Cartagena, Colombia: A Short Travel Guide
- Ine Vandenwyngaert
- Dec 28, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 3
Cartagena is a vibrant city located on Northern Colombia’s Caribbean coast. It’s known for its iconic walled Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that brings visitors back to colonial times. But beyond its historic charm, Cartagena has many sandy beaches, an exquisite culinary scene, and a lively atmosphere. In this travel guide, we share our top things to do in Cartagena as well as great places to stay, eat, and drink.
Check out our video about Cartagena to see the best things to do through our camera!
Best Things To Do In Cartagena
Explore Bocagrande
Spot animals at Parque Centenario
Join a cooking class
Walk on the Walls of Cartagena
Get a view from Convento de la Popa
Visit the Historic Center (Free Walking Tour)
Experience Getsemaní
Places To Stay In Cartagena
Cartagena Legends ($): simple, clean budget-hotel in Getsemaní with small swimming pool
Mood Matuna Hotel ($$ - where we stayed): mid-range hotel with spacious, comfy rooms in Getsemaní
La Passion by Masaya ($$$): more upscale, beautifully-designed hotel in Getsemaní with rooftop pool, bar and restaurant
Places To Eat And Drink In Cartagena
51 Sky Bar: come for the view over Bocagrande, the drinks and food is overpriced
Alquimico: one of the top bars in the world, each floor has a different menu - rooftop has great vibes and delicious cocktails
Beer Lovers Cartagena: nice bar with lots of beer choices
CANCHA Cevichería: good ceviche - large portion as a meal, fresh fish, well marinated in citrus
Candé: beautiful inside and delicious menu with super tender beef and a good wine selection (make reservation if possible)
Celelé: Every dish was totally unique and unlike anything we’d had before
Coroncoro: very popular with the locals, try the cazuela de mariscos and seafood rice
Demente BAR TAPAS: great pizza and cocktails
EL BALUARTE SAN FRANCISCO JAVIER: restaurant on the old town walls with beautiful sunset view - definitely touristy though but has good food
El Beso Bar-Restaurant: delicious ceviche and patatas bravas
El Bololó: amazing healthy bowls
Espiritu Santo: Cartagenian traditional food
Esquina del Pandebono: to try traditional pan de bono
La Cevicheria: sea food
La Garza Café: nice espresso bar
Libertario coffee: good coffee
Los tacos del gordo: tiny place but really good tacos outside of Mexico, it's also very cheap
Nia Bakery Coffee Shop & Cocktails: very nice coffee and banana bread
Restaurante Donjuan: beautiful restaurant with a nice selection of Italian-inspired or fusion dishes
SAN PEDRO CAFE·MIRADOR RESTAURANTE: there are two parts - regular restaurant and drinks bar - food and drinks are great, but definitely more pricey
San Nicolas: nice restaurant with local and global cuisine
San Valentin: typical Colombian food
Taboo: disco club
The Cluck Pub: pub with great atmosphere and live music
Map Cartagena, Colombia
Find all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay in Cartagena on Google Maps, follow and save the list, do the following:
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Use These Websites To Save Money On Your Trip To Cartagena
Booking.com for places to stay
Skyscanner for cheap flights
GetYourGuide for local tours
Rentalcars.com for affordable car rentals
Are you having a hard time planning your trip to Cartagena? Get our Interactive Travel Planner to keep it all organized.
Need more travel inspiration? Check out our other destinations and articles about Colombia:
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