Is Cartagena Worth Visiting? An Honest Review from a Kiwi
I rated Cartagena 9 out of 10. Here's what earned it and what nearly cost it points: the food, the Old Town, the city beach, and the touts.
What is it Like Being Asian in Colombia 🇨🇴
I'd been in Colombia three weeks by the time I landed in Cartagena. Bogotá first (cold, gritty, altitude that took five days to adjust to), then Medellín (perfect temperature, daily afternoon rain). Cartagena was the third stop and the one I'd send a friend to first. It's also the one I'd warn the most about, because the city's reputation pulls you toward the wrong corners of it.
This is the honest review. Same format as the Bacalar worth-it post: rating breakdown, what earned the score, what nearly cost it points, and who Cartagena actually suits. I'm a Kiwi, picky about beaches (NZ baseline), three weeks deep into Colombia at this point.
The honest rating breakdown
| Category | My rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town | 10/10 | The most photogenic colonial centre in Latin America |
| Food (Getsemaní) | 10/10 | Better than the Old Town for a third of the price |
| Vibe / energy | 9/10 | Caribbean rhythm, no cruise-ship fatigue, friendly locals |
| City beach (Bocagrande) | 5/10 | Working city beach. Decent, not the postcard |
| Rosario Islands day trip | 9/10 | The actual postcard beaches |
| Walkability | 9/10 | The Old Town fully walks; Getsemaní walks |
| Safety in tourist zones | 9/10 | Visible police, no real concerns day or night in the centre |
| Vendor / tout pressure | 4/10 | Worst on Playa Blanca and the city beach. Manageable in the Old Town |
| Value for money | 8/10 | Cheaper than Tulum or Playa, comparable colonial quality |
| Spanish accessibility | 6/10 | The Caribbean accent is harder than Bogotá or Medellín |
| Overall trip rating | 9/10 | Old Town and food carry it; the city beach drags slightly |
The headline is: the Old Town and the food are world-class, the city beach isn't. Treat the trip as a colonial-city trip with a separate beach day to the Rosario Islands, and the rating settles at 9/10. Treat it as a beach city and you'll be disappointed.
Where I'm coming from, and why my baseline is unfair
I'm a Kiwi. New Zealand baseline beaches mean I'm calibrated to: clear water, soft sand, basically nobody on it. Cartagena's city beach in Bocagrande loses that comparison badly. I'm also coming off three weeks in Colombia where I've already seen the country at altitude (Bogotá), perfect-temperature (Medellín), and now Caribbean coast (Cartagena). The climate alone changes how the city lands.
If you're coming from anywhere in the US, UK, or Europe with no recent Caribbean reference point, the city beach will feel fine. If you're routing in from the Yucatán (we wrote up Bacalar's lagoon for that side), you're already calibrated for tropical-water expectations.
Why the Old Town earned its 10
The Old Town is the part of Cartagena that lives up to the photos. Plaza Santo Domingo, the cathedral, the city walls at sunset, the quiet streets behind Plaza San Pedro Claver. It's small enough to walk in 30-40 minutes end-to-end, but dense enough that you keep finding new corners on day three. The colonial architecture is genuine and well-preserved, the cobblestones are the postcard kind, and there's no cruise-ship hourly disgorging.
Casa San Agustín, Sofitel Santa Clara, Casa Pestagua and a dozen other converted colonial mansions sit inside the walls. Even if you don't stay in them, the lobbies are worth wandering into. The whole zone is the most concentrated colonial heritage I've seen in Latin America. The full where-to-stay deep-dive covers each zone.
The honest caveat: the Old Town is touristy. Selfie photographers in costume, hat sellers, fruit-cart sellers. They're not aggressive but they're constant in the high-traffic plazas. Walk three streets off the main drag and the energy drops by half. That's the move.
Why Getsemaní earned its 10 too
Getsemaní is right next door to the Old Town and feels like a different city. Street art on every wall, salsa bars on Calle de la Sierpe, Plaza de la Trinidad alive until 2am with live music and street food. The food in Getsemaní outpunches the Old Town at half the price; the cafe-and-arepa scene is genuinely the best concentrated food zone I found in Colombia.
Recent reports consistently rate it as the better neighbourhood for travellers who want to experience Cartagena rather than just photograph it. The boutique scene here (Hotel Capellán de Getsemaní being the standout luxury option) has caught up to the Old Town for design quality without the colonial-mansion price tag.
If you're picking between the two zones, the where-to-stay post walks through the trade-offs in detail. Short version: Old Town for the postcard, Getsemaní for the actual city.
Why the city beach got a 5
Bocagrande is a working city beach. Wide sand, decent water, but the high-rises behind it and the constant vendor pressure (hats, bracelets, massage offers, fruit, beer) make it impossible to relax for more than 20 minutes. Playa Blanca, the famous white-sand day-trip beach, is the same problem amplified: it's the easiest day trip from Cartagena and gets the volume to match. Crowded, loud, vendor-heavy.
The fix is simple. Skip the city beach. Book a Rosario Islands day trip. The Rosario archipelago is an hour offshore, properly turquoise, and the islands the tour boats stop at have far less vendor pressure than the mainland. That's the postcard beach experience, and it's a 9/10. The mainland city beach as a 5/10 is a fact of geography, not a flaw of the city.
What surprised me (and what didn't)
Surprised by:
- How much better the food is in Getsemaní than the Old Town
- How fast the Caribbean Spanish drops syllables. I could mostly follow Bogotá Spanish; here, locals lost me in three words
- How wholesome the kids-asking-for-photos thing was (covered in the Asian in Colombia post)
- How small the Old Town actually is. You can walk it end-to-end in under an hour
- How cheap mid-range food and accommodation is compared to Tulum or Playa del Carmen
- The climate. It reminded me more of Bangkok than Mexico City. Pack accordingly
Didn't surprise me:
- The Old Town being beautiful (the photos are real)
- The vendor pressure on the city beaches
- The price spike during high season (December-March)
- The wider Cartagena city outside the Walled City being more chaotic and less photogenic
Things to do, ranked
In rough order of what's worth your time, with quick honest take:
| Activity | Worth it? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town walking tour | Yes, day one | Free or paid versions both fine. Paid guides give better history |
| Rosario Islands day trip | Yes, the highlight | Pick a 4-5 island hopping tour over a single-island stay |
| Castillo San Felipe | Yes, sunset | Free walk-up to the top; paid museum optional |
| Getsemaní food tour | Yes, day one or two | Best way to figure out which spots to revisit solo |
| Salsa class in Getsemaní | Yes if you're game | $15-30 USD, much more memorable than another tour |
| Plaza de la Trinidad evening | Yes, free | Get a beer from a vendor, watch the live music. Friday/Saturday best |
| Volcán de Lodo El Totumo (mud volcano) | Mixed | Photogenic and weird, but a full-day commitment for a 30-minute experience |
| Playa Blanca day trip | Skip if you're doing Rosario | Crowded, vendor-heavy. Rosario Islands cover the same itch better |
| Bocagrande city beach | Skip | The Rosario trip exists for a reason |
| Bazurto Market tour | Yes for foodies | Real local market, not for everyone, gets crowded |
If you only book one paid activity in advance, book the Rosario Islands tour. Sells out in dry season weeks ahead.
Should you go? Honest answer
If you're already in Latin America with 3-4 days to spare, yes. Cartagena is the easiest landing pad in Colombia and the most concentrated colonial heritage in the region.
If you're trip-shopping a Caribbean beach destination, probably not Cartagena alone. The city beach is mid; you'd be flying for the Rosario Islands at that point. Pick Tulum or a proper Caribbean island instead, or commit to multi-night Rosario Islands stays.
If you want a colonial city trip, absolutely yes. Cartagena vs Antigua (Guatemala) vs San Miguel de Allende (Mexico) vs Granada (Nicaragua), Cartagena wins. It's bigger, more energetic, with the Caribbean climate as a bonus.
If you want the food angle, stay in Getsemaní, not the Old Town. Same conclusion as the food-vs-Costera split in Bacalar: the cheaper neighbourhood has the better food.
If you're a first-time Latin America traveller, yes, start with Cartagena. Easier than CDMX, friendlier than Bogotá, less learning curve than anywhere else in Colombia.
Pros and cons, the honest version
| The case for going | The case for skipping |
|---|---|
| Most photogenic colonial centre in Latin America | City beach is mediocre |
| Food in Getsemaní genuinely outpunches the price | Caribbean Spanish is hard if your Spanish is intermediate |
| Caribbean climate without cruise-ship volume | Vendor pressure on Playa Blanca and Bocagrande beach |
| Walkable. The Old Town and Getsemaní are 5-10 min apart | Hot and humid year-round, brutal in summer |
| Cheaper than Tulum or Playa for similar quality | Old Town hotels priced at colonial-mansion premiums |
| Strong off-the-beach content (food, history, nightlife) | Rosario Islands trip adds $50-120 USD on top of stay |
| Safer than its old reputation suggests | Rainy season (Aug-Oct) is genuinely soaking |
Where to stay (the short version)
If you read this and decided you're going, here's the abridged where-to-stay version. The full deep-dive lives in the where-to-stay post:
- Old Town (Ciudad Amurallada) for first-timers and romance
- Getsemaní for nightlife, food, budget
- Bocagrande for beach + high-rise
- Manga / San Diego for quieter mid-range
Budget breakdown (per day, USD)
What a Cartagena trip actually costs depending on traveller style:
| Travel style | Daily cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | $50-95 | Getsemaní hostel, street food, one paid activity |
| Mid-range | $185-335 | Old Town hotel, mix of casual and nicer meals, Rosario tour |
| Luxury | $525-1,210 | Boutique colonial mansion, fine dining, private boat tour |
For a 4-night Cartagena trip, a backpacker can do it all-in for $250-420 USD. Mid-range lands $750-1,350. Luxury runs $2,100-4,800.
Recommendations
The version of advice I'd give a friend booking the trip:
- Three to four nights is the right length. Don't book one or two.
- Stay in Old Town or Getsemaní. Skip Bocagrande unless beach is the whole point.
- Book Rosario Islands in advance. Skip Playa Blanca if you're doing Rosario.
- Eat in Getsemaní at least one night. Don't be loyal to your hotel zone for dinner.
- Use Uber or InDriver, not street taxis.
- Pull cash before you walk into smaller plazas.
- Install Google Translate's Spanish offline pack. The Caribbean accent is faster than other Colombian Spanish.
- Don't engage long with the Old Town selfie-photographers in costume unless you want a paid photo. A polite "no, gracias" works.
- Plaza de la Trinidad in Getsemaní is the Friday night move.
- Bring more sunscreen and hydration than you think.
- Calibrate beach expectations down for the city. Save them for the Rosario Islands.
- If routing through Mexico first, Bacalar where-to-stay and the Bacalar review cover the equivalent for that side.
Final note
Cartagena is the easiest sell in Colombia. The Old Town does the work that the city beach can't, the food in Getsemaní outpunches its price tag, and the climate hits the perfect tropical-but-not-cruise-ship note that places like Tulum lost a decade ago. The 9/10 rating is real. The 5/10 city beach is also real. You optimise the trip by leaning into the parts that work and routing around the parts that don't.
Worth visiting? Yes. Worth flying to Colombia for? Probably not on its own; pair with Medellín for a 10-night Colombia trip and you've got a serious Latin America itinerary.
Coming up: a Medellín deep-dive (the perfect-weather city) and a Bogotá honest review (cold, gritty, altitude). If you're still planning the route, the first-day-in-Cartagena post covers the practical day-one stuff and the identity-as-an-Asian-traveller angle, and the Cartagena where-to-stay deep-dive breaks down each zone with hotel options.
Frequently asked
Is Cartagena actually worth visiting?
Yes. After three weeks across Bogotá, Medellín, and Cartagena, Cartagena was the city I'd send a friend to first. The Old Town is the most photogenic colonial centre in Latin America, the food in Getsemaní outpunches its prices, and the climate is more Thailand than Mexico. The wider Caribbean coast and Rosario Islands give you a beach trip on top of the city trip. Three to four nights is the right length.
Is Cartagena better than Bogotá or Medellín?
Different products. Bogotá is the cultural-altitude experience, Medellín is the perfect-weather digital-nomad city, Cartagena is the colonial-Caribbean postcard. For a first trip to Colombia, Cartagena is the easiest landing pad. For a longer trip, do all three: Cartagena 4 nights, Medellín a week, Bogotá 3 nights.
Is Cartagena safe?
Yes, in the touristed zones. The Old Town, Getsemaní, and Bocagrande all have visible police presence and are safe day or night. Outer residential zones are less so. Use Uber or InDriver after dark, watch your phone in markets, don't flash valuables in less-busy alleys. Petty theft (phone snatches, distraction scams) is the main risk, not anything worse.
Is the Cartagena beach worth it?
The Bocagrande city beach is fine but not the postcard. Playa Blanca is the closer day trip but is overrun with vendors and music. The Rosario Islands (an hour offshore by boat) are the actual postcard beaches. If beaches are your priority, book a Rosario Islands day trip and skip the city beach entirely.
How long should I stay in Cartagena?
Three to four nights. One night is too short (you barely see the Old Town and miss everything else). Four nights covers the Old Town walkthrough, a Rosario Islands or Playa Blanca day trip, a Getsemaní food and nightlife evening, and a buffer day for the Castillo or the mud volcano.
Is Cartagena overrated?
Not for first-timers. The Old Town genuinely is what the photos suggest. Where Cartagena is overrated is the city beach (Bocagrande is fine, not magical) and Playa Blanca (more vendors than postcard). The Old Town and Getsemaní carry the rating; expect the rest of the city to be a step down.
What's the worst thing about Cartagena?
The vendor pressure on the city beach and Playa Blanca. Constant sales pitches for hats, bracelets, food, massages. It's exhausting after an hour. The Rosario Islands have far less of this, which is one reason to go there instead. The Old Town has some of it (selfie photographers in costume, hat sellers) but it's manageable and genuinely walkable.
Is Cartagena worth it as part of a longer Colombia trip?
Absolutely. Cartagena is the easiest landing pad in Colombia: Caribbean climate, photogenic centre, smallest learning curve. Routing it as the first or last stop of a longer Bogotá-Medellín-Cartagena trip is the standard play. As a standalone destination, 4 nights is enough to feel you've seen it; 7+ would only be worth it for the islands.
