Nestled along the sunny shores of the Caribbean Sea in Colombia, Cartagena is a city brimming with old-world charm and vibrant streets. It feels like stepping into a living history book, where cobblestone pathways wind past brightly adorned buildings bursting with colorful flowers.
But Cartagena isn’t just about the past—it’s also a culinary delight! You can unwind on picturesque beaches or embark on boat excursions to nearby islands. With its abundance of activities, from enjoying street performances to dancing to lively music, Cartagena promises a wealth of opportunities to create cherished family memories. Our Cartagena guidebook details all of the best attractions, interesting activities, and excellent restaurants that Cartagena has to offer.
We write all of our guidebooks with the help of a local in the destination. With their help we provide you insider information and honest reviews of the most popular attractions.
Local Guide Extraordinaire
We met Anita during our walking tour of the walled city the first weekend of our stay in Cartagena. Read all about the walking tour here. We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the city. We learned about the interesting history, got to see the beautiful landmarks and ended up with endless recommendations for things to do and restaurants to try. When I decided to change gears on my blog and interview locals to get their advice, Anita was an easy choice!
Anita was born in Cartagena but moved away shortly after she was born and grew up in Bogota. She came back with her husband about 8 years ago to build her business while her husband worked as an engineer. She began working in tourism when she opened a small hostel. Now she leads tours through Airbnb experiences.
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Top Attractions in Cartagena
Below is a list of the top-rated attractions that I searched from other blogs. Anita gives an honest rating of each one and some helpful tips.
Explore the Walled City
The walled city is the best place to visit in Cartagena. There are so many different places to go and see. I would recommend taking a tour with Anita to see all of the different neighborhoods. Go to Airbnb and search “Experience in Cartagena de Indias” hosted by Anita.
Highlights:
- Getsemani – Amazing art and graffiti scene
- San Diego – Anita’s favorite part of the walled city because it is calm, has beautiful landscapes, architecture, colorful houses and spectacular squares. (Mine too! 😀)
- Centro – is beautiful but a little busy
- Favorite Square to check out – Plaza de San Pedro Claver
Visit the Beaches in Cartagena
Private Clubs and Hotels on Rosario Islands, Baru and Tierra Bomba
The best beaches in and around Cartagena are out of the city. You can arrange to get there through a travel agency. La Costeña is recommended. Best way to contact them is through WhatsApp: +573235778707
Highlights:
- La Isla Baru is a gorgeous place to visit.
- If you are interested in staying overnight in Baru, Sofitel is a very nice place to stay.
- For an experience off the beaten path and a place to unplug, check out Playa Tortuga Baru.
- For Rosario Islands, she recommends going to Islabela.
- If you have more than 5 people, rent a private boat and island hop. You can go to a nice place like Mangata for lunch.
- To party, go to Cholon.
- Makani is the club to visit on Tierra Bomba.
Public Beaches on Baru and Tierra Bomba
The beaches such as Playa Tranquila and Playa Blanca are cheaper to get to than going to a private hotel or club but they come with negatives as well.
Downsides:
- There are many vendors at these beaches which makes it hard to relax when you are being approached all of the time.
- There is only one place to put trash, so they can be a little dirty.
Public Cartagena Beaches – Boca Grande and Castillo Grande
The beaches in Boca Grande and Castillo Grande are popular due to their proximity to many hotels and apartments.
Highlights:
- Boca Grande has bigger waves and there are small restaurants and bars on the beach.
- Castillo Grande’s waves are smaller and it is less of a party scene. Better for families with small children.
- Beaches can be fun if you are staying within walking distance, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit them.
- The sand makes the water a grayish color, so they aren’t pretty.
- Many vendors which can be annoying.
- There is a strong current on the Boca Grande side, so be careful.
- Need to be out of the water by 5:30 pm.
Enjoy the Nightlife
Go Dancing
Highlights:
- Cafe Havana in Getsemani is the best place to go salsa dancing in Cartagena. The architecture in the building is beautiful and they have amazing bands. Please note there is a 50,000 COP cover charge.
- Locals and other Colombians go to Donde Fidel to salsa dance. It is right in El Centro. There’s no cover and the beer is cheap; however, they don’t always have live bands.
- La Movida in Centro is another good place to go with more popular music.
- Note that bars are only open until 1am on the weekdays and 2am on the weekends.
Hop on a Chiva in the evening
Highlights:
- Partying on a Chiva is very Colombian!
- Need to look for the fun ones. Some people just sit on the Chiva and listen to music. The point is to party!!!
- You can book a private Chiva for 2 hours and they go around to different places such as the castle, the bronze boots and the Cartagena sign. Some include drinks and other do not.
- You can book a tour on Viator.
Visit the Mud Volcano
Highlights:
- She doesn’t like it.
- It is small and stinky.
- Most tours combine it with a stop at Galerazamba which is the pink sea that you can visit in the dry season. This is more interesting to Anita than the mud volcano, but it is only for viewing. Please note that the pink sea is not pink in the rainy season due to the rain.
- This could be a personal preference, so if you like the effects of the vitamins that you get from the mud, you might enjoy this activity.
Go to the Local Market Bazurto
Highlights:
- Doesn’t recommend it.
- It is very crowded and dirty.
- It’s in the street and there are rats.
- It’s smelly.
- Nice to try to the fruit, but you can do this other places from vendors around the city.
Family-Friendly Activity Ideas
The following activities in Cartagena are all family-friendly attractions recommended by Anita.
Check out the Aviary
The Aviario Nacional is great place for the family. According to their website, there are 1700 birds from 170 species. Costs are 60,000 COP for adults and 50,000 COP for children. Anita says her kids are always happy when they go there. Combine going to the aviary in the morning and the beach in the afternoon for a perfect day in Cartagena.
Go Snorkeling
When you book a trip to the Rosario Islands, find one that includes snorkeling or one where you can add it on for a small additional fee. Your kids will love seeing all of the small fish around the coral reefs.
Rent a SUP
You can rent a stand up paddle board for a pretty inexpensive amount of 35,000 COP. This is a wonderful way to get out on the water and see the Castillo Grande area from another angle.
Go on a Pirate Ship at Sunset
There are a couple of options to do this in Cartagena. The Phantom pirate ship is the larger option that you will notice docked in the bay. This is a relaxing tour with drinks included.
The other option and the one our family really enjoyed was La Fantastica. This ship is definetly smaller than the Phantom pirate ship, but what it lacks in size they make up with fun. They brought out pirate costumes and play swords for the kids and even shot off a cannon (kinda – fireworks 😆)! So much fun!
Additional Cartagena Ideas
Here are some additional recommendations of interesting activities by Anita.
Visit the Town of Palenque
Palenque is a small town 30 miles from Cartagena. Palenque is known as the first free town of the Americas and is recognized by UNESCO as the Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005 (according to Latina Republic). This village has relied on tourism for many years. It is a great place to have a cultural experience.
The ladies pictured above are from this community and come to Cartagena to earn money. You can support them by taking your picture with them.
Take a Kangoo class
If you are interested in trying something new and like to do athletic classes, Kangoo could be an interesting option for you. These classes are held outside in the Boca Grande area.
Cartagena Restaurants and Bars
The restaurants and bars in Cartagena are top notch. Below are Anita’s recommendations for filling your belly.
- Best Sunset
- Movich Hotel (Rooftop bar)
- Cafe del Mar
- Botika
- 51 Sky Bar (Boca Grande)
- Best Local Cuisine
- Best Breakfast
- Best Lunch
- Best Dinner
- Cande
- Carmen
- Ana
- 1621 Restaurant (Michelin star restaurant)
Have you been to Cartagena and have any other good recommendations? Leave a comment with your suggestions!
