Cartagena Colombia is a city with a sordid and colourful history, from the pre-Colombian settlement to the Spanish conquistadors who capitalised on the gold, silver, and slave trade thus attracting pirates. While the forts and tall city walls built to protect the city remain, architecturally, it is the Spanish colonial houses with flower-covered balconies that captured my attention as images of the movie Romancing the Stone flashed through my head.
We had a wish list of top sites and hired a private driver at the port, as our visit to Colombia was a stop on our way to cruise through the Panama Canal. Our driver’s command of English was good, but not great. His slow, deliberate manner, mixed with my basic understanding of Spanish made him a fairly good choice.
Cartagena Colombia Safety
Our driver made a point that Cartagena is safe and the drug cartels are located in the capital – Bogata as well as in Calle and Medellin. Then he turned a corner, and, pointing out the window, he identified Pablo Escobar’s old house, giggling as he added he now lives in a much smaller space – in the cemetery.
Safety is a relative scale. When in South America we try not to draw too much attention to ourselves. We never wear expensive looking jewellery or carry a large camera around our necks. In most cities, including Cartagena, I have my Olympus OMD Em5, but I keep it in the bag except when I am taking photos. To date, we have been in six South American countries without any trouble. Check out our basic safety guidelines here.
If you worry about safety, you might want to get a tour. Local guides tend to know how to stay safe.
Things to do in Cartagena Colombia
Cartagena is an eclectic mix of contemporary and old. We spent the majority of our time in the old town Cartagena often looking out at the modern city. We started at the Pasta Rillo fort wall. A row of cannons protect the old city. The best way to share the top things to do in Cartagena is in photos:
Don’t Forget to Get a Colombian Coffee!
Of course, we stopped for some Colombian coffee in Plaza Santo Domingo. Here, we also found the bronze “La Gordita” (the Fat Lady) statue. Her “shiny bits” are those that are most often touched by those passing by. The statue was a gift to the city in 2000.
Tips for Visiting Cartagena
- Cartagena is similar in population size to our home city of Auckland New Zealand, with a population of 1.2 million.
- American dollars are in demand and accepted just about everywhere we visited.
- Colombian coffee is some of the best in the world.
- Tipping in restaurants and coffee shops is customary and “done from the heart.” We couldn’t get a straight answer as to percentage, but we have found 10% to be customary in other South American cities and used that as our guideline.
- Tickets to the Castillo de San Felipe De Barajas (the fort) are $10 each. If you ask, they will give two tickets for the price of one.
- In South America, we generally find our accommodations on booking.com, and will do the same on our next visit when we will be looking at Cartagena hotels. Be sure to take time to read the reviews. Also, take note as to the country of origin of the reviewer. We have found standards to be different, and we needed to increase our hotel star rating throughout South America.
If You Arrived Via a Cruise to Cartagena Colombia
- If you arrived via cruise ship, allocate time to enjoy the birds and other animals at the port oasis at the Cartagena cruise port grounds.
- The cost of a taxi from the port to the old city is about $20. We hired a driver for the day from inside the dock. The prices appear regulated, and our driver had us pay his “boss” when we returned. Importantly, we pre-selected what we wanted to see.
- If you prefer a pre-arranged Cartagena tour, Viator offers shore excursion tours. They even offer a worry-free shore excursion guarantee.
- If you haven’t seen the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner movie Romancing the Stone, here’s your chance. Much of it takes place in Colombia.
- Cartegena is one of my favourite cities to cruise into as it is one of the more picturesque ports around the world.
Read Next: 25 Tips for Cruising that Everyone Should Know
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Cartagena Colombia: Toucans, Monkeys, Iguanas
Paul Pietrangelo
June 29, 2019 at 6:38 amI found Cartagena amazing and my next cruise I’ll be visiting it again. The La Gordita” (the Fat Lady) statue in Plaza Santo Domingo is great. I had a problem while I was walking in this area but they gave me a chair to rest. I enjoyed Cartagena.
Cruisin Paul
Beth
September 1, 2017 at 5:24 pmHi Rhonda – I love your photos of Cartagena. It seems like you had a wonderful time. I´ve lived here for 2 years now and just wanted to clarify some things!
A taxi from the airport to the centre costs $12.000 COP – around $4 USD.
Maybe in some places – like jewellery shops that sell emeralds – they accept USD, but Colombian Pesos are the main form of currency. If you pay for something with USD you are most likely to be paying double or triple what it really costs.
And Pablo Escobar is, for the majority of Colombians, a national shame and nothing to
Rhonda Albom
September 23, 2017 at 5:40 pmHi Beth. Thanks for the insight. Sometimes our guides don’t always give us the best information. As for US dollars, we don’t have any, as we live in New Zealand. Clearly, our currency isn’t accepted anywhere around the world (except the Cook Islands). So, we can only go by what we were told on the ship, and by our guide.
Pat
January 28, 2017 at 5:23 pmGreat post! We will be there in April. Do you recall how much was the driver for the day? Thanks!!
Rhonda Albom
January 29, 2017 at 10:05 pmI think we paid about $75 USD for the day. We arrived via cruise ship and picked up our driver at the port. We paid less than the published price they had on the sign and probably could have gotten a better deal outside the port, but we really liked the driver and his English was excellent – important to us as hubby doesn’t speak any Spanish.
Meg Jerrard
June 1, 2016 at 4:29 pmSounds like you had a great time Rhonda! I’m really looking forward to traveling to Colombia at some point, and Cartagena would definitely be on the list. I’ve heard Medellin is quite lovely too, and that the whole country is now very safe though just suffering from the bad reputation of it’s past 🙂
Rhonda Albom
June 1, 2016 at 4:57 pmI can’t wait to go back next year and really explore South America.
Sadie
May 27, 2016 at 3:22 amBeautiful city! My boyfriend and I have been talking about going to Colombia. I’ll have to show him your photos!
Rhonda Albom
May 29, 2016 at 2:52 pmI can’t wait to go back. One day was not enough.
Zaria Papa
May 26, 2016 at 4:27 amHi Rhonda,
Good to know that you picked a guide who could communicate with you. I really love the architecture of Cartagena, the houses give that nostalgic and romantic feeling. Lovely photos and experience, thank you for sharing!
Zaria
Rhonda Albom
May 29, 2016 at 2:52 pmYes, we do talk with several of the guides before we select one. It’s just not as interesting with a major language barrier.
Charles (Impulsive Artistry)
May 25, 2016 at 8:30 amHello Jeff, great photos! Love the one with the shoe, lol! Looks like a beautiful place to visit – Thanks for sharing!
Rhonda Albom
May 25, 2016 at 12:25 pmIt was a lot of fun in Cartagena. Quite hot inside that metal boot.
eileen g
May 24, 2016 at 2:38 amI also associate the city with Romancing the Stone. I keep hearing that it’s quite charming, as your photos show. One of these days maybe we’ll get there….
Rhonda Albom
May 25, 2016 at 1:12 pmYes, that was my first memory of the city but it is so much more.
Anda
May 23, 2016 at 8:52 amIs it safe to travel to Colombia these days, Rhonda? I would very much like to visit Cartagena. Your post and pictures are so enticing!
Rhonda Albom
May 25, 2016 at 1:13 pmCartagena appeared quite safe.
Sally-Ann Brown
May 22, 2016 at 10:16 pmLove those boots 😉
I wish I could have joined you for one of those beautiful coffees the town looks so intriguing.
Rhonda Albom
May 25, 2016 at 1:14 pmI have a bag of roasted coffee beans going back to New Zealand with me. 🙂
Ruth
May 22, 2016 at 4:57 pmI have been wanting to visit Cartagena for a long time. Its colors and colonial buildings attract me a lot (looks a lot like Old San Juan). Just a little thing and I am sorry for being picky in here. Cartagena is in Colombia not Columbia.
Rhonda Albom
May 22, 2016 at 7:47 pmThanks Ruth. It’s fixed now.
Brooke Neal
May 21, 2016 at 8:25 pmI always think of Romancing the Stone when I hear the name Cartagena, Colombia. We haven’t spent any time in South America since living on the other side of the planet, looks like an interesting place to visit.
Rhonda Albom
May 22, 2016 at 8:27 pmThe movie also reminds me of Cartagena. We saw the wall where Jack jumped into the water. The actual wall is not the same as the one portrayed in the movie.
Corinne
May 21, 2016 at 3:37 pmRhonda, I’m a little jealous. I want to get to more of South America and of course Columbia is high on the list. I love the idea of turning the prison into a shopping area. I’ve never, to my knowledge, come across that before. Pretty cool. It sounds like you are having a wonderful time.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 6:05 pmWe passed the new prison on the way back to the ship. The driver called it “the free hotel”
Brooke
May 21, 2016 at 2:48 pmAlthough I normally love Cartenga’s brightly colored buildings, I’m intrigued by the stone architecture of St. Peter Claver Church. Thanks for showing all the unique sides of Cartenga!
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 6:03 pmThe church reminded me of those I saw in Spain.
Jackie
May 21, 2016 at 11:20 amI am so happy to see that the boots are still there! We were there in 1988 and have a photo of them.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 6:01 pmYes, the boots are still there and they have weathered well.
Donna Janke
May 21, 2016 at 10:59 amI really had no idea what Cartagena would be like. It looks lovely with lots of history.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 6:00 pmIt is quite old and filled with Spanish history.
Lydia C. Lee
May 21, 2016 at 9:35 amThe monetary is beautiful. I’ve not seen pictures of Cartagena before. Looks lovely.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:59 pmI wish I had more time to take more photos.
Alex J. Cavanaugh
May 21, 2016 at 2:40 amSome really cool buildings. Glad you didn’t have to contend with drug lords.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:56 pmNo drug lords. Our taxi driver said not in Cartagena, only in Bogota, Medellin, and Cali.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
May 21, 2016 at 1:46 amWow those shoes look unbelievable or was that just your husband? Ha,ha,ha. Many years ago, my parents had vacationed in Cartagena. I remember because my dad brought me back a sword from the area and I still have to this day. You & your husband must be having a heck of a vacation. One that you will never forget. Thanks for including us with you. I always love the photos that you show to us.
Have a brilliant Friday Rhonda. See ya.
Cruisin Paul
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:53 pmThanks. The boots were very big and very hot inside.
Pinay Flying High
May 21, 2016 at 12:39 amThere are numerous movies and TV shows these days about Escobar and I have to say, I’m quite obsessed with it. Lol. Seeing your post now about Cartagena, I can’t help but think if the universe is telling me something. Could it be possible that I am related to Escobar? Lol.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:45 pmEscobar’s old house is now a supermarket.
Maggie
May 21, 2016 at 12:25 amCartagena looks like a very interesting city to visit, wonderful architecture, sculptures and statues. Whenever possible we also use guides to show us around a new city or attraction, they always have so much more information to share and can make even the shortest visit twice as good as going it alone.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:38 pmWe like impromptu guides (taxi drivers) and city walks to introduce us to an area.
L. Diane Wolfe
May 21, 2016 at 12:08 amIt’s a beautiful place. I’d love to taste authentic Columbian coffee.
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:36 pmI bought a bag of roasted Colombian beans. Hubby will make me a cuppa when we get home.
Hilary
May 20, 2016 at 8:19 pmHi Rhonda – fascinating variety of places you visited … and I am hooked – it is on my wish list … cheers Hilary
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:36 pmCartagena was an unexpected gem.
Comedy Plus
May 20, 2016 at 12:08 pmWhat a beautiful city. I would love to explore this city. And have lots of that coffee too.
Have a fabulous day. See you in a few days. 🙂
Rhonda Albom
May 21, 2016 at 5:23 pmI would like more time in Cartagena too.