I’m amazed at how popular Cartagena has become. People flock from all over the world to visit this colonial Caribbean city in Colombia. If it’s your first time and you are looking for things to do in Cartagena, fear not, their are so many things on offer for tourists. So much so, you might actually get a little FOMO.
However, I find that many of those plans are not really worth it. Cartagena is meant to be savored luxuriously, not devoured cheaply. Many plans are NOT worth it.
Many plans that you’ll find recommended on big websites seem suggesting things to do in Cartagena seem to be written by writers that never actually lived the Cartagena experience correctly.
According to many articles online, Playa Blanca, Free Walking Tours, Party on a Chiva and Museo de Oro are all things you should do while in Cartagena.
Playa Blanca is totally OVER CROWDED, dirty and filled with vendors harassing you with their bracelets, sunglasses and massages every 30 seconds.
Free Walking Tours are DISASTROUS Guide permits are limited, hard to get and usually granted to locals which are not very engaging. So if you’re like me and history is not your strong suit, a guide that’s remembered a history book and hashes it out like a cow is TEDIOUS!
Partying on a Chiva is simply TACKY. The only people that party of a Chiva are tourists and 14-year-old Colombians. If drinking standing up on a moving bus sounds fun to you, than we are on different wave lengths my friend.
Museo del Oro. Well you’ll probably make a stop in Bogota if you’re traveling to Cartagena. This means you’ll get to visit the Museo de Oro. The one in Cartagena is much smaller and not worth it if you plan on doing a little bit of tourism in Bogota.
So instead of reading recommendations from sites that don’t care about your experience and just want you to click on their article, I invite you to check out my list of things to do in Cartagena that are really worth it.
After visiting over 4 times, I feel I’ve got the magic recipe of having a good time in Cartagena down.
1. Rent a boat amongst friends and go to Islas del Cholon
A cool party plan is to pack a cooler full of liquor and soda, a few snacks and a good sound system and head out to Isla de Cholon, where all the boats meet to party in the middle of a sea on a little island.
2. Get a fancy colonial hotel and hang out by the pool
Cartagena is about hanging out, not active tourism all day. Especially not in the heat of the Caribbean coast.
3. Stroll the streets and explore La Ciudad Amurallada
4. Take a picture with the Palenquera
Palenqueras are so iconic to the Cartagena landscape. $3.50 for a few pictures and a fruit salad is really not that much.
5. Castillo de San Felipe
6. Go to Apple Beach Club for a more exclusive beach experience
7. Get after hour drinks at Al Quimico
8. Have a delicious ceviche
9. Party at La Movida
10. Experience a night in Cuba in Cafe Havana
Be aware as last time I went, it was full of old white men with local escorts/prostitutes.