Ultimate Guide to Cartagena

Google Maps Link - all of our group recommended hotels, bars, restaurants and points of interest.

Cartagena IMOL RANKINGS

Difficulty Level 3/10

GFE Level 6/10

Why we go there: Cartagena is a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. By the sea is the walled Old Town, founded in the 16th century, with squares, cobblestone streets and colorful colonial buildings. Rum bars, bistros, cafes and ridiculously good restaurants. Head to the Clock Tower in the evenings if you are looking for companionship.

Cartagena Facts – the full briefing.

Old Town Cartagena is everything that Zona Colonial in the Dominican Republic could be, but isn’t. Colombia has done an outstanding job preserving the colonial buildings, cobblestone streets and creating a clean / safe tourist destination. Amazing restaurants, roof top bars, shops and cafes all set in a historic upscale setting - that’s Cartagena.

Cartagena is a tourist town, first and foremost. You will see people from all over the planet wandering the streets during the daytime and evenings. It is one of the safest cities in South America. You will see a lot of police walking around the tourist districts day and night. You'll also find that almost everyone working in the tourist district speaks decent English.

Obviously we still practice our standard Latin American safety rules, chica proof the hotel room, limit the amount of cash you carry in your pockets, leave the flashy jewelry at home and use only bank attached ATM machines.

Scopolamine isn’t as prevalent in Cartagena as Medellin but you still need to be cautious. Keep a constant eye on your drinks and trust no one.

Logistics:

Airport: Rafael Núñez International Airport CTG is served with daily direct flights by JetBlue, Spirit, American and United. Arajet flies a daily non-stop flights from SDQ Dominican Republic.

No visas are required. Tourists are allowed to stay in Colombia for up to 90 days visa free – this includes citizens of the Dominican Republic. You may request an extension of up to 90 additional days from the Colombian immigration authority (Migración Colombia).

Travelers must complete Migración Colombia’s Online Check-Mig Form within 72 hours of boarding an inbound or outbound flight from Colombia

Be warned.. CTG airport can be a little “chaotic” at times. You’ll need to have some patience during busy periods.

Transportation: From the airport to your hotel. Cartagena has made this super easy by installing Kiosk machines inside the airport. The ticket kiosk is located right as you leave the baggage claim area in the airport (once past the money exchange booths). The kiosk is brightly colored and super easy to use. Really you just need to know the general area of your hotel, hostel or Airbnb. Once you fill out all of the information you get a printed receipt with the cost of the ride! Simply hand the receipt to one of the (many) waiting taxi drivers

One of the easiest ways to get to and from the airport is to take a taxi. The airport and Yellow Cab have installed kiosk machines that print out a ride coupon with the price and your final destination. The Kiosks are clearly marked and are located just outside of baggage claim. Once you have your coupon just walk outside and hand it to a driver.

Yellow Cabs are everywhere in Cartagena. Important, licensed taxis will have the license plate number on the front, back, and sides. They will also have a tag that says “public service.” Always agree on a price before accepting the ride. The taxis do not have meters and it is much easier to be scammed or ripped off if you don’t agree on a fair price beforehand. Typical pricing: Old City/Getsemani → Bocagrande, Laguito, Castillo Grande (7000-10000 COP // $2.15 USD

Uber is also available in Cartagena but you probably won’t need it. The licensed taxi drivers are very easy to deal with.

Lodging

We strongly suggest staying in either Old Town or Boca Grande (pictured above). Boca Grande is an upmarket area located roughly 3km from Old Town Cartagena. Boca Grande is popular for its long, sandy beaches backed by palm-lined promenades. There are several casinos, along with a dining scene that includes beach snack bars, stylish Japanese and Colombian restaurants, global fast-food chains and mellow cafe terraces. Smart boutiques sell local and international fashion, while Plaza Bocagrande is an upscale mall with sea views.

** Be very careful when dealing with the vendors along the beach in BocaGrande.

Bocagrande also hosts a largest number of hotels in Cartagena. It's only a short taxi ride into Old Town, less than ten minutes.

During our last three trips we stayed at the Oz Luxury Hotel in BocaGrande. As with most hotels in the tourist sector the staff spoke fluent English and they were happy to assist with dinner recommendations etc.

If your are looking to stay inside Old Town check out the Delirio Hotel or the Sophia on Calle 32.

*** ALWAYS check the most recent reviews and the property guest policy before booking.

Warning: The beach vendors on Boca Grande beach are notorious for hustling tourists. Menu switching, price gouging and preying on tourists is a full time job down there.

Excursions

No trip to Cartagena can be complete without taking a boat trip out to the Rosario Islands or venturing off to one of the beach clubs. The front desk at your hotel is the best place to book one of these trips. They will connect you with verified tour operators with good reputations. The last thing they want is for a hotel guest to return after a bad day of adventuring. Most of the island trips will include an endless supply of alcohol, snorkel equipment and English speaking tour guides. You can also arrange for historic tours of downtown, horse carriage rides and pub crawls.

Nightlife

The nightlife in Cartagena is centered inside the Old City walls around the Clocktower district. A few years ago Cartagena went through a period where the city attempted to clamp down on nightlife activities, particularly prostitution. Some clubs were shut down until they could meet “safety and licensing” requirements and freelancing around the clock tower was strongly discouraged.

After some course correction with the club scene, things seem to be getting back on track in Cartagena. You find lots of beautiful Colombian women circulating around the three block radius around the clock tower, including the plaza itself.

Post up at one of the roof top bars and have a Birds Eye view of the “activity” down in the clock tower plaza. Strolling the cobblestone streets around the plaza in the evening hours will also yield plenty of opportunities for companionship. The going rate for a freelancer in Cartagena is 100-150 USD depending on the girl, your ability to negotiate and whether you’ve met her on the street or inside one of the clubs. Most of the street hookers can be negotiated down to 75-100 usd. That smoking hot Colombian girl inside the club, forget it. She’s not lowering her price.

Space Club located two blocks from the clock tower and is the prime club for picking up freelancers. Drinks are a little expensive and definitely keep an eye on your tab but the place is usually filled to the brim with working girls. Vodka and Soda will run you 45,000 pesos in here, this place is not cheap. Bartenders, door men, security, bathroom attendants will all constantly hound you for repeated tips and it can get irritating. so have lots of 2,000 peso bills (.50 usd) on hand.

Pro Tip: Local guys (hustlers) feed on the unsuspecting tourists by inviting them into clubs in hopes of earning a commission, ignore them.

Outside of the old city walls you will fine Isis Club, El Paraiso, and Travesuras Night Club. They all feature the same type of entertainment, girls, girls, girls. All three establishments are basically brothels masquerading as clubs. Keep your wits about you when enjoying these venues and bring cash, lots of it. Nothing is cheap inside these establishments.

The same rules for Medellin apply for Cartagena. Watch your drink, don’t flash cash or expensive jewelry, limit your alcohol intake and be leery of anything that sounds too good to be true.

The clubs, rooftop bars and nightlife in Cartagena doesn’t really get cranking until the clock strikes midnight. Most of the clubs stay open until 4am or later.

Alquiminco voted best bar in the world 2024, Bar Tun Candela, Mirador, Monkey Bar, Barra 7, Cafe Havanna and Daisy Rooftop are all legit bars (no freelancers) but definitely worth a visit. You can literally spend two weeks in Old Town and not run out of bars/rooftops to visit.

Summary

Cartagena should be viewed primarily as a tourist destination with some good nightlife as a bonus. If the later is your primary objective you’d probably be happier in Medellin where the nightlife is the main attraction.

That said the city is amazing. Safe, clean, historic and some of the friendliest people in Colombia. As with all Latin American cities there is some hustle factor with the younger latin males but it is easily avoided - example: the Boca Grande beach vendors and club “hosts” as already noted.

You’ll see a lot of well heeled Europeans and South American tourists wandering the old city streets during the day. We think Cartagena is one of the nicest cities in South America.