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Cartagena
Cartagena is a beautiful Colombian city that is on the Caribbean coast. It is best known for it's old walled city, large fort, it's beaches and islands. It has a much different feel and way of life than the more inland Colombian cities. It has one of the most vibrant street cultures I've seen anywhere and there is plenty to see and do. Here is my guide to Cartagena, Colombia.
One thing you will certainly do is explore the old walled city. It's an old colonial city that was founded in 1533. You can see colourful, colonial styles buildings and cobblestone streets surrounded by the walls of the fort. Inside of the walls you can walk around or go by horse carriage. It is quite touristy in this area so you will find all the shops, restaurants and bars that come with that. It is full of beautiful parks, churches and impressive buildings. One great thing about Cartagena is that even though there are tons of businesses the people love to gather outside. You can buy a cold beer from a local vendor and walk around or sit in a park and just watch all the action happen. You can actually walk along the wall too which I highly recommend. Some of the nicest views of the city are from this wall. It is lined with cannons and makes for a perfect sunset viewing spot.
Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas is a fort about a 15 minute walk from the old city. It's an impressive fort that you can enter and walk around. It also offers great views of the city. Tickets cost 25,000 COP in March of 2022 which is about 8USD. There is lots of information about the fort posted as you walk around. Make sure to bring lots of water and sunscreen as it's only open during daytime hours and is extremely hot!
If you'd like to go to the beach without going to one of the nearby islands Bocagrande beach is quite nice to visit. Bocagrande is the newer most affluent area of the city with tons of white skyscrapers and beaches that span the whole peninsula. It's always hot in Cartagena so a great way to cool off is to go for a swim. There are also lots of seafood beach restaurants in this area and water activities such as kitesurfing. It's definitely a great way to spend a day.
There are lots of food options around Cartagena. In the old city the restaurants are a bit more expensive as it's the tourist area. There is lots of street food in Cartagena. Definitely try the arepas rellenas (which are common throughout the country). I stayed in the Espinal neighbourhood of Cartagena which was about a 5 minute walk from Castillo San Felipe and 15 minutes from the old city. In this area there were cheaper restaurants and street food. I would often eat Colombian street food such as empanadas, buñuelos and pastries filled with chicken (Not sure of the proper name). If you like chicken wings McCarthey's Irish pub in the old city has a good wing deal on Monday's. As far as seafood, I think the best seafood options in the city were in the Bocagrande area. There is a lot of seafood in this area and there are many beach front restaurants.
Getsemani is a vibrant neighbourhood right next to the old walled city. It is full of spectacular street art and is a very laid back area to hang out in. Plaza de la Trinidad is a great plaza to visit in Getsemani. There is an old church in front of it. On evenings the plaza fills up with people, street food and beverage vendors. You can also stroll down "Calle de las sombrillas", which means road of the umbrellas. There are many hotels in this area and it's debatably the best area of the city to stay in.
I mentioned Bocagrande earlier as it's a good place to visit the beach. This is the most upscale neighbourhood in Cartagena and is popular with expats and wealthier locals. There are tons of high rise buildings that lead right onto beaches which span the whole peninsula. The feel of this area is much different from the walled city. I only spent an afternoon and evening here so I can't comment too much but it's definitely where you should go to the beach and to have seafood.
The old city is the heart of Cartagena and is the main tourist area. As I mentioned that comes with everything touristy. There are lots of shops, restaurants and bars in this area. There is plenty to see such as parks, churches, statues, the wall surrounding the city, cobblestone streets, horses pulling carriages of people, colourfully dressed Caribbean women and cold drink vendors. I'd assume there are lots of hotels in this area and it would be a good area to stay in. One drawback may be that it's more expensive than other areas in the city.
Espinal is a lesser known neighbourhood close to Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. We happened to find a good value airbnb here so we chose to stay in this area. Benefits are a cheaper cost of living and a more local lifestyle. There were many street food carts along the main road Carrera 17. You could easily find street snacks for as little as 1USD. Like with most places I find the locals to be friendlier in the less touristy zones. This area gave a good indication as to what life is like in Cartagena for locals. While there may not be much to see from a tourist point of view it gives insight into everyday life for the inhabitants of the city.
