Cartagena, Colombia - Local Guidebook
Cartagena, Colombia - Local Guidebook
Restless Pursuits
My family and I visited Cartagena in January of 2023 for a month and loved every minute of it. After taking a walking tour with a local guide, Anita, I sat down with her to ask her more about her city. I wrote this local guide with her recommendations.
Included in the guide are:
🏔️ - Top Attractions
👨👩👦👦 - Family-Friendly Activities
🍽️ - Restaurant and Bar Recommendations
🏨 - Places to Stay
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Top Attractions
Explore the Walled City
Anyone coming to Cartagena needs to take a few days and explore the walled city. We started by booking a local guide to show us around. After our tour, we visited so many more locations within the walled city. It never gets old. The three main areas that you need to explore are below.
Getsemani
@amandasmith
Getsemani is an amazing section of Cartagena with a bustling art scene, compelling graffitti, and is a very active place to go bar hopping in the evenings!
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San Diego
@amandasmith
This calm and beautiful area of the walled city is my favorite. The architecture, colorful flowers, and spectacular squares draw you in.
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Centro
@amandasmith
El Centro is a beautiful section of the walled city with the biggest buildings, but it is also the busiest. One of main entrances of the city begins in El Centro. Be sure to check out Plaza de San Pedro Claver!
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Visit the Beaches
We don't recommend visiting a city beach in Cartagena unless you are staying near one. It is best to visit a private club or hotel at one of the following three areas.
Barú
@amandasmith
There are many places in Baru that you can visit. Some are private and other are public. If you go to a public beach, it is cheaper, but there will also be many vendors that will try to sell you things. This will not make your beach day very relaxing. Opt for a beach club!
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Rosario Islands
@amandasmith
The Rosario Islands are made up of many different islands. You can book a day-trip, hire a private boat to visit many different places or stay overnight. Anita recommends visiting Islabela with a family and Cholon if you want to party. Another option is renting a private boat if you have more than 5 people in your group. Go to Mangata for lunch!
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Tierra Bomba
@amandasmith
There are private and public beaches on Tierra Bomba, similar to Baru. Anita recommends going to Makani club if you visit Tierra Bomba!
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Go Dancing
There aren't many opportunities to go dancing when you are traveling with your family, but if you get the opportunity or you are looking at this guide and you don't have kids, here are the places to go!
Café Havana
@amandasmith
This is the place to go salsa dancing if you are in Cartagena! The architecture in the building is beautiful and they have amazing bands that play there. There is a 50,000 COP ($12-13 USD) cover charge.
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Donde Fidel Salsa Bar
@amandasmith
If you want to dance where the locals salsa, go to Donde Fidel! It is right in El Centro, there's no cover charge and the beer is cheap!
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Chiva Rumbera Cartagena - La Mejor Rumba en Chiva
@amandasmith
Partying on a chiva is very Colombian! Be sure to look for the fun ones where people are dancing.
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La Movida Cartagena
@amandasmith
La Movida is the best place to go dancing with more popular music, not just salsa!
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Family Friendly Activities
Cartagena was one of my kids' favorite places. Besides the beach and pool there are so many fun things for them to do. Here are a few ideas:
Aviario Nacional de Colombia
@amandasmith
What kid doesn't love animals. This aviary is truly special with 1700 birds from 170 different species.
Costs are 60,000 COP ($15 USD) per adult and 50,000 COP (12.50) per child.
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Snorkeling at Hotel ISLABELA, Isla del Rosario
@amandasmith
Book a tour to Hotel Islabela and take the kids snorkeling and kayaking!
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Rent A SUP or Kayak at Karib Cartagena
@amandasmith
Rent a SUP or kayak in Castillo Grande at Karib and enjoy the bay for a pretty inexpensive cost.
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La Fantastica Cartagena - Pirate Ship Tour, Sunset Tour & Rosario Island Tour
@amandasmith
What fun for the whole family!!! Take a sunset cruise on a pirate ship. They have fun props that the kids can use to dress up like pirates, free punch and drinks for the adults, and the crew is so friendly!
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San Basilio de Palenque
@amandasmith
If you are looking to really dive into the culture of Cartagena, visit the town of Palenque. It is a small town about 30 miles from Cartagena and is known as the first free town of the Americas.
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Top Restaurants
The food in Colombia is incredible. It is fresh and savory. There are so many restaurants, so I've divided them up into different sections below.
Best Place to Catch the Sunset
Hotel Movich Cartagena De Indias
@amandasmith
This rooftop bar is the top spot for me if I was going to catch the sunset. Excellent drinks and delicious food! AND the view!!! 😍
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Café del Mar Ltda.
@amandasmith
Amazing views and right on the wall. If you don't want to wait in line or miss getting a seat, buy a beer from a local vendor that's wandering around and watch the sunset from the wall!
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51 Sky Bar
@amandasmith
To see the view from a different perspective, check out this bar in the Boca Grande area.
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Delicious Local Cuisine
Restaurante Celele
@amandasmith
There are a few restaurants that could be this section but Celele beats them all!
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Top Breakfast Joint
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Best Lunch Spots
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Notable Dinner
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Carmen Cartagena
@amandasmith
One of our favorite restaurants we ate at in Cartagena. Need reservations!
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Places to Stay
Sofitel Baru Calablanca
@amandasmith
If you are interested in staying on the beach and not be near the walled city, this is a fabulous spot to be!
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Hyatt Regency Cartagena
@amandasmith
Not in the walled city but nearby. Amazing pools and the beach is right there!
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La Passion by Masaya
@amandasmith
Beautiful hotel in the heart of the city with a pool. They have family rooms! Who could ask for anything more!
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HOTEL ISLA PALMA RESERVA NATURAL
@amandasmith
If you are looking for a place to stay on the Rosario Islands, stay at this little piece of heaven.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Restless Pursuits
Hi! I am Amanda and the voice behind Restless Pursuits.
👨👩👦👦 I specialize in family travel. We are an adventurous family of four that loves to travel all over the world. We seek out captivating locations that are fun for the whole family.
🏔️ When traveling we enjoy hiking and being in nature.
🌮 We are always in search of a delicious meal, snack or coffee.
📍We enjoy popular attractions at times, but really seek out the off the beaten path locations.
✈️ We slow traveled full-time for 8 months and have recently moved to Europe to continue our journey taking shorter trips on school breaks. During our 8 month trip we visited Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Spain, Paris, Belgium, Netherlands and Portugal. In the United States we have lived in various places in Michigan; Denver, Colorado; Estes Park, Colorado; and Bozeman, Montana.
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