How many days do I need in Cartagena?

Three full days covers the walled city, Getsemaní, Castillo San Felipe, and a day trip to the Rosario Islands. Four to five days lets you add Bazurto Market, La Boquilla's mangroves, and slower evenings in the plazas without rushing. Most visitors find 3 to 4 nights is the right range.

Is Cartagena safe for solo travelers?

The walled city and Getsemaní are generally safe during the day and evening. Standard precautions apply. Avoid displaying expensive jewelry or electronics in crowded areas around the Clock Tower and Bazurto Market. Taxis and ride apps are preferable to walking alone late at night in less-trafficked areas outside the walls. Solo female travelers report feeling comfortable in the main tourist areas.

Do I need to speak Spanish in Cartagena?

In the old town's tourist restaurants and upscale hotels, English is spoken with varying proficiency. Everywhere else, Spanish is the operating language. Taxi drivers, market vendors, bus conductors, and most shop owners speak only Spanish. A translation app and some basic phrases (pricing, directions, greetings) will make your experience significantly smoother.

Is it worth visiting during the rainy season?

The rainy season from May through November brings afternoon storms that typically last 1 to 2 hours. Mornings are often clear. Hotel prices drop 30 to 40 percent, crowds thin out, and the city feels less performative. October and November are the wettest months. If you're flexible and don't mind afternoon downpours, the off-season is a reasonable trade-off.

How do I get from the airport to the old town?

Rafael Núñez International Airport sits about 5 kilometers from the walled city. A taxi to Centro Histórico takes roughly 15 to 25 minutes depending on traffic and costs around 15,000 to 25,000 pesos. Agree on the fare before departing. Ride apps like InDriver also work from the airport and sometimes run slightly cheaper.

Can I drink the tap water?

The tap water in Cartagena is technically treated, but most locals and all guidebooks recommend drinking bottled or filtered water. A 600ml bottle from a tienda costs about 1,500 to 2,500 pesos. Hotels and restaurants use purified water for cooking and ice in tourist areas, though asking is reasonable at smaller local spots.

What currency should I bring?

Colombian pesos are the only widely accepted currency. US dollars are occasionally accepted at high-end hotels and tour operators, but at unfavorable rates. ATMs inside the walled city dispense pesos. Bancolombia and Davivienda ATMs tend to have the best reliability and fee structures. Notify your bank before traveling, as some cards get blocked on first Colombian transactions.

Things to Do in Cartagena: A Complete Guide

Local 15:56

Weather 31° overcast

Feels 38° · 71% · 7 km/h

Air 26 good

PM2.5 7.6 · PM10 8

Sun 05:50 → 17:44

1 USD 3,185 COP

Cartagena de Indias sits on a peninsula between the Caribbean and its sheltered bay, eleven kilometres of colonial walls still ringing the old city the Spanish built to guard their bullion fleet. Those walls (Las Murallas) are wide enough to walk two abreast at sunset, and below them the sea breaks against the same coral stone that Francis Drake's men bombarded in 1586. The city of just over a million people sprawls beyond this fortified core into neighbourhoods that most guidebooks skip: Bazurto, where the central market operates in controlled chaos from before dawn, selling whole red snapper and stacks of ñame alongside bootleg phone chargers; Manga, a residential island connected by a single bridge, its early-twentieth-century Republican mansions slowly being restored; Bocagrande, the high-rise beachfront strip that Colombians themselves use for weekend escapes from Bogotá and Medellín. But the old walled city and its immediate neighbour Getsemaní are where a first visit concentrates. Getsemaní was for decades a working-class barrio that wealthier cartageneros avoided, and its transformation into the city's most walkable, mural-covered quarter is recent enough that longtime residents still sell fruit from their doorways beside converted boutique hotels. The heat is constant: Cartagena rarely drops below twenty-seven degrees Celsius, and the humidity makes midday an indoor affair, which is why the city's rhythm tilts late: restaurants fill at nine, Plaza de la Trinidad comes alive after dark, and the ceviche counters that line the old town usually mean a wait. Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish-built fortress in the Americas, sits on the hill of San Lázaro, its tunnel system designed so defenders could hear approaching footsteps amplified through the stone. The city keeps Colombian time year-round, no daylight saving, and the practical effect for visitors is that nothing happens early and everything happens warm.