the other destinations of this trip we would be staying hotels, this was the place where we chose a house to enjoy the benefits of (1) having more space and privacy, and (2) wash the clothes, so we could travel only with ours carry-ons (if you’ve know us for a while, you know we’re obsessed about travelling light).
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We stayed in the historic center (Old Town – Ciudad Amurallada) on a apartment , just the right size for our family of 4 people (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and kitchen integrated with the living room, as well as a small balcony), which was very close to the city walls, in front of the access to the famous Cafe del Mar.
The location was perfect: walking one block we would reach the lively area of the historic center, with several restaurants, cafes, shops, all very close by. At the same time, as the apartment faced the inner courtyard of the 3-storey building, it was silent, despite the view from the small balcony not having any special appeal.
There are serveral hotels in that area of town. Hotel Aguamarina Boutique has a lovely pool on the rooftop, as the charming and really well reviewed Amarla Boutique Hotel Cartagena, which also has a swimming pool so you can to relax in the late afternoon.
Now, if you're like us and prefer to stay in an apartment every now and then, this one appears to be in the building right next to the one we stayed in, with a roof-top on the upper floor, and this one is also next door, just choose which one you prefer.
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Getting around in Cartagena
If you are staying in Ciudad Amurallada (historic center), you can easily explore everything on foot. The historical part of town is small and pleasant, and Getsemani (where you can also find lots of accommodation options, as well as great restaurants, bars and shops), is also very close and easy to walk to.
Except going to the beaches, we did everything on foot. We walked a lot, under the +30ºC (+XNUMXºF) sun on our heads all.the.time. Merciless sun, be prepared. Don’t forget sunscreen and hats, use it everyday, all the time.
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What to do in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
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Warning to the unwary: although Cartagena is on the Caribbean Sea, there are no beaches in town. The waves are strong and only in some places there is a tiny strip of sand, which, when we passed by (driving on the way to and from the airport) was absolutely covered by chairs, umbrellas and people, not to mention that the water didn't look pretty at all, far from that idyllic image we have of the Caribbean sea.
If you want that dreamy Caribbean beach, you have to go to some distant beaches and islands - I'll talk about that later here in this post.
First, I'll share what we did in Cartagena during our days there.
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Old town – Ciudad Amurallada
The historic area of Cartagena is absolutely beautiful. Really gorgeous and charming, one of the most lovely historic colonial towns I've ever visited. I even played around trying to compare it to Brazilian Paraty (a historial town by the Atlantic Ocean, c. 200km south of Rio de Janeiro), but, despite being Brazilian myself and proud of my country, Cartagena easily beats Paraty (in my opinion, of course).
Cartagena was founded in 1533 and was for centuries one of the most important (if not the most important) port in the region, responsible for the flow of silver and other metals exploited in the Peru/Bolivia region and for receiving goods from Europe and enslaved Africans. For a long time, Cartagena was the seat of government of the Spanish colonies in America.
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What to do in Ciudad Amurallada
Simply enjoy walking and getting lost in the alleys of the historic town, which encompasses the neighborhoods of El Centro and San Diego, and also include a stroll around Getsemani.
Stop at all the cafes you feel like; if you are a coffee lover, you won’t be short in opportunities for a good coffee. Let the kids have all the ice cream they want, after all, they're on vacation, right? Get to know the different churches and historical monuments scattered around Cartagena and, as the afternoon falls and the evening comes, stop for a drink at the many bars: Café del Mar (located literally on the old town walls) has great sunset views, but can get really crowded and with long lines, so arrive early and be prepared if you want to go there. You can have the same sunset amazing views walking on the old town walls around there, which is free and easy.
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When walking around Old Town and Getsemani, kids were starting to get bored (because there comes a time when not even ice cream can encourage the kids to walk through historic alleys under a 40ºC/XNUMXºF sun), so I created a challenge that proved to be one of the best memories we all have of this trip: the search for the most beautiful door in town.
The doors of the houses in Cartagena Old Town are gorgeous , so we walked around the streets and taking pictures in front of all the doors that we thought beautiful. At the end of the day, each of us chose the door we liked best, and we sent the pics to our extended family for a vote: the one with the most votes would be the winner, and the one of us who had chosen that door would "set the rules" for the next day. I don't remember, now, which door I chose or which was the winner or who won the game, my memory is that it was a lot of fun and yielded beautiful pictures.
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Palacio de la Inquisición and Museo del Oro
Among the attractions of the Old City, we went and recommend the Palácio de la Inquisición. . What looks like a beautiful colonial house, was once home to the terrifying inquisition, whose aim was to eliminate heresy from town, burn witches and all that terrible things associated with that dark era. In addition to showing artifacts and stories about the Inquisition in Spanish America, the museum also houses pre-Columbian art and a very interesting exhibition about the history of Cartagena and its role as a port and fortress over the centuries.
As with most Asian cities, the Museo del Oro Zenu is on the opposite side of the same square from the Palácio de la Inquisición. We had already visited Bogota’s Museo del Oro, so we thought it best to leave this one for our next visit to Cartagena. If you haven't been to the one in Bogotá (or even if you have), the references we had were that this museum is fascinating and worth a visit.
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Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
Another Cartagena must-see is Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas – the largest fortress ever built by the Spanish in any of their colonies. It is located on a hill called San Lázaro and was built in 1657 during the Spanish colonial era.
In 1984, UNESCO included the Historic Center of the city of Cartagena, all its fortifications and the castle of San Felipe de Barajas on the list of World Heritage Sites.
The day we were there the heat was infernal, the sun was scorching, so you've seen it, right? Children and 50% of adults were complaining like crazy, but nothing stopped us from climbing to the top, walking along the walls, getting lost in the labyrinthine corridors and tunnels, learning a little more about Spanish colonization in the region and enjoying the view of the city.
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What to do around Cartagena
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That Caribbean you've always dreamed of, with turquoise water, white sand beaches and lots of shade and fresh water exists and is there, just a short boat or car ride from Cartagena.
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Islas del Rosario (Rosario Islands
The best-known and easiest beaches to reach from Cartagena are the Islas del Rosario (Rosario Islands, an archipelago about 35km southwest of town. It's easy to take a boat trip there from Cartagena.
We took this tour, but ended up opting for one that goes overland. A van picked us up at the Airbnb at 6 am and we went to Playa Blanca, a beach on the mainland very close to these islands. Once there, we took a boat to the islands. We went to San Martin de Pajarales Island, where there is an aquarium – Oceanario de Las Islas del Rosario.
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"Another aquarium” you might think, but this one is different as the fish are kept in pools directly in the sea; you see them from above, on walkways between such pools. The guides are very friendly, talk about the different species of animals they help protect there (in Spanish, I am not sure if there are English tours, better check the website) and interact with the fish (including sharks), it's fun and interesting. At the end, there's a dolphin show, something I find nowadays a bit questionable, but the kids loved it.
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Playa Blanca
Playa Blanca (White Beach) lives up to its name: the sand is really white and the water is really turquoise blue. But – and here I'm going to be very honest – the attractiveness of the place stops there.
The strip of sand (at least when we were there) is very short and completely dominated by chairs and umbrellas from the bars that occupy every inch of the waterfront. There is no free space. It is difficult to walk, in most parts you have to walk through the water as there is nowhere to step on the sand. And lots, lots of trash: trash in the parking lot, at the beach access, on the beach, in restaurants, everywhere. And a lot of people. People everywhere. Loud sound, each bar/restaurant/group with its speaker competing with the speaker next to it. To be honest, I found it hellish.
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We stayed in a bar that had somechairs a few meters away from the sea, the food was what I would expect for the place (poor), beer was ok, but the overall experience was really far from a “paradisiac Caribbean beach club” type of place. I wouldn't go back to these beaches, so much so that the next day we didn't take the trip we had booked to the beaches and chose to stay in town.
The pics you see here were taken the moment we got at the beach, before 8 am and before the hordes of people showed up. I didn't take pictures afterwards because over time, I hope that it will only be these beautiful images and the memory of the laughs we had and the games we played in the water (delicious, by the way) that remain in my memory.
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Is Cartagena worth visiting?
At the beginning of the post, I questioned whether, despite my very high expectations, it would have been worth visiting Cartagena.
Answering the question: my high expectations were met, and with ease.
Cartagena is a unique and wonderful destination that is well worth a visit.
Just writing this post brings back that longing for walks through the Walled City, its alleys, cafés, and shops, and a desire to return to stroll through the streets, enjoy an ice cream, a coffee, continue our search for the most beautiful door, and learn even more about the town’s history.
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All our posts about traveling in Central and South America:
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- What to do in Alter do Chão: Exploring amazonian beaches and rainforests in Brazil
- The best tours to do in Bonito, Brazil, in 4 days
- Ultimate Guide to Bonito: Exploring the Southern Brazilian Pantanal's Hidden Paradise
- Bonito, Brazil with kids: When is the right age to visit?
- What to do in Chapada dos Guimaraes – Mato Grosso
- What to do in Pirenópolis: charming ecotourism in the heart of Central Brazil
- What to do in 3 days in Bogotá
- What to do in Cartagena de Indias – Colombia
- How to visit Tayrona National Park – the most beautiful beaches in mainland Colombia
- The best of Colombia – 12-day itinerary
- Guatemala – 10-day itinerary
- El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier - the best of Argentinan Patagonia
- Torres del Paine photographic expedition - Chilean Patagonia
- One week in Belize: a perfect itinerary for first-time visitors
- Things to do in Belize: the best of San Ignacio, Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker
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