Thinking of going to Cartagena

caulfield2 says on Jan 31, 2006, 09:37:

I agree, it is even more fun (if you are on a budget) to stay with a family outside of Bocagrande or the Old City in a place like Barrio Manga.

Make sure you have air conditioning, you cannot survive without it.

I like Cartagena to visit, but my personal preferences are Medellin and then Cali, if I was to live in any other city in Colombia. The weather is warm, but not uncomfortably hot, in both places.

Cartagena is also a little bit more expensive, there are a lot more vendedores, street kids, prostitutes, beggars and con artists there, including the taxistas, who usually try to take an extra $2-3 mil more than necessary when you take a taxi somewhere. At the end of 18 days there, I was feeling a little burned out from the whole scene...although I definitely enjoyed myself.

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alexis33015 says on Feb 1, 2006, 08:29:

thanks i two am going to the coast on june thanks 4 da advise

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Sam Salmon says on Feb 1, 2006, 20:28:

Too Many Arabs!!! If you stray into the wrong parts of town-the ones with high rise buildings, expensive restaurants, fast cars and beautiful women- you'll find a lot of people speaking Arabic-BEWARE!!!!!




' a la orden!'

' a la orden!'

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elgie says on Feb 2, 2006, 09:37:

depends on what you do It really depnds on what you want to ahieve with your visit. If you are going just to see the historical places and colonial architecture, 2 days will be enough.

If you are much into nightlife, I guess you could stay longer - but here, I won't give you any advice as it's been a LONG time since I went out.

If you are in a hurry, you can see all the major attractions in one day - just hop between the landmarks on a taxi, it's not expensive.

I would not necessarily agree with SEAHJUAN that you need to stay in the old city. Don't forget that Cartagena is one of the top destinations in Colombia, so, being a tourist place, it's a total rip-off. Therefore prices for hotels in ciudad viejo are crazy - just like for food or souvenirs. You can stay in one of the beach hotels and go to the center by taxi.

It's hot, so make sure you drink regularly (water, I mean).

And be prepared to spending most of your time fending off street vendors - they swarm around you like wasps around a drop of honey on your shirt and, unlike their colleagues in many other parts of the country, they "push-sell". It's their job, olrite, but when you say "no", it means you don't want it, not "c'mon, harrazz me more... MORE!"

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