At the end of my tour, I had to organize a stay of 3 days in Cartagena. Here are the questions I asked myself: How to get from Santa Marta to Cartagena ? What to see in Cartagena ? Where to eat, where to change, where to sleep in Cartagena ?
How to go to Cartagena?
Here is the link I usually use to compare and choose my modes of transport from where I want to go:
https://www.rome2rio.com/fr/map/Santa-Marta/Carthag%C3%A8ne-Colombie
But to schematize, I give you below the average times by bus for the most used routes:
Minca Cartagena route
4h30 to 5h journey (depending on the bus company). Prices vary around € 20. Company: Marsol.
Santa Marta Cartagena route
4:30 to 5:45 a.m. journey (depending on the bus company). Prices vary between 20 and 40 €. Companies: Marsol, Berlinas, Expreso Brasilia, Copetran, Unitransco.
Medellin Cartagena route
12h to 14h journey (depending on the bus company). Prices vary between 30 and 60 €. Companies: Expreso Brasilia, Rapido Ochoa.
CARTHAGENE in all colors!
The first city in South America to be colonized by the Spanish, Cartagena also exploited thousands of African slaves who served as labor for the conquistators. The people of Cartagena are therefore the fruit of a beautiful ethnic and cultural mix.
Located on the north coast, facing the Caribbean Sea, Cartagena is the most visited city in Colombia. It is rich in colonial vestiges and displays beautiful colorful and flowery facades.
Where to stay in CARTHAGENE?
The city center consists essentially of two main parts: the colonial city and the modern city (Bocagrande).
To learn more, see my article: Neighborhoods of Cartagena
Le Historic District located inside the fortifications and the district Getsemani (where we stayed) are the most interesting areas for tourists.
What to see in CARTHAGENE?
The main attraction in Cartagena is its historic old town surrounded by walls. You have to walk there without moderation by accessing it through the main entrance near the clock tower.
- The fortifications of Cartagena date back over 500 years and much of it is perfectly preserved. You can walk along the ramparts and thus have a view of the Caribbean Sea but especially of the roofs of Cartagena.
- Le Palais de the Inquisition is the place where the Spanish Inquisition tortured, tried and condemned men, women, natives or slaves accused of crimes against religion. Located in the Plaza de Bolivar in the historic center, this veritable tribunal of the Inquisition has become a museum which exhibits in particular the instruments and installations of torture ... a little morbid, certainly, but these horrors are part of the history of the city . Price: 20 COP (approximately 000 €).
- Le gold museum is not exceptional but it has the merit of being free and air-conditioned (which allows a good refreshing break!).
- Le modern Art Museum (8 COP).
- La Cathedral, near the Plaza de Bolivar, theChurch of Santo Domingo and many other churches in the historic center.
- Take the tourist bus to go around the city (square just in front of the Clock Tower entrance).
Where to eat inexpensively in CARTHAGENE?
Here are the restaurants we tested:
El buffet of the Plaza : To eat quickly and inexpensively (right next to our hotel plaza de la Trinidad). We took el Pollo asado served with salad and papas for 12 COP or around € 000. As a bonus, they offer you a huge, refreshing mug of agua de panela!
The 2 pizzerias in Plaza de la Trinidad : To eat hearty and inexpensively (15 COP or approximately € 000).
gastrolab on Calle del Espiritu Santo in the Getsemani district to taste very good and big salads (around 5 € a dish). Be careful, the preparation is quite long, we wait, we wait, again, again and we swallow everything in 10 minutes!
Restaurant Mar of the Antillas : To eat seafood including Ceviche. We chose the Ceviche del mar de las Antillas (raw fish, raw shrimp, lime, corn, octopus and squid). Very good but served without accompaniment and therefore not generous enough for a single dish for lunch!
Where can I change money in CARTHAGENE?
« Never in the street! »We have been told over and over again ... otherwise it's guaranteed to be a scam!
To find safe exchange offices, you have to go to the main square at the entrance to the historic district (near the Clock Tower) and go under the arcades behind the "dulces" (candy, biscuit, etc. caramels) ...
We had a great rate with Colombia Cambios (Centrao Portal de los Dulces local # 4).
Cheap hotel in CARTHAGENE
First of all, you should know that housing is more expensive in Cartagena than elsewhere in Colombia because the city is very touristy. And of course the historic center et Big Mouth are neighborhoods rather reserved for wealthy tourists.
For my low budget, I chose the neighborhood Getsemani any next to the historic center. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Cartagena that I loved. The Trinity Square comes alive in the evening. The locals meet there by mingling with the tourists to spend part of the evening eating, tasting ice cream, making music, having a drink… The atmosphere is really friendly and authentic!
I selected this hotel because it is located very close to the sites to visit (10 minutes walk to reach the historic center). So no waste of time in transport and no additional expenses. And it's true that we did everything on foot!
In addition, the hotel has a very small swimming pools and its rooms are all air : this is important given the temperatures in August ...
PRICE: 32 € per night with breakfasts
My impressions of Cartagena
Yes, I liked them colorful alleys and Getsemani district corn …
- Maybe it's because of too many tourists ...
- Perhaps because of the overwhelming heat that exhausts you, especially in the afternoon ...
- Maybe because of the attitude of the street vendors who harassed us from morning to night to buy them a bottle of water, a sombrero, a souvenir ...
- Maybe because I had idealized this place too much… or because there was always too much traffic, too much noise…
I don't know why but CARTAGENA didn't really charm me.
But our tour does not end there! Tomorrow we leave for theMucura Island !
Bonjour.
Thank you Coco for your blog. A reaction regarding Cartagena where we spent (we were two French friends) 5 days last December: the historic city is beautiful but what we appreciated the most is the Afro-Caribbean atmosphere of the neighborhoods outside of the tourist circuit. We rented an apartment (comfortable and with air conditioning) on Airbnb in the district of Brusselas, a real popular place to live but without security problems where families spend the evening in front of the houses chatting and listening to salsa. We went twice to the Bazurto market to do our shopping, took the boat with the locals to go to Bocachica not on the tourist beaches but in the main town of the island, and we were content with the very popular beach from Boca Grande. Combining the visit of tourist places and the time spent feeling the daily life of the inhabitants makes us appreciate this city. Overall, we loved Colombia.
Thank you Geraldine for sharing your experience and your impressions on my blog. It is true that depending on the conditions in which we stay in a place and especially the places in which we soak up, the feelings are different ... Your story makes me want to go back!
Good evening, exactly the same impression on Cartagena! And again, we will forget playa blanca !! To do it again, I will stay longer in Santa Marta. Otherwise, very beautiful memories of Colombia (August 2019): landscapes, welcome, etc. Thank you for your info on Peru, our next destination
Yes indeed, in Santa Marta I felt more authenticity and less tourist “harassment”.
Well done for choosing Peru for your next trip. This country remains among the most beautiful that I have had the chance to visit. You will enjoy !
Thank you for this information which is invaluable to me in the preparation of my trip next March ...
friendships
Oh thank you for that comment. If you have any questions do not hesitate…