What should I avoid in Cartagena?

The horse carriages circling Plaza de los Coches look romantic until you notice the animals standing in 33°C heat on cobblestones with no shade. A 20-minute loop costs COP 80,000-100,000 and covers ground you'd walk in 10 minutes. Bocagrande beach, the high-rise strip south of the old city, has brown water and sand that smells like diesel from the port traffic. Playa Blanca on Isla Barú was worth the 45-minute drive five years ago. Now it's a wall of plastic chairs, loudspeakers, and vendors selling the same fried fish at COP 35,000. If you want clear water, hire a private lancha to Isla del Rosario for about COP 150,000 per person round-trip rather than the COP 60,000 party-boat packages that cram 40 people onto a vessel rated for 25.

The friendship-bracelet move happens daily near Puerta del Reloj. Someone ties a woven band onto your wrist mid-conversation, then demands COP 20,000-50,000. Keep your hands in your pockets walking through the archway. Fake police occasionally stop tourists on Calle de la Moneda asking to verify your wallet for counterfeit bills. Real Policía de Turismo wear identifiable vests, carry radios, and never ask to handle your cash. If someone in civilian clothes flashes a badge, walk toward the nearest uniformed officer. Emerald sellers near Iglesia de San Pedro Claver claim direct-from-Muzo pricing. The stones are either synthetic or low-grade rejects graded in poor light. Cartagena's legitimate emerald trade operates through registered shops on Calle del Candilejo where certificates come with the purchase.

Plaza Santo Domingo is the single most overpriced dining block in the city. The Botero sculpture draws the crowd, and the restaurants facing it charge COP 65,000-90,000 for dishes that cost COP 25,000-35,000 two blocks away on Calle de la Mantilla. The palenquera women in colorful dresses will pose for photos, then demand COP 20,000-50,000 per shot. That said, they're working. If you want a photo, agree on the price beforehand. COP 10,000 is fair for one shot. The cruise-terminal taxi line quotes COP 40,000-60,000 to the walled city. Uber and InDriver run COP 12,000-18,000 for the same 7-minute ride. Walk 50 meters past the terminal gate to the public road and request from there.

The humidity never drops below 80%. At 27°C and 87% humidity, the feels-like temperature currently sits at 33°C. Mid-afternoon walking inside the walled city feels like breathing through a warm wet cloth. Plan museum visits to the Palacio de la Inquisición or Museo del Oro Zenú for 1-4pm and save outdoor walking for early morning or after 5pm. October and November bring the heaviest rains. Streets in Getsemaní flood knee-deep during downpours, and the drainage in San Diego can't handle a 30-minute tropical storm. The wet season also brings mosquitoes carrying dengue. DEET 30%+ is not optional. Mind you, rain here typically arrives in sharp 45-minute bursts rather than all-day drizzle, so you won't lose entire days to it.