Cartagena, Colombia

By Ashley Rudolph

Cartagena is one of those places that stays with you. The weather, the people, the food, and the culture envelops you in such a way that makes it difficult to only visit once. It has everything I look for when I travel: a cosmopolitan city, warm weather, beautiful beaches/islands, a foodie culture, and a burgeoning art scene. I loved it so much that I visited twice in '16! What I love the most is that Cartagena is the perfect long weekend destination; it's a quick 5 hour flight from NYC. Here are some of my favorite things about the city.

the walled city

Top 5 things to do in the Walled City (El Centro):

Get lost. Since El Centro is small, it's incredibly difficult to *really* get lost. I spent lots of time walking with no end destination and happened to stumble upon some of my favorite spots in the city.
Eat (no, seriously, eat a lot) and drink cocktails. Here are my favorite restaurants in El Centro: La Cevicheria, Don Juan, La Paletteria, La Vitrola, Maria. And my favorite drink spots: Coro Lounge, El Baron, Alquimico, Aqua Bar
Watch the sunset. Cafe del Mar is the place to be to watch the sunset in Cartagena. Grab a drink, a table (or a spot on the wall), and enjoy the view.
Stay at a Boutique Hotel. I stayed at Bastion Luxury Hotel and Casablanca B&B. Both have beautiful rooftop pools, delicious breakfasts, and amazing service.
Shop. You'll want to spend some time hopping in and out of all the cute boutiques in El Centro. My favorites for art, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares are: St. Dom, Colombia Artesanal, Loto Del Sur, NH Galeria, Abaco, Casa Chiqui

getsemani

Top 5 things to do in Getsemani:

Discover the street art. You can do a self guided street art tour (I did this on my first trip to Cartagena) or you can book a tour. My second time around, we booked a tour through This is Cartagena and our guide was fantastic. We spent a pleasant afternoon touring galleries in El Centro, discovering street art in Getsemani, and getting a firsthand history lesson about the city of Cartagena.
Eat at Chachara
Get drinks at Demente
Drink mojitos and dance at Cafe Havana. You'll want to be there for the live band at night, they play hour long sets. Cafe Havana gets crowded - so come early, grab seats at the bar right in front of the stage, and drink mojitos until show time.
People watch at Plaza de la Trinidad (popular hangout spot)

islas del rosario and isla baru

Escaping to the islands is a must when you visit Cartagena. There are beaches in the city, but they're not worth your time. I visited Isla Coralina and Isla Baru on my trips to Colombia and LOVED both. I booked my Isla Coralina day trip through Cartagena Connections and stayed overnight in Isla Baru at Playa Manglares. I'd recommend Isla Coralina for a day trip (if you're only in town for a long weekend). If you have a little more time, the rooms at Playa Manglares felt like chic tree houses for grownups and the owner, Olga, was incredibly charming and passionate about building community amongst her guests.