TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums Afloat cartangena, Columbia

one of our cruise stops this April is in Cartagena, Columbia. Have any of you had experience with this stop and if so, what are your suggestions or thoughts about what we should do there?
Thanks

I don't know about cruises, but many of my cruising sailing friends have stopped there and loved it.

We had a port of call there in March 2016. We did a private excursion with Dora the Explorer with two other couples from the ship. She was a great guide and we highly recommend her. Just google "Dora the Explorer Cartagena" and she will pop up - lots on Trip Advisor about her as well. We really enjoyed Cartagena - actually just saying the name is fun. Although you can DIY - if it is your first visit, I really recommend getting a tour - some of best sites are pretty spread out.

thanks for your reply. Can you recommend a few of the special sites we shouldn't miss while we're there? thanks

We were on an 11 day Celebrity Cruise last November that included a stop in Cartagena, which turned out to be the highlight of the trip. The tour we took was listed as highly recommended by Celebrity and after I (skeptically) talked to their on-board tour rep, I was satisfied that they really meant it. The tour we chose included an air conditioned bus trip to an old monastery that has an amazing view of the city and port. Then on to a downtown historic fort, then historic shopping area (w/free WI-FI) then a walking tour of downtown Cartagena that included a couple of museums and native dance show (with refreshments) and a maritime museum. The downtown area alone is worth the price of the guided tour. It is just beautiful and one couple said it reminded them of Old Havana. Tour guide was great knew his stuff. The walking part was easy, my wife was 10 weeks past knee replacement and had no problems. Finally, the traffic was just plain entertaining to observe. Stop signs and red lights seem to be regarded as a suggestion, making for lots of arm-waving and yelling. You will pass thru several neighborhoods and up a mountain to the monastery. Total time was about 4 hours and we were back to the ship about 12:30-1pm. Have a great trip!

The Princess cruise I was on had a stop in Cartagena. I didn't particularly enjoy the excursion I chose. The first stop was a fortress at the top of a hill; quite a steep walk. The skyline from the top of the hill was stunning. Then back on the bus into town, where the rest of the tour was walking. We stopped at several churches, which got old pretty fast. The last stop was the maritime museum which featured a native dance show, which was nice. It was a very hot day, which made all the walking somewhat unpleasant. but Cartagena is a very colorful city.