Cartagena is located on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, allowing for the perfect culmination of hot temperature and coastal breeze. Cartagena is a “walled city,” with the historic remains of the majority of the city fairly intact. It is known for its deep-rooted culture, colorful buildings, and cheap prices, making it one of the recent hottest destinations for minority travelers. Be sure to go soon because the quaint and untouched feel of the city might slowly diminish over the next couple of years. Keep reading for a couple of recommendations you don’t want to miss!
Travel Dates: March 10 – 16, 2019 (6 days)
Places to Eat
Dinner at Cuzco – my favorite restaurant in Cartagena, reservations required (call +5756606764), around $15/person
Review: green – everything we ate was great, shrimp risotto was amazing, recommend volcano chocolate cake for dessert
Lunch at Mulata – great local experience for an affordable price
Review: green – great fresh seafood, busy at lunchtime, good mix of locals and foreigners
Fruit Pops at La Paletteria – Colombia get’s very hot during the day so a cold popsicle was a perfect way to cool down, ~$3
Review: green – mandarin was my favorite flavor, but they all looked good
Things to Do
Chiva Bus – open-air party bus that travels throughout the city, leaves at 8:30 pm, we did the Pirate Chiva Bus, provided a small bottle of whiskey and coke, also stopped with other busses and enjoyed cultural performances of song and dance, had arepas as a snack, finished the night at a Taboo night club
Review – green: a great mixture of locals and tourists, fun vibes, definitely a worth it for the experience
Playa Blanca – one of the cleanest beaches I’ve been to, it’s about 1.5 hours away by bus, visit any tour group stands throughout the city to book a tour, price – 60k pesos: included transportation to beach and lunch
Review: green- the commute was long but the beach was super pretty, great place to swim and relax
Free Walking Tour – best opportunity to learn the city’s history and culture while meeting other travelers, walked through most of the city in 2 hours
Review: green – our tour guide was great and history was very interesting and informative, the time went by quick, good way to orient yourself in the city
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