Cartagena is the gem of Colombia’s northern coast. It has lovely Caribbean flavors represented everywhere from its delicious seafood to to the airy bands that perform nightly in its many squares. And with crazy cheap flights from Florida (we’re talking $70 people!), why not explore the city’s colonial architecture and vibrant culture?

Quick and Dirty

In a sentence?

Colonial relic on the Caribbean coast that is oozing with culture and charm.

Worth it?

Definitely.

How long?

A long weekend. Particularly recommended for the nightlife.

Our favorite?

The pretty streets.

Our least favorite?

The beaches in town aren’t anything spectacular.

Recommended Daily Budget?

200,000 pesos per pair

Location?

The Caribbean coast. It’s a good place to touch down and dig in before exploring the rest of northern Colombia.

Cartagena

What to Do

Day One

1:00 PM Touch Down (4,000 - 10,000 pesos per pair)

Cartagena’s airport is small and simple; you’ll breeze right through customs. Hopefully you’ll be deplaning from a Spirit flight. While not the Mercedes of the sky, seriously, they offer insanely cheap trips from the US and make South America very accessible. In the airport, you should make a beeline for an ATM (preferably with a Charles Schwab no fee checking account like us). You’ll need pesos as soon as you walk out those doors into the unairconditioned abyss.

To get into town, you have two options. You can take a bus or collectivo, which leave from the main street directly in front of the airport and will take about 30 minutes (2,000 pesos per ticket). Or, you can grab a taxi for NO MORE than 10,000 pesos. Per car, not per person. Many a poor sod has been ripped off at the airport. This will take you about 10 minutes. Either way, you should be heading into the old town - the colonial, walled portion of the city. It’s where all the tourists stay, and while we don’t normally dig that, it’s where you’ll find most activities and the best deals on accommodation.

2:00 PM Drop Your Bags (40,000 - 60,000 pesos per pair per night)

Speaking of old town, you’ll have some choices about where to stay. We recommend Getsemani. Right outside the actual walls, Getsemani’s streets are still perpetually in bloom and bustling with activity. There are lots of restaurants and bars, so it’s actually a better bet for nighttime fun. Plus, you’ll get sicker deals and it’s in walking distance of most major sights. We had a lovely room in an Airbnb (sign up here!) complete with air conditioning. If there’s ever a time to splurge, it’s in Cartagena. Caribbean sunshine does not come without some blistering afternoons. Of course, there are plenty of hostels with and without this amenity, too. If you want to book before you get there, we recommend Hostelworld.

3:00 PM Get your First Seafood Fix (40,000 - 60,000 pesos per pair)

La Mulata is a ridiculously adorable cafe, that serves daily lunch sets or a la carte dishes off a small menu (lunches starting at 20,000). It’s a relaxing place to get you settled in to the city. Plus, the food’s amazing. We highly recommend the seafood stew and coconut rice. You’ll only find this in the north, and we spent the rest of our time in Colombia craving it.

PS: It started closing around 4:00 PM when we went, so check the hours and boogie on over!

4:00 PM Design your own Walking Tour (0 - 30,000 pesos per pair)

Old town’s winding streets are best discovered on foot. We created our own loop to catch some of the monuments and museums on the map above. Getting lost is encouraged - we ended up on streets doused in colored lights made from recycled bottles and got a glimpse inside some of the 5 star hotels and embassy swimming pools. A couple of the museums charge an entry (starting at around 8,000 pesos), but there are lots of pretty things to look at that are absolutely free. Don’t forget to ask for student discounts!!

7:00 PM Drink a Sundowner on the Wall (0 - 20,000 pesos per pair)

We won’t lie, we’re fond of American beer. As Cartagena was our first stop in Colombia, we snuck a couple Colorado brews in our checked bags for precisely this occasion. This allowed us to enjoy the taste of home while lounging on the stone walls encircling old town. These have both a spectacular view of the ocean and let you recline over all the action of Cartagena, listening to the music in the streets and enjoying some good old fashioned people watching. If your forethought isn’t quite as attuned as ours (or if you don’t happen to have access to quality beer in your hometown, god forbid) another legitimate option is popping in the grocery store. You can get a six pack for under 20,000 pesos there.

8:00 PM La Cevichería (70,000 - 100,000 pesos per pair)

Yes, this was featured by Anthony Bourdain and yes, it’s damn good. It’s also a bit of a splurge, but if I was ever willing to spend fifteen dollars (40,000 pesos) a person on dinner, it would include a heaping bowl of raw shrimp. Go for their specialty. It’s worth it.

10:00 PM Enjoy the Breeze (0 - 30,000 pesos per pair)

We simply chose to meander around the squares and finish our stockpile of beer. There are some lovely live musicians most nights and the streets are alive well into the next morning. We wanted to make it to The Beer Lover (pints about 12,000 pesos), but couldn’t quite convince ourselves leave the open air.

Day Two

9:00 AM Go Berserk at Bazurto Market (14,000 - 20,000 per pair)

We’d heard a lot of things about Bazurto market. Some people loved the cheap prices and others complained that it was absolutely insane. Turns out, it’s just a rather large fresh food mecca, much like you’d find in many other South American towns. It is, however, located outside of the tourist dominated old town. We don’t mean this to be derogatory - it was great. We got a kilo of passion fruit for 3,000 pesos and 5 avos for 4,000. So, don’t be turned off just because tourist Cartagena is uniquely isolated from real Cartagena. If you need a break from the old town’s sparkle (and prices), head here. Busses are a bit difficult for this route, but bargain with the cabbies and you’ll get a fine price (7,000 one way). It only takes about fifteen minutes to get to a whole nother side of the tracks. And we liked it there.

12:00 PM Eat like a Saint (20,000 - 40,000 pesos per pair)

If you haven’t noticed, we ate a lot in this town. Espiritu Santo (mains 10,000 - 20,000 pesos), by far, was our favorite. It’s situated like a huge dining hall with lots of rows of long wooden tables. There are tons of locals, and you’ll even get better deals on the weekdays. We ate here a few times, and kept topping our previous experiences. Anything with fish is amazing.

1:00 PM Soak in a Mud Volcano (60,000 pesos per pair)

A mud volcano. Think it sounds a wee bit weird? It is. But for a cool 30,000 pesos (plus a few tips if you feel so inclined - or mandated) you can get transportation up the coast an hour or two to El Totumo, a strange natural/human made phenomenon. Worth it? For the novelty.

Click here for all you need to know about El Totumo.

P.S. You might wanna plan on a shower when you get back.

8:00 PM Drop your Jaw at Boca Grande (0 - 10,000 pesos)

The beaches directly adjacent to Cartagena aren’t great. We tried venturing north to the fishing villages close to the airport, but they really weren’t set up for enjoyment (think hard sand covered in plastic bottles). Boca Grande, the little high-rise community sticking out to the west of old town Cartagena, isn’t really our scene either. But it’s worth a couple hours to watch the sunset near their own slice of the ocean, which really is pretty mesmerizing. You can either walk or get a cab (5,000 one way).

10:00 PM Munch on Fancy Bar Snacks (30,000 - 100,000 pesos per pair)

Getsemani is full of hypey international restaurants and bars if you have a taste for a Colombian take on something other than Colombian. Demente Tapas has vaguely Spanish small plates that are nevertheless very tasty (10,000 - 20,000 pesos a plate). It also serves as a great transition into nighttime Cartagena. You can get yummy international and local beers (about 15,000 pesos a pint for the fancy stuff) and listen to the bands playing on the church steps outside. This has a far more local feel than the walled city. We’d suggest exploring the streets surrounding Demente to find your favorite late night watering hole. If it’s the weekend, there are some pretty funky clubs. Start off with Cafe Havana for some Salsa.

Day Three

11:00 AM Vamos a la Playa, forgive the reference (40,000 - 200,000 pesos per pair all in)

So we said there weren’t any good beaches in Cartagena. And that’s mostly true. But there are some spectacular beaches near Cartagena. You might have heard of Playa Blanca and Islas de Rosario. We would highly recommend skipping the tours to Islas de Rosario because crowded beaches can be a bit depressing. But if you DIY your way to Playa Blanca, you can avoid the masses by spending the night in a super cheap hammock. And getting back to Cartagena is v simple the next day. Full disclosure, the beach got the best of us: sand in all our crevasses and spectacularly painful sunburn. But, if you’re true beach people, this (really cheap) adventure could be for you!

Spend your last day in Cartagena lounging around and enjoying the sun (and take it from us, sunscreen is your friend).

Click here for more details about how to get to Playa Blanca without a tour and our here for our best tips for a budget beach experience.