Spending Two Days in Cartagena Colombia: Caribbean Walled City

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Is Cartagena Worth Visiting?

How Long to Spend in Cartagena

I was quite happy with my decision to spend two full days in Cartagena. One day in the walled city and one day in the Rosario Islands was perfect for me and allowed me to see the highlights.

Where to Stay in Cartagena

I recommend staying in the historic walled city of Cartagena. By basing yourself here you will be a close walk to restaurants, sights, and the dock for any day trips to the Rosario Islands. It’s also a fairly safe area as there are plenty of police on patrol and other tourists. Pickpocketing is going to be a risk anywhere though. The downside to this area is that it can be loud at night because of all the bars and loud music, but that’s part of staying in Cartagena.

In Cartagena, I stayed at Hotel Boutique Las Carretas. I stayed here twice and both rooms were really roomy and comfortable. I love how close this hotel is to everything. The staff here are also exceptionally helpful with restaurant recommendations and what to see. They also serve up a really nice breakfast in their open-air dining room.

Safety in Cartagena

During my two weeks in Colombia, I felt reasonably safe using a dSLR camera whenever I felt like it, but did not feel that way about Cartagena. I also didn’t have any other safety concerns like pickpocketing or unsafe situations elsewhere in Colombia. Cartagena has a different vibe. Be mindful of flashing more expensive electronics. For myself, I just used my cellphone for photos in Cartagena, and kept a close eye on it. Pickpocketing is a risk, and I did see a couple of tourists who were in tears talking to the police about it.

In addition to the risk of theft, Cartagena has a lot of street sellers. Just be polite and don’t feel pressured to buy any of the drinks or hats or tours, unless you want to. If you aren’t interested, it’s best to just avoid eye contact in the first place. Another thing I saw was aggressive rappers who would approach people on patios and rap at them and then ask for money. If they approach you can say no thank you immediately if you aren’t interested in this.

Where to Eat in Cartagena

Celele highlight of my food experiences in Colombia. This restaurant really focuses on Caribbean Colombian cuisine and they work to include seasonal, local foods and foods that you will only find in Colombia. It was an absolute delight to try foods I had never heard of before and have that new taste experience. Happily, there are vegetarian options here. If you want to visit, you have to make a reservation as it fills up.

San Alberto Cafe on Santo Domingo Square is the perfect place to enjoy Colombian coffee and people-watch. San Alberto coffee will do demonstrations at your table of how to brew the perfect coffee using different methods. They also have a cold coffee drink that is served with a popsicle that I am a huge fan of.

La Paleteria is a cash-only popsicle store that I wish I had discovered earlier than my last night in Cartagena. I tried both lulada (made with limes and Colombian lulo fruit) and chocolate and both are excellent. There are so many flavours to choose from including plenty of exotic fruits.

Pezetarian is a sushi and Asian-inspired dishes restaurant. I had a really yummy chickpea rice bowl here. If you’re craving sushi or vegetarian food this is a great option.

Amaretto Cartagena delicious and cozy pizza restaurant. It was just at the end of the block of the hotel I stayed at and it was so nice to have good food nearby.

Two Days in Cartagena

Day One: Explore Cartagena’s Top Sights

On your first day in Cartagena, a great way to get oriented and learn more about the city is to take a guided tour. As one of South America’s oldest cities and as a port city, Cartagena has a lot of interesting history to learn about. I did a tour with Beyond Colombia. This tour is only half a day and takes in the city walls and main sights of the walled city. It gave a lot of context for what I was seeing including talking about pirates, the Spanish Inquisition in Cartagena, and the role that the port had in the African slave trade. There isn’t a lot of shade to be had in the city so make sure you bring a hat and plenty of water for your tour.

Not to be missed after exploring Getsemani is a visit to the Castle San Felipe de Barajas. This impressive fortress sits above Cartagena and makes for a spectacular sight. It was built in 1536 and has been involved in several wars. I was running short on time when I got to the fortress so I only viewed it from the outside but it seems like it would be interesting to explore.

Day Two: Take a Day Trip to the Rosario Islands

On your second day in Cartagena, I highly recommend heading to the Rosario Islands. For me, this was the highlight of my time in Cartagena and it made for the perfect day. I know one of the most popular beaches near Cartagena is Playa Blanca, but it’s worth it to go a little further to the Rosario Islands to have a private beach experience. You can see my full guide to the Rosario Islands here.

There are a lot of options for visiting the Rosario Islands near Cartagena, including taking a catamaran boat tour or visiting a private resort. One of the reasons I was considering a private resort or catamaran is I wanted to snorkel and swim without worrying about my belongings being stolen. For this day trip, I visited the Islabela Resort as I would get to enjoy both the beach and snorkelling.

Visiting Islabela does take up the entire day as you have a 45-minute boat ride each way. The tour to Islabela includes your boat ride, a delicious lunch, a welcome drink, and an assigned lounger with shade on the beach. The extras you have to pay for are the port fee, snorkeling, and any extra drinks and food at Islabela. Because it’s a private beach, you don’t have to worry about vendors.

I could not have been more impressed with Islabela in the Rosario Islands. It was a relaxing day and the snorkeling here was really unique, it included snorkelling over a sunken drug-runner plane outside of Pablo Escobar’s Rosario Island mansion and seeing plenty of fish and coral.

After your day in the Rosario Islands, enjoy some drinks and food back in Cartagena. If you are feeling up for it, it’s a great night to add on a pub crawl of Getsemani.

With More Time in Cartagena

If you are spending more than two days in Cartagena there are some really great day trip options to consider that you can take from the city.

Totumo Mud Volcano– This is a classic day trip from Cartagena. You head to a volcano of warm mud where you can bathe yourself in it and then rinse off afterwards. Tours will also include a visit to the nearby “Pink Sea” salt flats. The vibrancy of the pink sea will depend on if it has rained recently.

Palenque– This is the perfect tour to dive into the local culture. A tour to Palenque will guide you through the first free town in the Americas. It was founded by fleeing slaves and now has a unique history, cooking style, and creole language. On this tour, you also get to experience a drum workshop.

Visiting the Caribbean City of Cartagena

The colonial city of Cartagena is the perfect place to visit if you want a historic city right on the Caribbean. The vibrant colours of the city and rich history make this a great place to include on any Colombian itinerary. Because of its international airport, this is the perfect place to end or begin your trip in Colombia and catch some sun on the beaches of Cartagena.

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