First Time to Cartagena

southernman says on Feb 20, 2006, 18:09:

First time to Cartegena I went In July of 2005, and enjoyed everybit of it, beautiful place, if you have an email address I can show you a few ofthe places we went to in Cartagena.

There is the fort, hugh Fortress used years ago, must tour this, but do not wear shoes, and do not dress up, you will regret it.

We went to a monastery ay up in the mountains that overlook All Cartagena.

Then we drove all over Cartagena, stopped at the beach which goes all around this city, breath taking.

Some things not to do.
1) people will try to sell you everything, hats, bottled water, jewelry, carvings, everything, if you buy from one, all will expect you to buy, don't buy anything except water.
2) don't dress up, when the people see person dressed up, this means money to them.
3)get a friend to take you around in a taxi, if you go by yourself, you will be fine, but everybody will bother you, trying to get you to buy.
4) we know a cab driver who is our friend who took us from Barranquilla to Cartagena for 50.00 dollars, this sounds like a lot, but he drove us all day, anywhere we wanted to go in Cartagena.
5)My fiance lives in Barranquilla and she took me and my son, we had a blast, nice hotels. Plus with her, she helped us from being ripped off money wise.

Feel free to write me crand42189 at aol.com

I will answer any of your questions and send you pictures of where we went in Cartagena.

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Feb 20, 2006, 19:26:

jaramillo says on Feb 21, 2006, 01:18:

My father first took me to Cartagena when I was 10, a good 40 years ago. Cartagena has two main interest areas. The walled city is a jewel, and a UNESCO world heritage site. The walls are amazingly thick. They make the walls of cites like Luca or Avila loop paper thin (the tale is that Philip II look with a telescope from el Escorial, looking for them. He said something like, these walls are so expensive I should be able to see them from here). Walk the old town but avoid it at 1 to 4 pm, cause it will be blistering hot. The fort (San Felipe de Barajas), and La Popa monastery, as others have said, are worth the trip. In the city is also worth seeing the cathedral, Santo Domingo Church, the house of San Pedro Claver, the house or Marquis of ValdeHoyos, the Parque Bolivar, the Palace of the Inquisition etc. Unfortunately the old market, with their tents by the backwater side of the old town was moved to a more sanitary site. Indeed it was filthy, but it was a spectacle. Most tourists do not stay in the old city, but in the other area of interest, Bocagrande (although there are excellent hotels in the old town). Bocagrande is a narrow strip, full of hotels, restaurants, discos, at least one Casino, etc. Bocagrande is a lot of fun, if you want to party. Both places are very safe. You see, in Antioquia we think that "costeños” are too lazy to mug you ;) There is a naval base in Bocagrande, so the military presence is noticeable.

The beaches in Cartagena are not “nice”. They are muddy, dark sand, the water is dark and full of algae, and they can be dirty. They are packed with people bugging you to sell their stuff. But it is great people watching. If you want to see gorgeous beaches do a day sail trip to Islas del Rosario. A shorter trip to Bocachica fort is also popular. Santa Marta, a few hours to the North, has gorgeous beaches in its vicinity.

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jaramillo says on Feb 21, 2006, 01:19:

And.. RELAX and have fun!

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Marinero223 says on Feb 21, 2006, 08:37:

great time! I was in Cartagena for New Year's and had a great time. I agree with all the posts; the walled city is beautiful to just walk around - especially at night, Santo Domingo Plaza is great to sit ay night and have drinks, a good meal can be had at Crepes & Waffles, you must go to the San Felipe Fort - the walk from the walled city to the fort isn't very pretty, so I'd say take a taxi, the beaches don't have white sand but I found the water to be clean and warm - you will be asked at least 100 times to buy something!, be carfeful crossing the street - can be risky as it seems no one stops for you to cross! The best beaches are on some islands off-shore - Baru, Rosario...

I never felt unsafe except for when I crossed the street!

BIG suggestion; leave early for the airport! The traffic can be a bear - we nearly missed our flight as it took nearly 45 minutes from Bocagrande (only about 10 kilometers?).

Have a great time!

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vladimiro says on Feb 21, 2006, 13:26:

beaches The beach is not impressive, but the historical sites and city are very beautiful. I would recommend going to the beach on Castillo Grande where private homes and apartments are located because you otherwise will swarmed to death by vendors at the beaches in front of the main hotels.

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Coqueton says on Feb 21, 2006, 14:04:

I posted my trip report and included quite a few things as it was my first time. You can probably search and find it, I went last month for 11 days.

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GregYohn says on Feb 21, 2006, 16:30:

Cartagena Hi!

I just came back from Cartagena in Jan. and can tell you a few stories. Contact me with a private message. I was there to see my gf. Enjoyed meeting other locals that lived around my hotel, where we would meet at the same restaurants daily. My spanish got so good that I could order breakfast, beer, and aspirin.

Ciao!

Greg

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

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maraca says on Feb 21, 2006, 18:43:

I personally think that... a week in Cartagena is too much. After three days of wandering around you are pretty much done with it. To try to stay at one of the hotels at Islas del Rosario is a pretty good idea. Youll really have some relaxing days there, and you can profit do some diving.

There are several hotels at Islas del Rosario, the most famous is San Pedro de Majagua, which belongs to the Santa Clara Hotel. I stayed there a few years ago but it was not really that beautiful. Another one that is often advertised on this site is Isla Pirata, ive never been to it but have passed by. It was packed with tourists and it had no beach at all, there was just a cliff and a sort of pool stairs to get into the water. Right now I dont have the details of the place I stayed at, but ill send them to you later.

I would avoid Bocagrande there is nothing interesting there. Try to find a hotel within the walled city. The Tres Banderas, that often appears on this site, is nice looking, not that expensive and is located in a really nice street just around the corner of the San Diego square. Rooms at Casa la Fe, which is advertised often as well, are nicer and newer and it is also very close to the above two, but is on a not so nice square.

There are some eco tours to the manglares or to the volcano that may be interesting to go away from cartagena for a day after you have seen the city. For details contact Mundo Caribe Operadores in Bocagrande (cll 8 Cra 1 Esquina Local 1) mcoctg at costa.net.co ph 6651753.

As someone else posted before, if you in the touristic areas of Cartagena, youll be pretty safe. A good thing is to ask in the hotel or at the tourist information office in the airport for the prices for taxi rides (airport to cartagena, walled city to bocagrande, within the walled city, etc...) prices are fix so that info will be easy to get and youll avoid being robbed by the taxi drivers. Most of them will ask for more than it is.

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Feb 22, 2006, 04:23:

maraca says on Feb 23, 2006, 05:30:

Tom Of course living there is a different issue, there are plenty of thing to do. Cinema, literature, theater festivals, lots of nice restaurants, nice music, language schools, hundreds of custumers if you are are an artist or a handcrafter... etc, etc
It is very nice living there... but im sure you know what i meant.

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Feb 23, 2006, 06:16:

Cartagena is very beautiful, but when I used to live there i got bored. i didn't used to go to the seaside that much, I found it too samll after a while, I didn't know what to do. I much prefer Cartagena as a holiday place but to live I prefer in Bogota.

Well for Tom is different he got Gina, Paola, Michaela you name it, keeping him busy and entretaing ;)I wonder if he sees the daylight jejje

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Gator says on Feb 23, 2006, 07:00:

I much prefer Cartagena as a holiday place but to live in Bogota Bingo, Kat, just what we found-and did

"Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscripti catapults habebunt."

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Feb 23, 2006, 16:27:

kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Feb 24, 2006, 05:50:

Tom Daylight is that light that comes through your window in the morning, If you care to open the curtains you will see it, but maybe it will kill you, I heard that you are a vampire ;)

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Feb 24, 2006, 13:19:

mojoj1224 says on Feb 26, 2006, 17:07:

Be A Good Tourist You should be a tourist in Cartagena along with everyone else.

Be a gringo and be proud of it. Show them that blonde hair and pale white skin. If you know spanish you will have a hell of a time! Make sure you have a good camera and that it is thin enough to fit in your pocket so you can take it eveywhere with you. Buy your Cartagena T-shirts and wear them or bring your tropical shirts. Buy a turist map and visit all the places on it. Don't buy anything from walking street vendors selling trinkets as you will pay too much. Take lots of pictures of everything and with you in them. You have to ask others to take your picture to prove you were there. Street vendors are more than happy to do this if you then buy something form them. Don't go there for the beaches as they are not that impressive. Safety is not generally a problem as there is a high amount of police presence there on almost every other street corner in the walled city. Of course don't have conversations with bums....just keep walking.

Cartagena has a awesome night life!!! I would suggest splitting your time between staying in the walled city for the weekend and Bocagrande the rest of the time. It will be like having 2 vacations in one as they are very different atmospheres. I stayed in a dive of a hotel in the walled city, but it was fairly clean and didn't stink. It was in a great location in the walled city. It was called the Hotel Marla L. at Calle 2a de Badillo No. 36-58 664-5778 and cost 50.000 mil a night but we ended up paying only 40.000 because was broke and we had to fill it up with a 5gallon bucket. It is all part of the experience that you will remember the rest of your life. You will need towels and all your other things....like a padlock for the door or you can use the one they give you. It was perfect, becuase you should only be in your room to sleep and shower and be out exploring the town and blowing your money on partying. I would leave all your valuables at another hotel as this is only ideal for people taking a couple days in Cartagena while they are visiting another city.

I would recommend Hotel Tres Banderas (www.hotel3banderas.com) if you would like to live comfortably the rest of the time. When I stayed in Bocagrande I stayed in the Hilton (overpiced) and the Hotel Da Pietro (www.pietro.com) which was decent, but a little old. Buy all your souvenirs near this hotel and the beach as this was the cheapest place I could find.

The Islas de Rosario are also good for a day of entertainment. Buy your tickets at the Fondo Promocion Turistico, just sw ot the clock tower in the old city. Around 50 mil a ticket. Remember to show up early and ride in the back of the boat, because the ride in the front of the boat will beat the living shit out of you. They have nice private beaches with clearer water and snorkeling. Islas del Encantado is where I visited.

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Christian88 says on Feb 28, 2006, 19:37:

My two cents on Cartagena No worries, there are gringos (I lump together North Americans and Europeans for the sake of the post) everywhere you turn.

I agree that I'd get bored living there... I spent 10 days on this past trip, and if it weren't for my gf and her family, I'd have been a bit bored. She and I agree that there is much more to do in Bogota.

As far as the police go, here's my story: Late one night we were in a taxi heading back to the hotel, when we were pulled over by a police roadblock (within the city). They made us exit the cab and searched us and the cab thoroughly for drugs. After grudgingly letting us go, the taxi driver told us that one police officer had asked him if my gf was a "puta," which, as you can guess, pissed us both off quite a bit. Apparently the cab driver told the officer that he knew her personally, and that she wasn't - he seemed like a nice guy. (She is a very sweet, well-educated girl - but the assumption was that if she's with a white guy, she must be a "working woman")

-Christian (christian.shoemaker at gmail.com)

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JMOON87 says on Mar 14, 2006, 15:40:

IMO If you are Floridian like me you will probaly prefer Cartagena if you are from up north probaly like Bogoata ... I love the weather in Bogota but liked the Cartagena history and beaches .

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poco says on Mar 14, 2006, 16:36:

Entertainment can be difficult for some A week of CTG is too much? I have been living here for 3 years. When am I supposed to start getting bored?

I spent 2 weeks in Cartagena that spanned before and after the Easter Celebration. When it comes to "touristy" type entertainment, yes I can see it becoming boring, especially if you are a "seeking fun" provided by others. There are definitely more entertaining spots in the world.

I know I would be,,, LESS BORED in Cartagena vrs. where I currently live. MUCH LESS,, Cartagena has it’s advantages,, but,, I’ve never been bored anywhere because finding something to do has never presented a problem.

I'd guess 99.9 percent of the Cartagena Easter Vacationers were Colombian and they can have a good time with no matter where they travel. Some in my small town chartered one locally owned 15 passanger bus and arranged accommodations in Cartagena. A 12 plus hour bus trip is a little much so I flew.

I thought about moving to Cartagena but the deciding factor was that none of my GF's family lived within a one day bus trip. The belief that having family living in the same location would be the key ingredient to living a pleasant life and this has proven correct.

One difference I've noticed is that Colombians can entertain themselves. This is directly in opposition to most countries where entertainment must be "provided". I do not believe self entertainment is drinking a six pack while watching a bug zapper.

It seems many never had or have lost the ability to be happily occupied unless someone else is providing their happiness.

I firmly believe that growing up in a small rural farming area of the United States gave me the ability for "self entertainment". I rarely had "playmates" before school age because none lived within walking distance. Possessions were rare, although I do remember playing with Lincoln logs and plastic building blocks. A hard rain would provide endless hours of playing in the mud building dams, floating paper boats, diverting flows and finding out the swimming abilities of grasshoppers and horned toads. Did you know a Horned toad floats REALLY WELL and will "puff up" to give the appearance of soaking up water? Who knows,, maybe they do soak up water.

If you can't be happy within yourself then the location will never be correct and you very well are destined to boredom.

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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Gator says on Mar 14, 2006, 17:55:

Thaks... for a very cogent and meanful post. Cartagena is my favorite place but OH! that heat and humidity

"Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscripti catapults habebunt."

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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JMOON87 says on Mar 15, 2006, 09:33:

Poco is correct Poco , same here i grew up in industrial neighborhood and i was the only kid so i learned to self entertain also - read , tv , throwing a tennis ball against a old piece of plywood , whiffle ball etc ....The u.s. is no more exciting than Colombia and like everything in life if you have money you can have an exciting life in any country .I also agree that colombians entertain themselfs very easily from what i have seen .I think in the u.s. sometimes we are so caught up in chasing the carrot so to speak -that everytime we get something we must be in search of something better ie houses, cars , plasma tvs , furniture , gold etc .we often do not take the time to just enjoy what we have and "stop and smell the roses "..i know everyone in the u.s. is not like this but in the industry i work in most are ...My wife who is from Cali is the most amazing woman i have ever seen she wakes up happy and goes to sleep happy , she is not perfect but she never lets anything get her down for more than a hour or so than she is right back to being upbeat and happy -i hope this rubs off on me as i usually wake up irriataed and go to bed irriatated lol .

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