Colombia

Lady’s Itinerary for 4 Days in Cartagena

Toady I want to share my itinerary for 4 days in Cartagena with you. This port city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia is worth a visit for its 16th-century old town, vibrant cobblestone streets and squares, colorful heritage buildings, and beautiful islands.

4 Days in Cartagena

4 Days in Cartagena

After 24 hours in Miami, my boyfriend and I traveled to Cartagena last Sunday to enjoy some equatorial sun. One of Colombia’s most exciting coastal cities, Cartagena had long been on my list of places to visit.

Yellow building and a fruit vendor in Cartagena old town

Hotel in Cartagena

We arrived at our hotel, Casa El Carretero, at midnight. The three-room boutique hotel in Cartagena’s Getsemani district felt just like a private house.

Luis, the staff member on duty when we arrived, took us on a tour of Casa El Carretero, including the amazing roof deck and pool.

Afterwards he informed us that we were the only guests for the week, so in a sense it really was a private casa just for us.

Interior of Casa El Carretero in Cartagena

Cartagena Old Town

We kicked off our 4 days in Cartagena by spending the first couple days exploring Cartagena’s old town.

We woke up early, and Alicia, the hotel staff member on duty in the morning, cooked us traditional breakfasts, complete with delicious meat-and-cheese filled arepas and a cornucopia of fresh tropical fruit.

The meals were great sustenance as we set out to explore the historic walled city of Cartagena.

Candles in Casa El Carretero hotel in Cartagena

We spent our mornings walking through the narrow streets of Cartagena with their brightly-colored buildings.

We climbed the wall for views of the sea on one side and the city on the other, and visited the Museum of Modern Art, the Gold Museum, and the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas castle.

Colorful town square with sculptures in Cartagena, Colombia

By the afternoon the equatorial heat had sapped our energy, so we spent time in the pool on the roof terrace of our hotel.

We read the books and magazines that had been piling up for months on our to-read lists. It was great to have some time to do nothing but relax.

Roof deck of Casa El Carretero hotel in Cartagena

The evenings were filled with leisurely dinners at La Vitrola and La Cocina de Socorro, followed by drinks at Cafe del Mar, a bar on top of the city wall with great views over the Caribbean Sea.

Horse and carriage ride in Cartagena, Colombia

Islas del Rosario

Speaking of the sea, on the third of our 4 days in Cartagena we headed out to the Islas del Rosario, a chain of islands off the coast. After an hour’s boat ride, we arrived at the islands, which are a protected national park.

I was expecting pristine islets with no trace of human habitation, but was met with a hyper-developed archipelago brimming with resorts and fishermen. Sigh.

Lounge chairs on the beach on an island in the Islas del Rosario in Colombia

At least the snorkeling was good. We saw all kinds of tropical fish, squid and huge crabs. There were schools of bright yellow fish, blackish purple fish, and tiny iridescent fish.

There were over 200 different kinds of coral, some of which were sadly dead, but others that were bright orange and soothing mauve.

We swam with the fishes in the Islas del Rosario for a while, enjoying our snorkeling trip and soaking up the Caribbean undersea atmosphere.

Fish under water while snorkeling in the Islas del Rosario in Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena Restaurants

That evening we returned to Cartagena and discovered Casa de las Palmas, a little restaurant right by our hotel. It was filled with locals and decorated like an old Havana paladar. We loved it.

The food was the best we had in Cartagena, and we were sad we didn’t have any more nights to return to try other dishes.

Colorful buildings on a street in Cartagena old town

4 Days in Cartagena, Colombia

The next morning we were up early and off to the airport for the final leg of our journey and the wedding that prompted our entire trip to Colombia in the first place: Bogota.

Leaving behind the hot weather, the beautiful sea, and the colorful streets of the city, we packed our bags and departed our casa with the hope of someday returning for another 4 days in Cartagena.

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4 Days in Cartagena