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5 Days in Cartagena, Colombia
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items Cartagena was the surprising best trip of 2024 for me! It's colorful, cultural, budget friendly, and has the most amazing islands!
Sections
5
Where to Stay
Day 1: Arrival Day
Day 2: Cartagena City
Days 3-4: Rosario Islands
Days 4-5: Back to Cartagena
Where to Stay
My favorite hotel recommendation for your stay in Cartagena! This is only for the first two nights while you get acclimated to the city.
We stayed here for the first two nights. I was a bit uneasy about safety at first so I felt comfortable in a Marriott while I got acquainted with the city. It was also a great deal since I booked this hotel on points! Bonus: They gave me the most del...
Ermita, Cartagena, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
Day 1: Arrival Day
Generally you will arrive early in the morning and need to wait to check into your hotel so here’s a good itinerary for a jet lagged day.
Right next to the Ermita is this incredible old fort. It's a great way to either take up some time after arrival or just get moving after hours of traveling. The beautiful ocean views don't hurt either! After you’re done exploring, go back to your ho...
San Felipe de Barajas Fort
This is a great restaurant to acclimate to Colombia! The staff spoke English (which isn't as common in Cartagena as you would think) and the menu was giant. After a day of traveling I wanted a great meal that wasn't too expensive to start my trip. A...
Andrés Carne De Res
Day 2: Cartagena City
Today you’ll explore the Getsemani neighborhood and then go inside the Walled City for a better understanding of Cartagena and its history.
I love a good hop on hop off bus tour! While some are better than others, this is a great way to see all of Cartagena (which is surprisingly GIANT). I couldn't believe how many neighborhoods there were and was overwhelmed at where to start, even afte...
Hop-On Hop-Off Cartagena: Bus Route & Map | City Sightseeing©
Just outside the walled city, this neighborhood was so much fun! Everything was super colorful and vibrant and just really really lovely. Lots of bars all along the streets and every street we wandered onto was prettier than the last!
Getsemani
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This restaurant was of of the two largest on the street as we entered Getsemani and we decided to stop here. The decor was incredible and so unique with just the best vibes. The staff was incredible, the food was incredible, and we had the best time!...
Restaurante La Casa de Socorro
Make sure to visit Calle Angosto when in Getsemani. There are two umbrella streets in Getsemani. These colorful umbrellas are the backdrop of instagram dreams!
Callejón Angosto (Narrow Alley)/Calle de las Sombrillas (Umbrella ...
Calle de la Magdalena is the other beautiful umbrella street! This is definitely the larger and more widely known umbrella street! Here you can find Palenqueras, which I will tell you about next!
Calle De La Magdalena
All over various sections of Cartagena you will find Palenqueras. These ladies are dressed in beautiful colorful dresses and sell fruit from a bowl on their heads! You will need to pay for a photo with them, as this is their livelihood and how they m...
Meet the Palenqueras of Colombia — Part of Cartagena's Cultural ...
Next, walk inside the walled city. This area is so interesting because it really feels frozen in time. You can easily spend a few hours walking around and enjoying all the different areas. Here, we signed up for a two hour walking tour. I generally u...
Walled City of Cartagena
Inside Plaza de San Pedro Claver, there are several metal art installations made of metal. They depict people playing games, reading menus, or even just sitting around. They are very fun and whimsical and even make for great household portraits! Some...
Plaza de San Pedro Claver
Plaza de Bolivar seems like a very normal square within the walled city but if you visit during the afternoon you will find a large group of native Colombian dancers dancing traditional Colombian dances in the most unique clothing! They quickly chang...
Plaza de Bolívar
Days 3-4: Rosario Islands
Do not sleep on Rosario islands! These are a group of islands about an hour off the coast of Cartagena by boat. I’m so happy a friend recommended these to me because I never would have known about them otherwise!
There are many islands that you can choose to go to within the Rosario Islands. You can visit one or several on a day trip, or you can actually enjoy your vacation and spend a few days on one of them. After quite a bit of research we decided on Coral...
Coralina Island
There are several activities that are included in your stay at Coralina Island. You can take out a kayak or paddle board to go all around the island or after dinner, once it's nighttime, you can go with the hotel staff on an outing to go see the biol...
Swimming with Bioluminescent Plankton
Days 4-5: Back to Cartagena
After you have finished relaxing on the islands go back to Cartagena and this time stay within the Walled City for a different experience.
Upon returning to Cartagena, we opted to stay our last two nights inside the walled city. This hotel was so lovely and charming with an exceptional staff. Also, the welcome drink here was some passion fruit concoction and absolutely superb. We ended ...
Hotel Voila Centro Histórico
We decided to have dinner at Townhouse, a recommendation from a young woman who worked at our hotel. It's small but adorable. There are several funny neon signs all over and a rooftop view of the city that is unmatched. Between the breeze and the dri...
Townhouse Cartagena | Boutique Art Hotel • Rooftop • Jazz Bar
On our last night in the city, we opted for a nice dinner and Cuzco really lived up to all the hype. Reservations are required though. The food was incredible, they had a live band with dancing, and the restaurant was just gorgeous. 20/10 - Do not mi...
Cuzco Cocina Peruana
We decided to go to a nightclub on our last night and do some dancing. Alquimico was a bit crowded but so much fun! Also worth noting that I never ever felt unsafe and there are police all over this area so even at 4am nothing was insane and I never ...
Alquimico