Cartagena is a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast. Very popular as a beach destination, it also has a beautiful walled old town featuring colonial architecture and cobblestone streets. Its tropical climate makes it a great warm weather destination in South America, and it’s easy to fall in love with its historic charm The beaches are beautiful with gorgeous views of the Caribbean Sea, and the old town is picturesque and makes for great exploring. We can’t recommend it enough! Keep reading for our lesbian guide to Cartagena.
What To Do
Explore the Walled City
Cartagena’s beautiful walled city is definitely its main attraction. Don’t miss it! Spend an afternoon getting lost down cobblestone streets, stumbling upon adorable locally owned businesses, and admiring the incredible colonial architecture. This part of town can be quite busy with tourists, but it’s very charming and enjoyable to visit. Be sure to walk along the walls themselves and see the stunning views of the Caribbean Sea, the old town, and Bocagrande. Other points of interest in the walled city are the Palace of Inquisition, the Clock Tower Monument, Plaza Santo Domingo, Las Bovedas, Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, Bolivar Plaza, the Cartagena Cathedral, Plaza de los Coches, Plaza Fernandez de Madrid, and Plaza de la Aduana.
Visit the Getsemani Neighbourhood
The hip and trendy Getsemani area is located right next to the old town, and is a must visit! Well known for its lively bars, bistros, pubs, and cafes, it has a great laid back daytime atmosphere, and a fun evening party vibe. It’s less busy with tourists and offers a more authentic feel. It’s a good spot to try some traditional Colombian food, and the perfect area to go out at night.
Go looking For Street Art
The streets of Cartagena are bright, vibrant, and beautiful. There is so much colour, and many walls are filled with incredible street art. We had such an amazing time exploring and photographing the murals we found! Most of the street art movement is happening right outside the walled city in the Getsemani barrio. Be sure to go searching for the best paintings that have helped transform this neighbourhood in recent years.
Enjoy the Beautiful Beaches
Cartagena sits on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia and offers beautiful beaches both inside and outside the city! If you’re looking to stay close to the old town and the centre of the action, good options are Playa de Bocagrande, Playa Marbella, and Laguito Beach. A little further out is Manzanillo del Mar which is going to be a lot quieter, with fewer tourists. If you’re able to take a short day trip, Punta Arenas on Isla Tierra Bomba is a great option. And a bit further is Playa Blanca on Isla Baru, which is where you’ll find the white sand and turquoise waters that you’ve dreamed about! Enjoy!
Where to Stay
The best spot to stay in Cartagena is definitely in or around the walled city! In the heart of the old town you will find plenty of accommodation options including hotels, boutique inns, and hostels. There are also a lot of options in the Getsemani neighbourhood which is also very central and convenient. If you want to be close to all the action then these will be a perfect fit, but it is pretty lively! Expect to be right in the hustle and bustle of some busy spots, with lots of locals and other travellers. If you’re looking to book hotel accommodations in this area, our favourite tool is Hotels.com. It’s easy to search within a certain price range, and filter for the amenities that you like. They also have a great reward system – for every ten nights you book, you receive one night free. The other option for accommodations in Cartagena is Airbnb. There are some listings in the old town, as well as many nearby options that are just a short walk or cab ride from the walled city. We decided to stay just outside the busy area, in a beautiful spot along the beach. It was walking distance (or a short cab) to everywhere we wanted to go, and it was much quieter. If you enjoy using Airbnb like we do, it’s definitely worth taking a look to see what’s available! We found a two bedroom/two bathroom apartment with a full kitchen, and a balcony with gorgeous water views for $100CAD/night. The building also had a common area with a sundeck, gym, infinity pool, and hot tub. It was perfect for our stay. If you’ve never used Airbnb before, click here to set up a profile and save on your first stay!
Where to Eat & Drink
Cartagena definitely has a growing food scene. We found plenty of small cafes and restaurants with great cuisine in the old town and nearby. Our favourite spot was Stepping Stone, a cafe in the Getsemani area that was started by three Australian friends. They work with a local non-profit to employ disadvantaged youth from Cartagena, and fight against inequality. They opened in 2017 and are doing so well that they’ve opened a sister location called The Pebble, which is located nearby in the heart of the old town. Both offer healthy eats with vegetarian and vegan options! If you’re looking for other plant-based offerings, we also loved Mar y Hojas Cocina Vegana and Pezetarian Cartagena. If you don’t have any dietary restrictions there are plenty of other culinary options. Some popular spots in the city centre include Carmen for upscale Colombian inspired fare, Alma for seafood and international cuisine, and La Cevicheria for (you guessed it) ceviche! There are also plenty of street food vendors and little “hole-in-the-wall” spots that are fun to discover. Stroll around the old town and Getsemani to see what you find! For drinks, head to Cafe del Mar for the best sunset views, El Coro Lounge for cocktails and beautiful ambiance, Donde Fidel for beers and salsa dancing, or Cafe Havana for Cuban style drinks and live music.
Lesbian Friendly
Colombia has some of the most progressive LGBTQ+ laws in Latin America, making it a great travel destination for lesbian women and couples to consider. Same-sex marriage is legal and has been since 2016, and they’ve had discrimination protection in place since 2011. There’s even a law in Colombia that allows LGBTQ+ people to safely express affection to their partners in public! You can check out our full post on how lesbian friendly Colombia is here. That being said, Colombians can still be quite conservative, and it’s best to use your judgement and stay safe while visiting. We didn’t have any problems at all while visiting Cartagena as a married lesbian couple, and we found all the locals to be welcoming. We held hands and showed affection in public, and booked an Airbnb apartment with a local host as an open lesbian couple. We never felt the need to hide our relationship, but we always did our best to read each situation and keep our safety in mind. Being a port city, Cartagena is a popular spot for tourists and cruise passengers, and the locals do seem very welcoming of visitors. We really enjoyed our time there and would definitely recommend it. Cartagena is a small city, and there isn’t much of a gay scene. There seems to be a small handful of LGBTQ+ friendly venues but many of them have closed down. There’s certainly not a lot of gay culture in Cartagena when compared to Colombia’s capital, Bogota. Le Petit is the longstanding gay spot to visit in the walled city, and The City Club is located in Getsemani along with Viceversa. While you may not find a thriving gaybourhood in Cartagena, you will certainly fall in love with its historic charm, tropical weather, and beach views!
How to Get Around
Walk
The walled city and nearby Getsemani is very walkable, and we highly recommend seeing this part of town on foot! If you’re able, wander through the cobblestone streets and get lost down every alleyway to discover the beauty of this area. You can easily see all of the old town and the hip Getsemani barrio in one day.
Taxi
We fully expected taxis in Cartagena to rip us off, since they didn’t use meters and they seem to just give an arbitrary price for each trip. That being said, the cost of the taxis we took were very inexpensive, so we felt that they were quite fair. Uber is technically available in the city, but there were never cars available when we looked, and there are literally taxis everywhere. It’s easy to flag down a cab, and the drivers were always considerate and polite. It’s a great way to get around, and since Cartagena can be so hot, it’s also just a nice break from walking in the heat!
Has anyone else fallen in love with Cartagena? Let us know in the comments!
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4 comments
Great post, very informative! My family of four is traveling to Cartagena in July. Thanks for all the tips on places to eat and things to do. Can you please share the info for the Airbnb you stayed at? It’s sounds lovely and I know my teens would love the pool!
Thanks so much for reading! We stayed at the Edificio Mirabella. There were a few airbnb listings for that particular building, and they should mention the name in the listing title. Have a great trip!
Great post, girls! I am from Brazil and I will travel with my girlfriend to Colombia in September. There is no much lesbian information in Latin America destinations, so thank you for this!
Thank you! We have found that some places in South America have very progressive LGBTQ+ laws and we are very excited to explore more of the continent! Enjoy your time in Colombia!!