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Brief travel guide to Cartagena

(This is an "approved guide", which means that we think it is very accurate and up to date. It's a "brief" guide which means that we think it can use some more detail - leave comments! Written December 2006.)

Note: this guide is VERY VERY brief for such an important tourist destination, we'll work on it to make it longer! Share your tips and experiences in the comments.

Cartagena de Indias is the number one tourist attraction of Colombia. The old town is perfectly preserved between the walls (to protect from pirates). Beautiful colored colonial houses and picture-perfect streets.

Cartagena draws lots of tourists, including from huge cruise ships. Around Cartagena there are some nice beaches (the beach of Cartagena itself is mediocre) and the rest of the Carribean coast of course!

Things to do.

The main thing to do in Cartagena is just to stroll around the beautiful streets of the old town.

You can take a sailboat from Cartagena to Panama, ask in the Casa Vienna.

You can also do good scuba diving here, although it's more expensive than in Taganga. Schools include Dolphin Dive School (http://www.dolphindiveschool.com) and Caribe Dive Shop (http://www.caribediveshop.com).

You can take a boat to Playa Blanca (http://www.playa-blanca.net), a beautiful beach close to Cartagena. Ask in Casa Viena. In the afternoons, it can be busy with people passing by on tours, but the rest of the day it's quiet. There are a few places where you can sleep in a hammock (make sure it comes with a mosquito net!) for about 7000 pesos (US$ 3).

Budget hostels in Cartagena.

There are 3 areas to stay in: most traveler hostels are in Getsemani, a few blocks from the old town. The old town itself houses some more expensive hotels. And Bocagrande is the modern district with modern hotels but not much charm.

Hostal Casa Viena (http://www.casaviena.com, Getsemani, Calle San Andres No 30 - 53, tel 664 62 42 or 660 20 77, hotel at casaviena.com), run by the friendly Austrian owner Hans, Casa Viena has dorm beds (8000 pesos, US$ 3) and private rooms (25000 pesos, US$ 10), internet, safety boxes, book exchange, open kitchen and all the usuals of a good travelers hostal. Hans can also help you get on a sailboat trip to Panama.

Hotel Marlin (Calle 30 No 10 - 35, tel 664 35 07) is a small backpackers place. Singles are 16000 pesos (US$ 6), doubles 28000 (US$ 13).

Hotel Holiday (Calle de la Media Luna No 10 - 47, tel 664 09 48) is a good option when Casa Viena is full. Singles with bathroom are 12000, doubles are 24000 pesos (US$ 10).

Expensive places.

If you feel like staying at a real nice place, you can easily spend US$ 100 or more per night in Cartagena. Unfortunately, I haven't checked out these hotels, so if you have, share your experiences in the comments!

Centro Hotel (http://www.centrohotelcartagena.com).

Hotel Tres Banderas (http://www.hotel3banderas.com).

Sofitel Santa Clara (http://www.hotelsantaclara.com).

Hotel Charleston Cartagena (http://www.hoteles-charleston.com).

Comments.

This is a brief guide, we need more detail. Please share your experience with these or other places and things to do in the comments!

By Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) on Dec 21, 2006, 18:25 in Travel tips.

Terry2 says on Dec 23, 2006, 07:34:

To add to the 'Expensive places' list I have just recently returned from a visit to Cartagena and would like to add the 'Hotel Dann' to your list. This hotel excels in service and amenities. Located on the beach in Laquito, the atmosphere is truly amazing. My colombiana and myself were truly appreciative of the hotel staff and can't say enough about them.

This hotel is considered a four star but our room would pass any five star accommodation test. The cleanliness and attention to our needs was outstanding. I will be returning to Colombia in the spring and will definitely be staying there again.

Terry2

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Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 4, 2007, 19:47:

A boutique hotel: http://www.casaelcarretero.com/quienes_e.htm?LAN=EN

Poor but snappy

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Ctg Bound says on Jan 5, 2007, 05:34:

Hotel Casa La Fe Under Expensive places:

http://www.casalafe.com/

I have had several friends stay who said they like it.

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Ctg Bound says on Jan 5, 2007, 05:36:

Also maybe a link to Caribenet, which has lots of useful information:

http://www.caribenet.com/

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Manolo58 says on Jan 25, 2007, 10:50:

Hotel Capilla del Mar Seems to me it could be on the expensive list however, for the service and condition of the rooms its really not. Great people who see to your every need as requested. Remodeled last year with an additional elevator and internet in every room. Spectacular views with balcony facing Bocagrande beach. My stay was absolutely perfect as Capilla del Mar administracion was instrumental in addressing my concerns. Safe, secure and well located in Bocagrande 1st Ave and 9th St.....Highly recommended, just booked another stay Feb 7th til ????
I have fotos if anyone is interested....

Manuel el fotografo

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Chamo says on Jan 25, 2007, 13:46:

Good link for nice apartments for rent in Cartagena The general manager, Michael, is an American guy living in Cartagena. Karina, who handles reservations, is Colombian and speaks both English and Spanish. These can be rented short-term or long-term.

http://www.colombiarental.net/

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Manolo58 says on Jan 27, 2007, 06:17:

Photos from Cartagena 2006 Follow the links to see photos from Cartagena
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/irstudios/album/576460762325723553
Villa de Leyva, Bogota, Girardot, coming soon.

Manuel el fotografo

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gordiecameron says on Feb 7, 2007, 08:02:

e-mail address for contact www.colombiarental.net
Who ever is in charge of www.colombiarental.net , please e-mail your e-mail address... all that is listed for contacts are two phone numbers.

gordiecameron at hotmail.com

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gordiecameron says on Feb 7, 2007, 08:05:

Learn Spanish in Cartagena
Does anyone know a place or places where they teach Spanish one on one for a good price? please e-mail me if you do....

gordiecameron at hotmail.com

Gordie
Friendly Canadian

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Ctg Bound says on Feb 7, 2007, 10:33:

gordiecameron You have to click on Karina to e-mail.

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kcalligaro says on Feb 7, 2007, 14:18:

islas rosario does anyone have any suggestions on islas rosario- a good place to stay on the island,and is it even worth staying overnight?

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Precortesiana says on Feb 22, 2007, 20:42:

oops see Cali thread

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cartagenerita71 says on Feb 25, 2007, 08:41:

apartamentos cartagenerita
Lo importante de la Ciudad de Cartagena es conseguir el lugar adecuado para la estancia, pero hay muchas probabilidades y para todos los gustos y todos los precios.
www.cartagenainfo.com
www.venpro.net/fotosapartamentos/index.htm
www.cartagenapenthouse.com
Espero les sirva mucho
Nasly

cartagenerita

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Ellen Ransborg Lassen says on Feb 26, 2007, 06:52:

Hotel Tres Banderas We, 2 adults and a 16-year old daughter, stayed there for a week in
July 2006. We had a room with a view at the top floor, a double bed
and a single bed. Had a fine breakfast every morning and got fine help
from the staff whenever needed.Fine that you can use the Internet for
free.Has TV and a fridge in the room.Only problem was almost no water in the shower.
We paid per day: 180.000 Pesos.
Kindly regards,
Ellen (Denmark)

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ds says on Feb 28, 2007, 13:59:

Cartagena Live Webcam + Cartagena Guide On www.caribenet.com/webcam/ you can see live images from Plaza de los Coches in Cartagena. On CaribeNets Cartagena Travel Guide you will find English language articles, Hotels, Apartments, Restaurants, a downloadable Cartagena map and more!

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YO RAPS says on Mar 4, 2007, 10:07:

APARTMENT FOR SALE IN CARTAGENA AND RENTALS IN SANTA MARTA PLEASE VISIT: WWW.VISTAMARCOLOMBIA.COM, MORE INFORMATION MYCASA973 at AOL.COM

WWW.MESAINVERSIONES.COM

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Ctg Bound says on Mar 10, 2007, 16:31:

Wireless Internet in Ctg I was sent this link yesterday, I thought it might interest some:

http://www.caribenet.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=43&page=1

They charge:

23,000 pesos a day
52,000 pesos a week
87,000 pesos a month

Takes about a hour to set it up.

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ksmmcg says on Mar 20, 2007, 14:03:

Just back from Playa Blanca it was absolutely amazing but its changing quickly, the hostel la sirena with the website (http://www.playa-blanca.net) was actually knocked down about two weeks ago - there is another hostel there that has actual rooms in addition to hammocks but nothing luxurious by any means there are also a bunch of other tiny places along the beach that rent hammocks and tents where you just have to walk up and ask if they have space, definitely no reservations required....its one of the most beautiful places i've ever seen....

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exchanger07 says on Mar 29, 2007, 10:10:

Cartagena hotel photos PLease send me photos of Hotel Capilla del Mar.

global_exchanger@yahoo.com

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Buongone says on Apr 5, 2007, 10:23:

Casa Relax Excellent bed & Breakfast. Nice rooms. Good food. Excellent pool. On the web at casarelax.com. Price is $65 US anight, in slow season. $85 US a night, high season. I have high marks for this establishment.

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pyireland says on Apr 5, 2007, 15:24:

Centro or Getsemani I'm going to be in Cartagena for a wedding in July and I'm trying to decide between Casa La Fe and Casa El Carretero. Any advice? And I tried to check out casarelax online with no luck. Do you have another website address for them? Thanks!

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jmbone says on Apr 5, 2007, 15:52:

The most complete website for Cartagena is www.cartagenainfo.com where there are Home Pages for BOTH Casa La Fe, AND Casa El Carretero, plus dozens more, including Cartagena Relax.

We invite Peter to provide us with a Link in the Cartagena Travel Guides as our Portal is the largest and most complete in Cartagena. If printed the site would total more than 800 pages and more than 2,000 fotos....all about Cartagena. It appears in both Spanish and English and normally it is updated at least 3-4 times a week.

Pyireland, you will enjoy Cartagena

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alexander1997 says on Apr 7, 2007, 10:09:

Hotel El Viajero My and my girlfriend are going to Colombia in August, this year. We will start off in Bogota and then go to Cartagena. I've heard about Hotel El Viejero, but I really can't find any info about it. anyone having experience?!? It is considered as a budget alt, as I understood it. Gracias!

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kiltoff says on Apr 30, 2007, 13:19:

Cartagena for New Year 2007 I'm planning to be in Cartagena with a group of friends over New Year. We're looking for some idea as to what parties there are at that time of the year. Are there celebrations on the street or on the beach? Also, are there many gay/gay-friendly bars or clubs in Cartagena - I can't seem to find much information on this on the internet. Many thanks

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jim Gervais says on May 6, 2007, 11:46:

teaching english I'm a semi retired bisinessman, Iplan to move to cartejena mid summer. Can anyone give me advice or contacts to get a job teaching english.

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tompower says on May 21, 2007, 13:41:

cartagena-barranquilla-santa marta Shuttle Van MAR SOl is a bus service that runs an hourly van service from cartagena to barranquilla then to santa marta.
They use mercedes benz vans that are all very new, they seat no more than 13 people. They are a very organized and an impressive service. What you do is call them give your name and number and where you are, my experience with them is only cartagena to barranquilla and return but I'm certain the service is excellent all the way to santa marta. If for example you are in the hotel dan carlton in the Laguito, you call and reserve your time for the next available bus they run every hour from 6am till 4 pm to barranquilla/santamarta. The van comes to your hotel and they go around cartagena picking everyone up then they stop at the cartagena office near the airport and then they leave on the costal highway to barranquilla when they arrive at barranquilla they drive a route around the city to drop people off, they dont go all the way south in barranquilla they'll drop you off at a point as far south as they go, in cartagena they won't go any farther from the center than pie de la popa (where the monastery on the hill is). If the van is leaving the cartagena office at 6 am they start picking people up at 5am if you call they'll say like be ready at 5:30 am . They always show up i've never been stiffed and i've used them dozens of times. Sometimes if the passangers are from all over cartagena they'll pick you up in a taxi and the taxi will take you to the office where you'll board the van before going to barranquilla.
Best of all it only costs 19,000 pesos and these guys know the highway they fly through the security and speed traps never longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to barranquilla.
I know they're good because all the other van services try and steal their passengers. There's a home depot at the pie de la popa and sometimes when I'm waiting there for the mar sol van the caribe van(another service) will come by and say mar sol sent them for me and its bull shit. Mar Sol is great and a great price, why use a private car for 120,000 pesos they actually take longer sometimes.
Here's the numbers for the mar sol office in barranquilla:
3683272 3694228 3008083147 3135450004 3736425 3574265
their address is calle 93 # 47-13 their right up from the McDonald's
Here's the numbers for the Mar Sol office in Cartagena:
6564192 3008056659 their office address in cartagena is crespo cll. 70 no. 6a/120 When you walk out of the airport in cartagena theres a main street in crespo i don't know its name but you just walk one block to the right and their office is on the sea side of the street, once again walk directly out the airport to the main crespo road and turn right walk one block and you'll see the mar sol office on the right hand side.
The Mar Sol van service between Cartagena-Barranquilla-Santa Marta is Tom Power approved.
Remember, were all in this together.

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markiev says on May 27, 2007, 03:20:

Gestemani is not the safest place...Look for places inside the old city and in boccagrande...I stayed at the centro hotel two different times and thought is was fine for the price...It has a very nice atmosphere to it.....Markitos

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The king of Latvia says on Jun 14, 2007, 19:39:

English teaching in Caratgena Hello all

I plan to come to Cartagena in July to begin looking for a language institute to teach English for... If anyone knows of anything that will help me in my search please let me know...

Thanks in advance!

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bogotabrian says on Mar 18, 2009, 18:09:

There is a hotel I really like in Cartagena called Hotel El Viajero. It doesn't have the hostel thing going but a great inexpensive place if you like private rooms. Free internet, A/C, with bath (sorry only cold water) for only 50 mil pesos last time I was there. The owner is a cool Colombian guy but there is no web page or anything. You can call them at 664 3289 or email them at hotelviajero664 at hotmail.com. The address is No. 35-68 2do, Centro Calle del Porvenir. I would not just show up though because they are booked solid a lot.

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gatogris says on Mar 18, 2009, 23:38:

Not to dampen enthusiasm, but really. Must we? You could drop in from Mars and have a splendid evening in Cartegena. The whole economy of the old city is dedicated to tourism. Watch yourself and wander is really the only principle at work here. The systemic devotion toward extracting you from your dollar works more efficiently than any recommendation this site can offer. Feel the machine at work. Nice and smooth. Its best to be a little drunk just in order to tolerate how it feels to be a lime in a cheap lime squeezer. Because that's all we are in Cartegena's old city, all we've been since the 16th century. Cheers!

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