Best Areas to Stay in Cartagena, Colombia

The neighborhood of Bocagrande is located south of the historic center of Cartagena.

This area is considered one of the best upper and upper-middle-class areas in Cartagena. It also has the added attraction of being close to the main urban beaches in the city and being the starting point for many boat tours to nearby islands and beaches.

Bocagrande is crossed by Santander Avenue or Carrera 1 and has wide sidewalks, parks, recreational places, beaches, and hotels.

This neighborhood is the most modern area of Cartagena, full of residential skyscrapers, shopping centers and offices. The Estelar Hotel, is the tallest hotel in Colombia.

It also has two shopping centers, Nao Shopping Center, and Bocagrande Plaza; The latter being one of the most exclusive shopping centers in Colombia.

This area also concentrates an infinite number of leisure and food options. Some of the best pubs and clubs in the city can be found here.

Most of Cartagena’s international hotels are in this area.

Bocagrande is also one of the safest areas to stay in Cartagena.

The Old Town of Cartagena is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

It consists of a grid of cobblestone streets, balconies covered with bougainvillea and huge churches that project their shadows on the leafy squares.

The Historic Center of Cartagena is a place to wander.

Full of history, the Old City is extremely photogenic, its colorful buildings are an assault on the senses. This is where most of Cartagena’s tourism activity is concentrated.

The many squares of the Old City are the best way to locate yourself between its network of cobbled streets, as well as acting as a refuge from the inclement heat of Cartagena.

The Walled City is the best area to stay in Cartagena for history and colonial architecture lovers.

However, this area can be somewhat unsafe at night.

Getsemaní is part of the center of Cartagena, although it is located outside its walls, about 10 minutes walk south of the Historic Center.

Getsemaní is where most of the backpackers who visit Cartagena choose to stay. It is an area full of good bars and restaurants.

The streets of Getsemaní are an explosion of color, their narrow streets are full of elaborate graffiti and street vendors have the most colorful fruits.

This neighborhood, which was once a sleazy area of town, is now a cool and emerging area and an alternative to the expensive Historic Center.

Here, luxury boutique hotels coexist door to door with backpacker hostels and gourmet dining establishments with greasy spoons.

Getsemaní is one of the best areas to stay in Cartagena for backpackers or those who seek to be close to the walled city without paying a fortune.

El Laguito is located south of the historic center of Cartagena, at the end of the peninsula where Bocagrande is also located.

El Laguito starts from the famous Caribe Hotel and ends in a land stretch entering Castillogrande Bay. It houses the Santa Cruz Fortress, now in ruins.

El Laguito is a very popular tourist area of Cartagena, thanks to its modern infrastructure and its shiny skyscrapers around a lake.

In El Laguito there are several restaurants, as well as quieter beaches than those in Bocagrande, with fewer crowds and street vendors, and much calmer waters.

El Laguito is a less hectic alternative to Bocagrande and a recommended area to stay in Cartagena.

Being an upper-class area, El Laguito and its neighbor Castillogrande are also two of the safest neighborhoods to stay in Cartagena.

La Boquilla is an old fishing village located 20 minutes from downtown Cartagena.

It is a less touristy area than Bocagrande, with a beach area where hotels and apartments are concentrated and a more popular area inland.

The beaches in La Boquilla are also less busy than those in the south of the city, in part because they are far from the tourist area. The good side of this is that you will not find as many insufferable street vendors, but the bad side is that there are not many services such as restaurants or sunbeds for rent.

A taxi between La Boquilla and the city center can cost between 8,000 and 10,000 Colombian pesos (about US$3).

Although La Boquilla is an emerging neighborhood that is rapidly gentrifying, it can be a bit rough and definitely not the safest area to stay in Cartagena.