Top 10 Things to do in Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena is a must stop location for any South American itinerary. It's colorful, fun, historical, and teeming with charm. Kevin and I spent 3 lovely days in the city, exploring the various aspects that make Cartagena so special! Below are the Top 10 things we loved to do in Cartagena….

1. Walk the Historic City Center

An absolute favorite of mine…especially at night. The city center is So colorful, and so well preserved! You'll be swept back in time as you stroll along the cobble stone streets passing by ladies with fruit on their head, horse drawn carriages rhythmically passing by. At night, the city is filled with twinkly lights,  guitar playing gentlemen, and lovers strolling down the lane. More pics and info here. 

2. Tour Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

Castillio San Felipe de Barajas is an iconic part of the Cartagena city scape. The fortress was built by the Spanish during the colonial era, construction beginning in 1536. It is built up on a hill, securing a strategic location to defend both sea and land attacks. The fortress gives a great foray into the history of Cartagena, and is worth visiting one of the first days you arrive! To see more of our pics and read about the fortress, click here. 

3. Take a day tour to a surrounding Island

Cartagena has a variety of surrounding islands that offer day (or even over-night excursions). The islands offer more of the white sand beaches you might be imagining when picturing Cartagena! We chose to visit Isla del Encanto, and it was a perfect all-day excursion! We got on a speedboat in the morning, spent the entire day lounging and swimming and eating yummy food, and then boated back in the late afternoon! The perfect restful day! More pics and info here. 

4. Try some street food 

Cartagena has a plethora of tantalizing tastes for you. The most common item is the arepa, a corn cake covered in cheese. Then there's the delicious fresh juices, a favorite being coco-limonada. At night, Kevin and I found the sweetest little empanada spot, and Kevin tried a few flavors. A favorite of mine was the fresh fruit…especially the mangos! Yum!! 

5. Take a Taxi out to Boca Grande

While Boca Grande was not my favorite part of the city, it was absolutely worth exploring. Boca Grande is essentially "Miami Beach" of Colombia. It was built up in the 1950's by rich oil executives, and has the very modern "built-up" look. Kevin and I took a taxi down there one night and found a fun little outdoor restaurant to eat at. We spent the next day at the beach there. It is dense and crowded and has a lot of energy. 

6. Spend a night in Getsemani

Getsemani is a short walk from the old walled city, but is very historical in and of itself. In some ways, I loved Getsemani even more than the city center, as it felt very authentic and local. Walking down the street where our hotel was located, there were young kids playing checkers and chess, riding bikes, and old men sitting out in their rocking chairs laughing the night away. Many new hip restaurants dot the area, and it is so lively and colorful, especially at night! More pics of Getsemani here. 

7. Sample Colombia's #1 coffee, San Alberto

f you are a coffee lover, you can't miss Cafe San Alberto! San Alberto coffee, started in 1972 in Colombia, has won multiple international awards. Known as some of the best coffee in the world, this sweet cafe offers legit pour over coffee that will have you coming back each day! Visit their cafe in the historic city center…the ambiance is super cute too!  {More info on the best restaurants here} 

8. Walk the Historic City Wall at Sunset

One night Kevin and I took a gorgeous stroll around the old city wall at sunset. We walked hand in hand, and while the sky turned rich hues of pink behind us, we soaked in the magical town to our back, and the ocean to our front. Walking high up on the wall allows you to see much of the city, over to Boca Grande, and of course the expanse of the sea. It was just dreamy! {More pics} 

9. Relax! 

Take a siesta! Get off your feet! Read, sleep, and just soak in the slow pace of life. Our hotel, properly named Casa Relax, had a lovely courtyard with a pool and several hammocks outlining the property. One afternoon Kevin and I laid in the hammocks and just let our body rest. It was divine! 

10. Pause to Enjoy the very talented street musicians! 

Not all street musicians are equal. We've all had our share of walking by someone playing terribly on the sidewalk. Not so in Cartagena. I don't know what it was…but every musician we walked past was brilliant. One night we stopped at 2 or 3 different performers, as they strummed their guitar so incredibly. Buy a gourmet popsicle at La Paletteria, the cutest little home-made popsicle shop ever, and then find a musician to enjoy! 

Have you been to Cartagena? What would you add? The beauty of this city is that there is more than enough to do and see!! Happy Weekend!! xoxo 

The best place to stay in Cartagena, Colombia

When booking our accommodations in Cartagena we were shocked at two things: 

1) Cartagena is expensive!! We had thought Cartagena would have comparable prices to Ecuador (the other country we were visiting on this trip), and boy were we dead wrong! Cartagena is no cheap deal...but my, is it worth every penny!! 

2) There are a gazillion options for accommodations in Cartagena!! I'm not going to lie, Kevin and I were a tad overwhelmed! The options ran the gambit from very expensive (and gorgeous!) resorts in the old walled city, to more guesthouse type accommodations. 

So, we did our homework and spent hours researching where we should stay! Should we stay in the old walled city? Should we do AirBnB and save a few pennies but be further away from the city? Or should we stay in Getsemani, the new up and coming neighborhood right outside the walled city? 

We ended up choosing to stay in Getsemani, and I am SO glad we did. Getsemani is a short walk from the old walled city, but is very historical in and of itself. In some ways, I loved Getsemani even more than the city center, as it felt very authentic and local. Walking down the street where our hotel was located, there were young kids playing checkers and chess, riding bikes, and old men sitting out in their rocking chairs laughing the night away. Many new hip restaurants dot the area, and it is so lively and colorful, especially at night! 

We chose to stay at Casa Relax. For the price we paid per night, it was totally worth it! It was a lovely little oasis tucked into a neighborhood in Getsemani, built in the original courtyard style houses. 

Here's what I loved: 

- It was family style eating along a lovely wooden table. Every morning we were served a yummy breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and fresh fruit and met tons of other travelers! 

- There was a pool and hammocks to relax in after a long day of site seeing

- It was a short walk to the walled-city, and conveniently located to many other places of interest

- It was a good bang for our buck (ie: we could afford it!)

What I didn't love: 

- No hot water in the shower. Seeing as Cartagena is pretty toasty and humid most of the year, this wasn't that big of deal...but I do love a hot shower at night! 

- They don't give you a top blanket. The room is lovely, but what I noticed right off the bat was that the bed has a sheet, but no top blanket. I never asked for one, so maybe they have some on hand? 

If you are going to Cartagena, and are on a budget, Getsemani is your best option!! Good luck!! 

To see other Cartagena posts: 

Cartagena Day 1

Cartagena Day 2

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas 

Isla del Encanto

Isla del Encanto, Cartagena // Colombia

If you are visiting Cartagena, a day trip to a surrounding island is a must. Here's why:

We had assumed Cartagena had beautiful beaches right off the main walled city. While we were correct in assuming it has beaches, I wouldn't necessarily call them beautiful. Boca Grande, the main strip (fashioned after Miami Beach in Florida) houses the longest stretch of beach closest to the historic city center in Cartagena. The beach is windy, overcrowded, and teeming with salesmen and women selling you everything from mangos, to massages, to worthless trinkets. I'm generally not very critical of any place we travel, but I have to say... Boca Grande was not really my cup of tea.

Fortunately for us, we had heard there were many beautiful excursions to the surrounding islands. We walked to a local travel agent, and shopped around for prices and options. The most popular beach is Playa Blanca, however it was going to be quite crowded the week we were there (as it backed up to New Years). Wanting a less crowded option, we booked a day trip out to Isla del Encanto.

This ended up being a fantastic option for us! Kevin and I paid a reasonable price for the all-inclusive tour. Included was round trip boat transportation out to the island (it took about 45 minutes each way), use of all beach chairs/cabanas/umbrellas, a delicious lunch (with lots of gluten free options, I might add!), a lovely beach with great facilities, and just really pretty grounds. I'd say the beach only had around 80 people on it, so it felt small {especially since many of the people chose to add other excursions to their day like snorkeling or scuba diving, taking them away from the beach!}. Kevin and I spent the whole day reading, swimming in the ocean, eating, and lounging on our beach bed!

I'm so glad we chose this fun adventure!! Happy Wednesday friends! xoxo

Cartagena, Colombia {Day 2} // And the BEST restaurants in the City

Our second full day in Cartagena we slathered on some sunscreen and took a taxi to Boca Grande. We sat on the beach in Boca Grande, read our books, swam in the ocean, and ate fresh mangos. I didn't bring my camera to the beach, so you'll just have to google image Boca Grande. In all honesty, I wasn't a huge fan of Boca Grande...if you're looking for a good beach in Cartagena, take a boat taxi out to Isla del Encanto  (like we did) or Playa Blanca!

After spending the full day at Boca Grande, we came back, showered and then headed back into the old walled city. The colors were SO beautiful!! Also, Cartagena has the BEST restaurants...we were so excited to find some of these gems:

1. Cono Gourmet: This restaurant was unbelievable! First of all, they are insanely affordable...and second of all they are creative! They offer 4 different wraps (rice wrap, plantain wrap, sweet wrap, and seaweed wrap). They fill each one with different ingredients, and the combinations they have are delicious. My favorite was the Costeno Cone. Make sure to hit this place up for a delicious lunch or dinner!! {Calle La Factoria # 36-40, Historical Center, Cartagena, Colombia}

2. La Paletteria: This is the cutest little home-made popsicle shop ever! They offer a wide variety of flavors, and there were even dairy-free options for me which I appreciated. The place was continually packed, as these popsicles were a sure-fire way to cool down from the heat of the sun! The flavors were fun and creative, and the store was adorably decorated. You will want to go here everyday!

3. Cafe San Alberto: If you are a coffee lover, you can't miss Cafe San Alberto! Known as some of the best coffee in the world, this sweet cafe offers legit pour over coffee that will have you coming back each day! The ambiance is super cute too, Kevin loved it!

We also tried a lot of street food too! Arepas (masa with cheese) are one of the most popular items being sold on the street, along with fresh fruit, empanadas and lemonade. We tried samplings all over town and were impressed with the yumminess!

Enjoy the colors of the city!! Happy Monday friends!

For more pictures of Cartagena see:
Cartagena {Day 1}
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas






















For more pictures of Cartagena see:
Cartagena {Day 1}
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas