Cartagena: Is it Worth It?

Cartagena is the fifth largest city in Colombia and the most popular tourist destination in the country. Cartagena is a historic walled city paved with cobblestone streets and filled with colourful colonial buildings that are 400+ years old. Nearby in Bocagrande, skyscrapers and fancy hotels have sprung up along the beachfront, prompting some to compare the area to Miami Beach.

What makes this city so attractive to travellers and is it worth visiting? We break down our experience in Cartagena below.

THE GOOD

Cartagena’s walled city is beautiful

Every narrow cobblestone street brings something new and colourful to see. You can spend a couple of hours getting lost exploring this area’s restaurants, cafes and shops. However, it is important to be prepared for the unrelenting heat. Bring lots of water and sunscreen!

Getsemani is awesome

The graffiti-filled charming neighbourhood of Getsemani offers some solace from the constant bombardment of touts in the walled city and Bocagrande. This bohemian neighbourhood had a history of drugs, crime and prostitution, but has turned a new leaf and now has a wide range of hipster places for tourists and locals to eat, drink or dance together. This was one of our favourite neighbourhoods in Cartagena.

The city is easy to get around on foot

We stayed in Bocagrande and had no difficulty walking to the walled city and Getsemani in a short 20-25 minutes.

Taxis are affordable

 The airport is close to the city and a taxi is approximately COP$20,000 to Bocagrande.

The sunset is beautiful

Watching the sunset over the Caribbean sea from the wall is a sight not to miss while in Cartagena. Most people grab a beer from one of the countless vendors nearby while watching the sky’s colours change. If you are willing to splurge, you can take in the view from a table at Café Del Mar or one of the other bars located on the wall. The best tables are gone early, so be sure to arrive at 5pm.

THE BAD

It is incredibly hot

Cartagena is in the Caribbean, so it is very hot and humid. Temperatures average in the 30s Celsius with the humidity making it feel even hotter. You will be a sweaty mess within a couple hours of exploring the city.

There are touts everywhere

You can not walk more than 15 steps in any direction without being offered something, whether it be water, a tour, food, souvenirs, jewellery and more. This city’s main industry is tourism so you can’t blame these individuals for trying to earn a living, but it becomes incredibly tiring after a while.

The beaches are not nice

In order to experience the beautiful Caribbean white sand beaches, you must travel to another island, which can be more costly. There are plenty of beaches in Bocagrande, however, they are dirty, there are stray animals and are overrun with touts.

The prices are high

Prices in Cartagena are extremely high compared to other cities in Colombia. Since Cartagena is the number one tourist destination in Colombia, the prices were much higher than what we were used to paying. For example, buying a meal in the food court at the mall in Bocagrande was more expensive than eating at a fine dining restaurant in Bogotá’s trendy Zona T district!

OUR VERDICT

Although we enjoyed our three nights in Cartagena, it was our least favourite destination that we had visited in Colombia. We felt it was impossible to escape the constant harassment from touts trying to earn a buck. Couple that with excessive heat, and you have a recipe for resentment.

Of course we loved the beautiful colonial architecture of the walled city, the views of the Caribbean Sea and the edginess of Getsemani, but we felt that there wasn’t enough to do. After about 24 hours, we were ready to move on out of there!