Cartagena, Colombia, what a magical place! I highly recommend traveling to this charming town. Cartagena offers something for every type of traveler. Below are some helpful things to know before you travel to Cartagena, especially during COVID. Head over to this blog post to read about everything we did while in Cartagena.
Getting There & COVID Restrictions
Flying into Cartagena, Colombia, is relatively easy, even amidst COVID. Of course, you need to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result to enter the country (a rapid test won’t be accepted) and the test must be taken within 96 hours before departure. Additionally, you need to complete a pre-registration form before arrival in Colombia and before leaving the country. You must print this form and show it to immigration alongside your COVID results. The form must be filled between 48 hours and 1 hour before arrival/departure.
The U.S. requires proof of a negative COVID test to enter the country. The U.S. will accept both a PCR test or antigens rapid test, however, our cab driver informed us that some Americans tried to leave Colombia with a rapid test result, but Colombian immigration wouldn’t let them leave without a PCR test. I don’t know the validity of this, but we decided not to chance it and scheduled a PCR test instead.
Our hotel (many hotels in Cartagena will also do this) scheduled the COVID test for us. We scheduled our COVID test 3 days before our departure. A nurse arrived at our hotel room to perform the nose swab. We had our results within 12 hours, which is typical for all PCR tests in Colombia. The antigens rapid test cost $120.000 COP per person and the PCR test $300.000 COP per person. This is roughly $33 USD for the rapid and $83 USD for the PCR.
Lastly, the Cartagena airport is a disaster. They make you line up outside in the heat before even allowing you to enter the airport to check in for your flight. We stood in the line for nearly an hour entering the airport. They have a cut-off time before each flight where they no longer allow you to enter the airport to check in. We arrived after this cut-off which caused us to miss our flight home. Arrive 3 hours early to avoid this headache.
COVID Curfew
There was a curfew while we were there which was unfortunate. The curfew was from 8 PM to 5 AM on weekdays. It was fine until we were forced to make 6 PM dinner reservations so we could return in time for the 8 PM curfew. As of today, the curfew has been extended to 10 PM daily, which is much more reasonable. I would monitor curfews before booking a trip, but know it is always subject to change for the better or worse.
Transportation
If you stay at a hotel or Airbnb within the walled city you will be in a great centralized location. You can walk to many popular restaurants, souvenir shops, the wall and Cafe Del Mar, and every other place you could think of. Many hotels have trusted cab drivers they call for you if needed; I highly recommend using their cabs. I had left my phone inside the trunk of a cab driver. I told the hotel and they immediately called him to locate the phone. He returned it to me in less than an hour. You won’t find this kind of integrity everywhere.
We also had a personal cab driver I communicated with through WhatsApp. His name is Eddie and he is great! He picked us up from the airport and was at our service whenever we called on him. Highly recommend using him for at least your transportation from the airport, he’ll wait for you outside of the airport with a sign. You can contact him via WhatsApp at +57 318 4699698.
Money
You get a great USD to COP conversion. $500 USD will make you a millionaire in Colombia LOL. $1 USD = $3600.000 COP. Things are pretty cheap in Cartagena. The cab to/from the airport was $20.000 COP (literally 50 cents). Cabs around the town were between $6 to $10.000 COP (less than a dollar). Our lunch and dinners at fancy restaurants around the town were roughly between $150.000 – $250.000 COP ($40-$60 USD for two people). This was us being bougie because we ordered bottles of champagne at nearly every dinner. You can easily stick to a less than $20 USD budget per meal.
Tipping in Cartagena
Nearly a third of our money went towards tips. Be prepared to tip everyone and their momma! Honestly, it gets pretty annoying and ridiculous, so be prepared to ignore people or be stern with your no. Folks will walk up to you rapping and expect a tip. If someone takes a picture of you, you must tip. Pictures with the Palenqueras require a tip (this is fair). If someone offers to rinse your feet before getting on your boat at the beach, you must tip. It gets crazy!
There are vendors everywhere. I totally understand this is how they make a living, and I respect their grind, but it really does get annoying when you’re being approached every 5 seconds. They spot tourists from a mile away. We quickly learned that if you just ignore them they leave you alone, rather than politely saying no because they’ll keep pushing something on you. Just be patient and respectful, they mean no harm, no need to be nasty.
Old Cartagena vs. New Cartagena
La cuidad murallada aka Old Cartagena is the walled city. This is where you’ll see the colonial buildings and likely spend most of your time. Bocagrande aka New Cartagena looks like a little Miami. There’s new construction everywhere and high-rise buildings/hotels. It’s about a 10-minute drive away from the walled city. I don’t recommend staying in new Cartagena, I feel that it defeats the purpose of visiting Cartagena because you don’t experience the charm of old Cartagena unless you go out of your way to drive there. Of course, this is to your discretion and travel style. If you prefer newer buildings and a Miami kind of vibe, then the new Cartagena is for you. It’s all about preference. I definitely plan on staying in old Cartagena each time I return.
Best Time to Visit Cartagena, Colombia
One thing is for sure, stay away from Cartagena between May through August. The summer heat and sun are intolerable! Seriously, the sun was dangerous. I burned as I’ve never burned before, the sun was brutal. I thought we’d be okay traveling in early May because it wasn’t yet summer. Boy was I wrong. It was so hot that we ended up spending much more time at the hotel inside the pool than we anticipated. I just couldn’t be bothered to walk around sightseeing. I was legit melting. If you end up going during the summer, make sure to apply and re-apply sunscreen hourly, and use an umbrella!
Read what we did while in Cartagena, Colombia in this blog post.
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