Index:
- Best places to eat in Cartagena
- Best food to try in Cartagena
- Best things to visit in Cartagena
- Best places to stay in Cartagena
Cartagena is a city located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. It is one of the oldest and wealthiest settlements of the Spaniards during the colonial era. The city is home to superbly preserved colonial buildings that are filled with history.
One of the most enjoyable activities in Cartagena is wandering through the city center, getting lost, and discovering plazas, city walls, churches, old convents, and “casonas” — large colonial houses usually with a big central courtyard.
Apart from the architecture of the historic center, Cartagena offers some of the best cuisine of the Caribbean and Colombia.
As one of the most touristy places in Colombia, Cartagena can be challenging to navigate due to the constant presence of street hawkers attempting to sell you something. It’s better to approach them with a kind and patient mindset, recognizing the needs of a city with a large population facing economic difficulties, and the challenges posed by mass tourism.
Best places to eat in Cartagena
⭐️ La Esquina del Pandebono / $ / Google Maps
This bustling shop sells local pastries like crazy. In addition to classics like delicious pandebonos, they serve inventive pastries such as pastel de ajiaco (stewed chicken with potato), pastel de posta cartagenera (stewed beef with panela), and panzerotti de berenjena (eggplant). Fresh juices are also great, including local corozo juice and prepared nispero juice.
⭐️ Ábaco / $$ / Google Maps
This cozy bookstore/café features exposed brick arches and walls filled with books up to the ceiling. With only about four or five tables side by side and a couple of chairs at the coffee bar, it’s not unusual to strike up a conversation with the next table once in a while. With air conditioning, good coffee and their own jazz radio station playing in the background, this café is perfect to relax and take a break from the heat outside.
⭐️ Coctelería y Cevichería La Nacional / $ / Google Maps
This traditional local stand serves various types of seafood in a “cocktail”, a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, and red onion, with salt crackers on the side. The most common option is the shrimp cocktail, but you can also order octopus, snail, crab, or oysters. Located in a row of stands below an always fresh shade of trees. This particular stand is clean, organized, and has good service. The owner puts care to ensure the freshness and preparation of the cocktails.
⭐️ Di Silvio Trattoria / $$ / Google Maps
Close to Iglesia Trinidad in Getsemani, Di Silvio Trattoria offers delicious thin-crust pizzas and Italian dishes made with quality ingredients, at good prices. The restaurant is located on a charming semi-restored colonial house, with exposed bricks and an open sitting area at the back.
Refresquería El Che / $ / Google Maps
El Che is a unique place, a sort of endangered species in the Historic Center. While most restaurants and bars in the area cater to tourists, this “refresquería” (refreshment shop) remains a sanctuary for everyday locals to enjoy a drink, socialize, and hear some great Son Cubano music.
Step inside, and you’ll find the template for a great local corner bar. Old folks having a drink, talking about any topic. Fridges full of drinks, plastic tables and chairs, memorabilia on the walls, and some purchasable essentials such as oil and toiletries.
The owner, Agustín de Jesús Orozco Arbeláez, was a local celebrity due to his resemblance to Che Guevara. He was known as “El Che de San Diego”. He passed away in 2017.
Los Fritos de Dora / $ / Google Maps
This street stand in the beautiful San Diego plaza starts whipping out delicious deep-fried local treats at 4:30 pm every day. With reliable and straightforward service, they are constantly frying arepas de huevo and carimañolas on the spot, with or without meat. Try the kibbeh as well with the available sauces: Suero (Caribbean sour cream), aji (spicy), or tartar sauce.
Espíritu Santo / $ / Google Maps
Hotspot for locals to get typical dishes from Cartagena at affordable prices and quick, no-frills service. One of the few restaurants in the historic center that caters to locals. Despite its large seating area, sometimes there’s a (usually quick) waiting period to get seated.
Crepes & Waffles / $$ / Google Maps
Popular chain of casual restaurants with multiple locations in Cartagena. What’s fabulous about this specific location (San Pedro) is the ample rooftop with stunning views of the San Pedro Claver Church, especially at sunset. The restaurant is also recognized for its desserts and ice creams.
Bolis / $ / Google Maps
Neighborhood store selling “bolis”: Ice popsicles with different fruit flavors like corozo, maracuya (passion fruit), and mango. More of a house than a store, the entrance hallway serves as a small seating area, with frames on the wall displaying various memorabilia from Cartagena.
Best food to try in Cartagena
⭐️ Arepa de Huevo
Deep-fried corn flatbread with an egg inside. Arepas de huevo are a popular street food in Cartagena. They are best enjoyed when freshly made, as they are incredibly crispy and hot. Typically, they are served with salt and suero costeño, a local version of sour cream. Where to eat: Los Fritos de Dora
⭐️ Coctel de Camarones
Cooked shrimp in a zesty mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, and red onion, served with salt crackers on the side. You can easily locate the stands where they are sold by the different sizes of cups displayed, each with its price labeled on it. Where to eat: Coctelería y Cevichería La Nacional
Kibbe
Deep-fried ground meatballs, known as kibbe, kibbeh or quibbe, are made with ground wheat (bulgur), onion, and spices. This dish originated from Syria and Lebanon and has become a staple in Colombian cuisine, particularly on the Caribbean coast, due to the migration of Syrians and Lebanese in the 1800s.
Carimañola
Fried yuca (cassava) dough stuffed with salty cheese (queso costeño) or meat. Where to eat: Los Fritos de Dora
Best things to visit in Cartagena
⭐️ Plaza de La Trinidad / Free / Google Maps
In the evenings, Plaza de la Trinidad transforms into a vibrant melting pot of locals, tourists, street food, and street performers. While the entire neighborhood of Getsemani comes alive at night, this plaza serves as the central meeting point to enjoy the evening and have a drink.
Baluarte de Santa Catalina / Free / Google Maps
One of the most beautiful plans in Cartagena is walking along the walls of the historic center at sunset. A highlight of this walk is the Baluarte (bastion) of Santa Catalina. What makes this location special is that in the evenings, locals gather outside the city walls, below the bastion, to fly their kites, resulting in a beautiful scene combined with the sunset.
While most of the city center walls can be walked on, we recommend the section between Plaza Santa Teresa and Baluarte de Santa Catalina.
Calle de los Cuadros / Free / Google Maps
This picturesque street is full of colorful paintings hanging from the exposed brick walls, transforming it into a sort of open-air art gallery. Artists can often be seen here creating these paintings, mostly depicting Caribbean culture, nature, and popular culture icons.
⭐️ Corporación España / Free / Google Maps
This cultural center, sponsored by the Spanish government, offers a variety of art exhibitions, a library, and free movie screenings in the beautiful open courtyard every Wednesday at noon. To find out about upcoming activities, check their Instagram at @cfcecartagena.
Bartolomé Calvo / Free / Google Maps
Beautiful open space public library with high ceilings. With air conditioning, abundant power outlets, and good Wi-Fi, this library is ideal for studying, working, or taking a break from walking the city center.
Best places to stay in Cartagena
Hostal Casa Torres / $ / Booking.com
Conveniently located in the heart of the historic center, this hostel offers both private and shared dorm rooms at excellent prices. All rooms have air conditioning, include breakfast, and are (mostly) quiet at night. A new rooftop area is being built to improve the social spaces of the hostal.
Selina / $$ / Booking.com
Located in Getsemani, this well-known hostel chain offers more than just co-working spaces and a great rooftop with a pool and ocean views. It also features a cinema room, a small library, and various social events. These events include free champeta classes (a dance style originated in Cartagena), free walking tours in Getsemani and the historic center, and DJ sets.
