Our adventure started in a perfect place. Colorful, with a super vibrant night life and loads of history, Cartagena is a must visit in Colombia.
Getting There
If you are getting into Colombia via Bogota, the easiest & fastest way to get into Cartagena is by plane. Most of the airlines fly to Cartagena so it should be easy to get a good connection.
Once at the airport you can get a taxi into the city. We paid 16000 COP to our hotel in Getsemani (when we asked the hotel, they advised it should not be more than 20000 COP)
Once at the airport you can get a taxi into the city. We paid 16000 COP to our hotel in Getsemani (when we asked the hotel, they advised it should not be more than 20000 COP)
Where to stay in Cartagena
The best areas to stay in Cartagena are within the walled city or in Getsemani. These are also the safest areas so you should have no issues to move around. We stayed in Getsemani and I am very happy we did so, as you could see how this neighbourhood transforms itself from day to night.
What to do in Cartagena
For this part, of the post, I will tell you what I did and explain why I did it like this.
We arrived on Friday mid day and this was also our first actual day in Colombia, that meant we also needed to cover some admin.
Before I start, I would like to tell you that maps.me will be mostly better than google maps, as it will help with the number vs. names of streets. Goggle will give you numbers, but the streets are named in Cartagena so at times you will end up in wrong locations or you will simply not be abe to find what you are looking for. This is not always the same, so if you do chose to use Google, make sure you go into the map (not literally like Joey) and see if the destination is where & what you expect.
We arrived on Friday mid day and this was also our first actual day in Colombia, that meant we also needed to cover some admin.
Before I start, I would like to tell you that maps.me will be mostly better than google maps, as it will help with the number vs. names of streets. Goggle will give you numbers, but the streets are named in Cartagena so at times you will end up in wrong locations or you will simply not be abe to find what you are looking for. This is not always the same, so if you do chose to use Google, make sure you go into the map (not literally like Joey) and see if the destination is where & what you expect.
1. Buy a local sim card - this will help you a lot while in Colombia, the company with the biggest coverage is CLARO (we paid 51000 for 30 days, 30GB, unlimited calls in Colombia + the number and the sim card). My friend did face an issue with CLARO as it did not work on her phone so she ended up getting Tigo, which overall was fine as well)
2. Change Money - Cash is important in Colombia, which in some areas is the only option of payment. Check a few casas de cambio to get your the best price (obviously do not change simply on the street as you can end up getting fake money).
3. Plan time for sunsets - We went on Friday (first sunset) to Cafe del Mar. You don't need to queue and have a drink if you are there only for some pictures, just go to the exit and ask the security to allow you to enter for a photo, he will likely allow you :). On Saturday we went to see the susnet at Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (which was pretty nice)
4. See Getsemani by day & night - this vibrant neighborhood changes a lot as day goes by so it's really worth it to pass by twice (actually I would recommend to stay in Getsemani as like this you will for sure end up passing by both during the day and night hours.
5. Take a Free Tour - we booked via GuruWalk (Freetour Centro Historico y Getsemani (Ciudad Amurallada) by Nexperience) and we were super happy with the tour and the information provided.
6. Try Arepas - At Quiero Aprepas or we got the recommendation (did not get the chance to try this one) to eat on of the street posts that would "open" after 5PM close to the Townhouse Boutique Hotel & Rooftop (details we got on how to find it was that it's on the second street after Badillo)
7. Food - we tried 2 restaurants + 1 ice cream place as per recommendation we received.
- La Cocina de Pepina - it's a more original type of restaurant, go late or super early as they only have 6 tables and it's without reservation (they just also opened one in Bogota, there you can make a reservation)
- Cobildo - we went only for some patacones and a beer, but it was nice as they had live music
- Gelateria Paradiso - and go nuts on the fruits flavors
8. El Centenario Plaza Park - The cool part about this mark is the amount of animals you find inside, from iguanas to monkeys to sloths. Pay attention on where you find groups of people, it's an indication of some animal movement
9. Calle de la Inquisicion - if you are there on a Saturday (not sure if it happens on Sunday's as well), you can get the chance to see weddings passing buy and women dancers dressed all in white that are great example of the love that this country has for dancing.
10. Streetart - and laods of it, can be found all over Getsemani
How to get to Santa Marta from Cartagena
When it comes to getting into Santa Marta, if this is your next destination, you can take a bus which usually leaves from the Terminal de Transporte which is pretty far from the city or get one of the combi buses. we used Marsol and had a good experience. They go Cartagena - Baranquilla - Santa Marta (in Baranquilla is just a break basically).
I have reached out to them via Whatsapp to reserve our spot the day before.
Phone # is +573197601810 and we went there with an Uber.
I have reached out to them via Whatsapp to reserve our spot the day before.
Phone # is +573197601810 and we went there with an Uber.
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