CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA
THE BEST THINGS TO EAT, SEE, AND DO
Cartagena is the perfect place for a Bachelorette weekend or a girls weekend (or boys weekend)! There’s something for everyone – it’s warm, there’s excellent, fresh food, the drinks are strong, you can take cultural or historic tours, and there’s a ton of places for dancing and partying. The best part – if you’re coming from the US, it’s extremely affordable. Use the guide below to get some ideas for your sunny weekend in Cartagena. This itinerary can also be combined with the Medellin itinerary for a slightly longer trip. The two cities are very different, in vibe and weather, but we absolutely loved them both!
Best Time to Visit CARTAGENA
Cartagena is great to visit in any season! Summer does get pretty toasty, but if you’re planning to spend your time by the water, it’s still a great time to visit.
How Much Time Do You Need in CARTAGENA
A long weekend is absolutely perfect.
THE BEST AIRBNB IN CARTAGENA
We loved this AirBnB. It was everything you could want in an AirBnB. The pool was amazing. The service was top notch. It was clean and spacious and it was extremely close to the downtown shopping area. The best part about the AirBnB was the service.
A woman came and cooked us breakfast every morning (we paid about $6 each for groceries) and it was a FULL breakfast – eggs, pancakes, fruit, empanada, bunuelos, pandebono. Coffee and fresh juice as well! It was all incredible. She also cleaned the property and did laundry for us at no extra fee.
We had a security guard at night who monitored the property and offered to walk us to and pick us up from restaurants and bars as well. He walked us to dinner and we texted him as we were wrapping up at the bars so he could meet us outside and walk us home. While we did feel totally safe, it was nice knowing we had a local there as well. He also generously picked us up empanadas when we had the drunk munchies.
We did leave a generous tip for each of them at the end of our stay, so if you plan on having them at the property, make sure to factor this into your budget planning.
day 1 – Take a walking tour and dance the night away
Arrive in Cartagena, check in to your AirBnB and chill by the pool
Lunch at Restaurante Cande
Take a Free Walking Tour of Cartagena or take a self-guided tour and see the best sites:
Sites to Visit
– Walk the Old City Walls
– Walk around Old Town
– Plaza de la Aduana
– Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver
– Las Bovedas
– Iglesia de la Trinidad
– Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
Dinner at Carmen
This was the perfect meal to start off a glutinous trip of eating. It was my personal favorite, but our group was evenly split on favorites (between here, La Cevicheria, and Mar y Zielo – more details below). The restaurant is also stunning. When we visited, we stayed outside and enjoyed the live music. Here’s what you should get:
– Empanadas – crab, shrimp & lobster, soursop relish, Colombian vanilla bean aioli. All of the seafood is mixed together and they’re fried to perfection.
– Spicy Crab – Crab, crispy nori, rice, fried pork belly in a spicy aioli! Oh my!!
– Ceviche – lemony ceviche in a coconut milk sauce with plantain chips. chef’s kiss
– For mains, we all split the chicharrón (pork belly), la posta (brisket), and the pez palma (fresh fish with coconut rice). They were all delicious.
– If you’re thirsty, El Diablo is a sweet margarita-esque drink. Have one or two. . . or more!
– We had dessert, and I remember loving it, but I’d also had one or two or . . . more margaritas by that point, so I don’t quite remember what it was, but I recommend getting something!
Dance and Drink the Night Away: Alquimico
Alquimico was one of the top 50 bars in the world in 2023! And for good reason. This bar is a ton of fun and the drinks are great as well. There are a few floors and a roof. There is dancing on all floors. We liked the rooftop the best! Nothing like a breeze while you dance and drink the night away!
day 2 – BOAT DAY
Breakfast at home
Take a boat to the nearby Rosario Islands – we were a group of 12, and we opted to rent a private catamaran, but you can also join a tour, or rent a smaller motorboat. Boat sizes and prices vary significantly, but to give you an idea of pricing: for our group, the price came out to about $100/person for a full day on a 45 ft catamaran, excluding tip, food, and drinks. This was our favorite day of the trip! Our Airbnb host sent over a huge brochure with a ton of different boats that were available for rent. We told him which one we wanted to rent and he was able to organize the rental. I paid a deposit in advance, and the remainder when we boarded the boat. They can also organize transportation to and from your Airbnb to the dock, but it’s easy enough to get Ubers.
– Bring your own alcohol and snacks
– You can hook up your music via smart phone to the boat
– You’ll stop at a couple beautiful swim spots
– You’ll eat lunch on the sand – fresh fish or chicken dishes. Bring cash here to pay!
Dinner at home
Play games
If you’re on a bachelorette party, now is the perfect time to play some games. You’ll probably be tired from being in the sun and drinking all day anyway. We brought things to have a mini spa night and play games.
DAY 3 – SHOPPING, MUD VOLCANO, AND ONE LAST NIGHT OUT
Breakfast at home
Day Trip to Mud Baths (Volcan El Totumo)
This day trip is not for everyone. Some of our group loved it, while I think some people in our group would have opted-out if they knew what they were in for. If you’re curious about the mud bath, here’s some info that I wish I’d known ahead of time. This is just our experience and I’m sharing in the hopes that it helps you make the best decision for you and your group. Personally, I enjoyed it and viewed it as a fun, once in a lifetime type experience, but half of our group did not feel the same way.
Pink Sea Stop (if sea is pink)
The pink sea is on the way home, but it’s only pink at certain times throughout the year – it depends on the season and the amount of rainfall. Check with your tour provider to see if it will be pink during your visit.
La Cevicheria for lunch
This was a steller spot for lunch. Here’s what you should get:
– Garlic Shrimp – Fresh shrimp sauteed in garlic butter and white wine
– Coconut Fish of the Day Ceviche – this was the best, freshest, most flavorful ceviche I’ve had in my life.
– Fresh Fish Catch of the Day
Choose your own adventure:
– Relax by the pool at AirBnB
– Go shopping in Old Town
– Walk around Getsamani
– Schedule a massage – if you book the AirBnB we recommended earlier in this post, they’ll be able to organize someone to come to the house and give massages.
Dinner at Mar y Zielo
Our group was split on our favorite meal of the trip, but this (as well as Carmen) was the other dinner restaurant that we loved. Here’s what you should get:
– Eggplant appetizer
– Raw fish catch of the day with strawberries and cream
– Crab Croquettes – because you need at least one fried dish at every meal
– Burrata – who doesn’t love rich, creamy burrata. If burrata is on a menu, there’s a 100% I’ll order it, and this one ranks up there as one of the best.
– For main dishes, all of us ordered either the fish of the day or the chicken – and we were all so so so happy with our meals.
– If you’re thirsty, I had my favorite drink of the trip here, the Kick. It’s made with Gin, watermelon extract, lime, and mint and served with a fresh slice of watermelon. I’m not a big gin drinker, but I would get this drink again in a heartbeat.
NOT DONE TRAVELING?
Check out our guides of nearby areas:
Medellin
Volcano Mud Bath