If I have learned one thing it is that every city offers its own brand of magic. Sometimes you have to search a little for it, down the path of a park or tucked away in a bookshop. But in the case of Cartagena, it is rising from every cobblestone, floating on the air with the scent of bougainvillea, and singing from the lips of the Palenquera.

We were lucky enough to spend a week exploring Cartagena, and not just inside the walls of the Old City. I’m so happy to share a peek into our time there, If you’re planning a trip of your own (or just fantasizing for now), check out my post on the best AirBnBs in the city. I also want to say up front how safe we felt the entire time. When I shared with some people in the States that we were planning a trip to Colombia, not all reactions were positive. I would caution anyone not to miss out on what Caratagena has to offer because of outdated stereotypes.

Day 1: Island Beach Trip

There is no better antidote to the mid-winter doldrums than feeling the sun on your skin in sparkling blue waters, and then retreating to the shade of your own personal cabana with a cocktail. Guaranteed to sweep away any thoughts of grey skies and cold temperatures at home. There are a lot of options for beach day trips on the islands dotting Cartagena’s coast. After scouring reviews, I finally landed on Blue Apple Beach House for our first day trip and I highly recommend. You can find all the details including costs and how to book in my previous post, Beach Day Trip from Cartagena: Isla de Tierra Bomba. We spent the day reading in between lunch and dips in the two pools. Weekends are said to be more of a party atmosphere, we went on a Monday and it was very relaxed.

If you have time in your itinerary for two or more days outside Cartagena, consider visiting Parque Tayrona. This national park offers an incredibly beautiful crescent-shaped white sand beach popular with backbackers. The park is about four hours away from Cartagena, check out Along Dusty Road’s comprehensive guide for everything you need to know.

Days 2 and 3: The Old City

Also known as Centro Historico or the Walled City, this area was the center of colonial life in Cartagena. Now it is the center for the booming tourism industry, the streets are a mix of centuries-old architecture and high-end hotels. At the heart is the striking Cathedral Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the belfry tower of which can be seen from almost anywhere in the old city.

Grab Coffee at Epoca

In Colombia, coffee is elevated to an art form. Cartagena is a low-lying coastal city so there are no coffee beans grown there, you would need to visit one of the country’s 22 coffee growing regions to see the agricultural side. But the city has many options to enjoy the finished product and learn about roasting, brewing, and tasting. We started our day in the Old City at Epoca Espresso Bar, where they offer five specialty brewing methods using coffee grown in the Risaralda region. We tried the Fretta, a cold brewing method, and on another day I got a latte. They also have excellent breakfast and lunch.

Lounge at a rooftop pool

There are many fantastic rooftops in Cartagena but our favorite was at Movich Hotel, which has a gorgeous pool and terrace with 360 degree views of the city. The best part is you don’t need to be a guest to enjoy the rooftop. As long as there isn’t a private event, you can relax on the terrace for free, just go through the hotel lobby and take the elevator up to the sixth floor. There is a full bar where you can purchase drinks and snacks, and shady cabanas to lounge in. However it gets pretty hot and to get in the pool you must have a day pass. Day passes can be purchased at the front desk for around $65 USD per person, half of which goes toward food and drink. In our experience the drinks are just ok, but the views are stellar.

Splurge on a Spa Treatment

This was our ‘treat yo self’ moment. Casa San Agustin is absolutely beautiful, the 30-room boutique hotel was created by thoughtfully renovating three historic homes and has become well-known through luxury travel magazines. One night there can cost you $400+, so instead of staying there we opted for a treatment at their Aurum Spa. We did the one-hour Relaxing Herbal Massage in a couples cabin. The massage was incredible and afterwards we were led to a private lounge to cuddle and sip herbal tea in our super-soft robes. A 60-minute treatment is 320,000 Colombian Pesos (COP), or about $85 per person and non-hotel guests need to pay a 50% deposit. I requested the brochure of available treatments and costs ahead of time but found the easiest thing was to go and make our appointment in-person a couple days before. Unfortunately only hotel guests can use the pool but spa services do include access to the bar and restaurant, which are both highly rated.

Watch the sunset

We saw some truly incredible sunsets during our trip and there are several good vantage points, the most popular being the city wall. If you arrive early enough, you can claim a spot on the wall or grab a table at Cafe del Mar. Personally, we found the wall a little crowded and noisy. There were a ton of people vying for a good spot and guys selling water and beer from coolers. Though I did enjoy that people would count down to the moment the sun sank below the horizon and all cheer 🙂 Instead I would recommend walking out through the wall via Calle 31 (near Plaza de Santa Teresa), and crossing Av. Santander to a small beach with a rocky outcropping. There were only a handful of people there and it was much more peaceful.

If you have your own car, take an afternoon to visit Salinas de Galerazamba (the Pink Sea) and Volcun Totumo (an active mud volcano), about an hour’s drive outside of Cartagena

Grab a cocktail

Day 4: Getsemani

Getsemani is the less glossy but no less traveler-friendly next door neighbor to Centro Historico. Instead of seeing mostly tourists and expats, this neighborhood offers probably a 60-40 mix of locals and visitors. You can expect fantastic food, a wealth of colorful street art, and Champeta music into the wee hours. This is where we stayed, which offered easy access to everywhere we wanted to go and a little more local flavor.

Breakfast at Cafe Stepping Stone

Cafe Stepping Stone was down the street from our AirBnB and offered great coffee and brunch in a bright, friendly atmosphere. The Aussie-owned cafe was a social enterprise that employed local teens and young adults through a year-long traineeship focused on job skills and personal development. Sadly, like too many places in Cartagena, the restaurant has had to close due to COVID’s impact on tourism. To continue the mission, they have started a new microfinance initiative, Stepping Stone P’alante.

After breakfast, we would stop at the fruit cart near our apartment and get some provisions for the day. Be mindful to have small bills if you’re planning to shop from street vendors. My total dearth of Spanish skills and the fruit vendor’s lack of change made for some clumsy exchanges where I probably purchased very expensive bananas, but better to overpay than underpay I suppose.

On the same street was a great arepa spot, perfect for breakfast on the go and an absolute requirement if you visit Colombia. Unlike Venezuelan arepas which can be stuffed with all sorts of fillings, Colombian arepas are typically served open faced with simpler ingredients. I like mine with eggs and cheese.

Walk through Parque Centenario

In between Getsemani and the Old City is Parque Centenario, a small public park. As a public space, it’s not that nice, but is remarkable for the row of book sellers out every day. Books are available in Spanish and English and run the gamut of content. You can count on seeing the collected works of Gabriel García Márquez, a prolific novelist and Colombia’s literary star. Márquez won the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature and his most well-known novels are probably Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

The park’s gates get locked at night and the stalls are shuttered so plan to peruse during the day.

Dinner at Celele

As the sun sets, make your way back through Getsemani for dinner at Celele. This relatively new restaurant (started in late 2018) is a celebration of local food culture and biodiversity, everything you eat is local to the Colombian Caribbean region. The space is beautiful, every dish and cocktail is artful and the staff explain each ingredient. We stumbled upon Celele and were lucky enough to just be two people there right as they opened but normally you’d need reservations and we saw a quite a few walk-ups get turned away. The perfect spot for a nicer dinner.

If you’re wanting something more casual, and closer to the action of Plaza de la Santísima Trinidad, try Demente Tapas. Known for pizza and small plates, they have a great red pepper-infused olive oil that I recreated as soon as we got home.

People Watch at Plaza de la Santísima Trinidad

This triangular plaza is the heart of Getsemani neighborhood. Every night it is filled with people and music. Grab a cocktail from one of the vendors and pick a spot to take it all in.

Day 5: Bazurto Market

On our last full day we got away to see the “real Cartagena”, led by an amazing guide named Danny, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We booked through AirBnB experiences, which I’ve had great success with in the past and will definitely do again. There are two main options for a tour of Bazurto market, Danny and another group that has been around for a bit longer so has more reviews. We had actually originally booked with the other guide but they had to cancel last minute due to travel delays. And honestly, I’m so glad they did.

To meet up with Danny, we walked about 20 minutes inland from where we were staying in Getsemani to Mall Plaza El Castillo. We met up with him and a solo traveler who was joining the tour, so it was a lovely intimate group. Together, we took about a 20 minute bus ride into Cartagena, which stretches well beyond the areas frequented by tourists. On the way, Danny shared his experience growing up in Cartagena and the Bazurto area, some of the economic challenges Colombians, especially Afro-Colombians, have faced even as the economy and tourism has grown. His passion for the community and culture is contagious and he treated us like friends. He shared that the market has had to combat negative reviews on sites like TripAdvisor from tourists who tried to visit on their own and had a bad experience. This is one of the reasons he serves as a guide, to show visitors that it’s a beautiful place and also to show the local government that it’s worth preserving among threats to push the market even further out in the city.

We met many different vendors, each of them greeting Danny and us warmly and sharing their wares. The cost of the tour was $48 per person, which was well worth it with value added at every turn. We each got fruit juice, CDs of Champeta music, a full meal of signature dishes from a restaurant once visited by Anthony Bourdain, a custom poster painted by the famous artist Runner, and transportation there and back. Danny aims for transparency so you know exactly how your dollars are going back to the community and local entrepreneurs and artists.

If you want to follow along with Danny and what’s happening in Cartagena, including reopening plans, check out @beyondthewallctg on Instagram.

I know things are uncertain right now, and I’m not sure when Americans will be traveling freely and safely again but I know this trip wasn’t our last to Colombia.