The Only Cartagena Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need

After my excursion throughout Cartagena and after receiving so many questions about traveling there, I decided to write a Cartagena Travel Guide on what to do, see, eat, stay, and experience. Although I enjoyed my time in Cartagena, I could have easily spent a month or two exploring and experiencing all that the Colombian Caribbean coast has to offer. Needless to say, I’ll be planning a second trip to Cartagena… and possibly a third and fourth.

Before the Cartagena travel guide, below are a few helpful tips that you should know before embarking on your journey.

COVID Colombia Restrictions

As of March 31st these are the following requirements to enter in Colombia:

All travelers will need a negative PCR test (NOT ANTIGEN) to enter into Colombia that’s no later than 5 days old. Don’t wait until the last minute to take your test as I did. I didn’t get my results until during my layover in Florida. The airports will be checking your results during the check-in process for each flight. If you arent able to get your test then you will have to take your test in Cartagena and quarantine until you get your results.

I was able to get my PCR testing at my local CVS. You can check HERE to find a location near you.

Language

The official language of Colombia is Spanish. In Cartagena, although the majority of the locals speak Spanish, their dialect was a bit hard for me to understand at first. Being from Texas, the Spanish that I grew accustomed to hearing was Spanish spoken by Mexicans. Spanish spoken in Cartagena is spoken in a costeno (coastal) dialect since it’s near the Caribbean, which is spoken faster and choppier. However, Colombia is a diverse and massive country and many of its regions have very distinctive dialects.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the costeno dialect as well as the many other Spanish dialects that are spoken in Colombia.

Brush up on your Spanish before you go as most locals that you will encounter aren’t fluent in English. Use apps such as Fluent U, Duolingo, and Speaking Latino to help you along the process. Also, Italki is an amazing resource if you are in need of an affordable, flexible, and virtual Spanish tutor. They even have on-demand tutoring available, which works amazingly well for people’s whose schedule is always changing.

Currency

The Colombian Peso is Colombia’s official currency. I found that their currency was a bit confusing at first, so be sure to familiarize yourself with their denominations before arriving.

Peso Coins

• 50
• 100
• 200
• 1,000

Peso Cash

• 1,000
• 2,000
• 5,000
• 10,000
• 20,000
• 50,000
• 100,000

I always prefer to exchange my money in the States since it ensures that I’m getting the best exchange rate. In Houston, I go to the Texas Currency Exchange, which has locations in Florida & Utah. If you are in Cartagena and need to exchange money, I recommend that you don’t exchange money in the Walled City, as you won’t get the best rate back. Exchange your money at the Bancocolombia. They are one of the biggest banks in Colombia and you’ll be sure that you are getting the best exchange rate for your currency. Be sure to get there early since lines can get long.

Also, most banks in Colombia only exchange U.S. Dollars and Euros. If you are taking a taxi to the bank, I reccomend using a taxi driver that you trust. You don’t want to become a target for theft.

Eddie is the driver that I used the entire time while I was traveling solo while in Cartagena. When you book him, tell him that Coco sent you 🙂

When To Visit Cartagena

Cartagena varies from warm/humid weather – hot/humid weather; there’s no in-between. As with most tropical destinations, Cartagena’s weather is divided by its rainy & dry seasons. The rainy season is from May – June & August – November. Although these months are during Cartagena’s rainy season, the rain in Cartagena rarely lasts all day. These months presents the best opportunity to visit Cartagena as tourism slows down and when you can find the best deals for hotels and tours.

Cartagena Visa Information

For U.S. citizens, no visa is required for stays 90 days or less. A valid passport and negative PCR test are required to enter. No more than 10,000 USD can enter Colombia without being declared.

For countries outside of the United States and for up-to-date visa information visit THIS SITE to see if a visa will be required for entry.

Miscellaneous

Driver: Although this is optional, I highly recommend booking a driver while in Cartagena. This is especially recommended if you’re a female solo traveler. With the rise in job loss and poverty, due to Covid, there has been an increase in crime. Unfortunately, tourists are the number one target for theft crimes. Being able to have a peace of mind while you’re in someone else’s car is something that many people take for granted. Eddie was the taxi driver that I had the entire time while in Cartagena. Be sure to let him know when you’ll be arriving! Eddie can be contacted through WhatsApp.

Photographer: Booking a photoshoot while in Cartagena is an absolute must! Although I’ve been traveling out of the country for the past few years, my trip to Cartagena was my first time booking a photographer while traveling. It was 100% worth it! Gracia was an absolute lifesaver during my trip. She took the majority of my photographs. Since my hotel was in the Walled City, we were able to shoot multiple looks within a few hours. Contact her before you head to Cartagena to book your shoot.

The Only Cartagena Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need

Where To Stay In Cartagena

Cartagena is a hodgepodge of hotels, ranging from budget to luxury, guaranteeing that you’ll find something to fit your needs. The two most recommended places to stay while in the Cartagena Travel Guide are in the Walled City, which is perfect for those wanting to be in close proximity to restaurants, shopping, museums, and nightlife, and Bocagrande. The Bocagrande neighborhood is located outside of the Walled City and is an excellent location for those wanting a more quiet experience near the beach. However, keep in mind that you will be taking taxis the majority of the time since Bocagrande is not within walkable distance to restaurants, tours, or nightlife. While in Cartagena, don’t be afraid to splurge on a 4 or 5-star hotel. If you’re coming from the United States, Australia, Canada, or Europe you have much greater spending power. A standard hotel rate that you would normally pay in your home country is easily the cost of a luxury accommodation. During my trip to Cartagena, I stayed at Townhouse Cartagena & Blue Apple Beach, which are both 4-star sustainable hotels. I had amazing cocktails overlooking the Colombian sunset, delicious vegetarian & vegan food, and slept in one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in.

Cartagena Hotels

Townhouse Cartagena

After a not-so-pleasant experience in Bali, last summer I made the conscious decision to travel more sustainably. [You can read more about my decision to travel more sustainably HERE] Townhouse Cartagena is a 4-star sustainable 11-room boutique hotel located in Cartagena’s Walled City. It features a rooftop pool + rooftop restaurant and free breakfast. On the weekends the hotel features one of the best brunches that the Cartagena can offer. Because of the hotel’s convenience with food, location, and amenities, it’s my number one recommendation for hotels in the Cartagena Travel Guide.

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Casa Pombo

Casa Pombo is conveniently located in Cartagena’s Walled-City. The hotel features 2 outdoor hotels, a rooftop terrace, and spa services. Casa Pombo is an apartment-style hotel where each room has a living room, refrigerator, and free wifi! Casa Pombo is perfect for people that are traveling in groups since all of the rooms in the hotel are spacious and accommodating for multiple people. As far as aesthetics and taking Instagram-worthy pictures, Casa Pombo is my top recommendation within the Cartagena Travel Guide.

Casa San Agustin

Casa San Agustin is another one of my top hotels rated hotels within the Cartagena Travel Guide that’s located within Cartagena’s Walled City. It’s only a one-minute walk from the Clock Tower and about 5 minutes away from the pier. The hotel comes with a full-service spa, has a restaurant, 1 outdoor pool, 2 bar/lounges, free breakfast, and a rooftop terrace.

Almirante Cartagena

Hotel Almirante is located in Cartagena’s Bocagranda neighborhood, which is on the coast of Cartagena. The hotel features a full-service spa, a rooftop pool, and 258 rooms, which all have premium bedding, a refrigerator, and free wifi. Their spa features 2 treatment rooms where you can get facials, body scrubs, and various other body treatments. They also provide aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, and thalassotherapy. For my next trip to Cartagena, I plan on staying in a variety of neighborhoods. In Bocagrande, Hotel Almirante is my number one suggestion within the Cartagena Travel Guide.

Movich Cartagena de Indias

The Movich hotel features one of the best rooftops that Cartagena has to offer. I would, without a doubt, book a stay here just to have all-day access to their rooftop and well-versed amenities! The hotel features a restaurant, an outdoor rooftop pool, a full-service spa, free breakfast, and a 24-hour fitness center. Most of the time when looking for an accommodation to fit my long-term travel needs, I opt for an Airbnb, however, the Movich Cartagena, within the Cartagena Travel Guide, is one that I would consider booking for a stay that’s longer than 3 days.

Where To Eat In Cartagena

If you don’t have any reservations about the different types of foods that you eat then you’ll have plenty of restaurants to choose from. Although there’s an abundance of fresh seafood options, Cartagena provides a variety of restaurants. However, if you are vegan/vegetarian, you might have a hard time finding restaurants that solely caters to your diet. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of staying in hotels that catered to the vegan/vegetarian diet, which was where I ate the majority of my meals. Townhouse Cartagena & Blue Apple Beach has a growing menu of delicious vegetarian and vegan food items. It definitely made deciding what to eat for the day an easy decision.

Top Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants in Cartagena

Townhouse Cartagena

I felt lucky to be able to stay in a hotel that catered to both vegans and vegetarians. Most of what I ate was at the Towhouse Cartagena. Their vegetarian burgers were delicious and they had a wide variety of drinks for you to choose from. I don’t eat out on rooftops much, but after visiting Townhouse Cartagena, I think I’m going to have to make that a regular for when choosing places to eat out at.

Blue Apple Beach

If you’re down for a day trip, head over to the Blue Apple Beach Resort located on the nearby island of Tierra Bomba. Expect to be blown away at the hotel’s savory vegan options. Hands down, the food that I had a Blue Apple Beach ranks top 5 of the best vegan dishes that I’ve EVER had and my top recommendation within the Cartagena Travel Guide. PERIOD! Unfortunately, I usually eat one meal a day and get full fast so I wasn’t able to try everything on their menu, but I was able to try about 5 different items and not one dish that I had was lacking in flavor!

Sol de la India

Sol de la India is an Indian restaurant with a Colombian twist! Rice, beans, platanos, are staples at this restaurant. Although I didn’t get a chance to eat here, from the reviews, it looks like this is one of the best vegan/vegetarian restaurants that Cartagena has to offer.

Gokela

If fresh veggies, salads, and wraps are your thing, then you should try Gokela. Although they have mixed reviews, this establishment seems as though it’s one of the few places where you are able to fresh and raw vegetables. They are located in Cartagena’s Bocagrande neighborhood.

Girasoles

Girasoles serves as not only a vegan restaurant, but a health food store in Cartagena. The restaurant serves typical Colombian dishes made vegan & vegetarian as well as tasty vegan desserts. Girasoles is located at Plaza San Diego.

Top Restaurants In Cartagena (Catering to meat & seafood eaters)

Obviously, since I’m vegan, I didn’t eat at any of the mentioned restaurants. However, on sites such as Tripadvisor, these restaurants came highly recommended with raving reviews.

Gran Inka Gastrobar

El Zaguan & Sadwicheria Artesanal (veg/veggie options available)

Reina Arepa

Pezetarian

Porton de Sebastian

Carmen Restaurant Cartagena

What To Visit While In Cartagena

It’s a safe bet to say that I’ll be visiting Cartagena for a second and possibly even a third time… and hopefully not solo! There are so many different attractions, tours, and islands to visit that in order to experience it all you’ll have to stay in Cartagena for a few weeks or arrange multiple times that you can visit. If you’re a slow traveler or an expat, you could honestly spend an entire month in Cartagena and not run out of things to do.

Experience Real Cartagena Tours

To start off your journey while in Cartagena I HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing so with Experience Real Cartagena within the Cartagena Travel Guide. They are a Black-owned (Afro-Colombian) tour company that specializes in tours that highlight the African presence of Cartagena. They have 9 different tour options to choose from such as visiting Palenque, The Mud Volcano, Islas del Rosarios Tour, and more. To visit their full tour list, VISIT HERE.

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Visit The Pink Sea of Cartagena, Colombia
The famous pink, and completely swimmable, sea of Colombia, which is called El Salar de Galerazamba, is located about 1 hour Northeast of Cartagena in the small town of Galerazamba. Its natural pink color is caused by the colorful microbes that create a pigmented protein that assists in absorbing the sun’s energy. In order to bear witness this sea of pink perfection, you’ll have to visit during the months of February and March since it’s the pink pigment is only visible two months out of the year.

Choco Museum

If chocolate is your thing then you definitely want to make the Choco Museum one of your must-go-to spots while visiting Cartagena. At the Choco museum, you’ll learn the history of cacao and chocolate all while learning and participating in the production and transformation of the chocolate-making process.

Rent a Sailboat

Whenever you travel to a place where one of its main attractions is its water, it’s a MUST that you book a boat tour or simply rent a boat for a half or a full day. I wasn’t able to do that during my initial trip to Cartagena, but I’m excited to be able to do it for my next trip. Besides booking Experience Real Cartagena Tours, renting a sailboat is one of my top recommendations in the Cartagena Travel Guide.

Best Islands In Cartagena To Visit

Tierra Bomba

Is the closest island to Cartagena that’s only a 15-minute boat ride away. It makes for an excellent day trip to visit one of the best beach clubs in Cartagena, Blue Apple Beach. However, I recommend staying there at least two nights in order to be immersed in the full experience that Tierra Bomba has to offer. At Blue Apple beach, which is a sustainable hotel of the Regenerative Travel hotels, you can expect to have fresh and organic food, scuba dive, go horseback riding, drink fresh cocktails, and fall asleep while listening to the sounds of the ocean.

Rosario Islands

The Rosario Islands is about an hour away from Cartagena and is located in one of Colombia’s national parks on Cartagena’s Caribbean coast. If you’re after pristine blue waters, white-sand beaches, thrilling water adventures, endless wildlife, and fresh-caught seafood then the Rosario Islands should be number one within the Cartagena Travel Guide. On my next adventure to Cartagena, I’ll be making the Rosario Islands the number one place that I visit.

How To Get Around Cartagena

If you’re staying in Cartagena’s Walled City, which I highly recommend if it’s your first time visiting, exploring by foot will be the best way for you to get around while being able to experience all of what Cartagena has to offer. If it’s late at night, or if you want to explore places that are further than walking distance, then taking a taxi is your best bet. I was fortunate enough to have a driver, Eddie, my entire time in Cartagena. Eddie was able to pick me up and drop me off at the airport, pier, PCR testing (to re-enter the U.S.), and anywhere else that I wanted to go. Eddie is also available to book for the entire day and can serve as your tour guide. As far as using a ridesharing company such as Uber, it’s still unclear to me whether or not Uber is illegal in Cartagena. As I arrived in Cartagena there was a couple waiting on their Uber at the airport. A few taxi drivers stated that taking an Uber in Cartagena was illegal and seemed pretty agitated that the couple was taking Uber as opposed to a taxi. However, Uber is still operating in Cartagena.

My opinion would be to forgo the stress of an Uber and opt for a taxi, specifically Eddie. You run the risk of possibly getting into an altercation with a taxi driver since many taxi drivers feel as though ridesharing apps aren’t financially beneficial to their communities.

Comment Below!
What are some things that you have planned for your trip to Cartagena? If you’ve already been to Cartagena, what are some activities, hotels, & restaurants that you would add to the Cartagena Travel Guide?