Solo travel · Cartagena · Colombia
Solo travel in Cartagena
How to enjoy Cartagena at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Petruss, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Cartagena is popular with solo travellers, especially in Getsemaní, which has many hostels, group tours and sociable evening squares. Stay alert to scams and keep nights in well-lit, busy areas. Many solo travellers base themselves in Getsemaní.
Key facts
- Base
- Getsemaní
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 123 (national emergency number)
- Language
- Spanish
Solo travel tips
- Stay in Getsemaní for hostels, walking tours and easy evening company.
- Join a free walking tour of the old town to get oriented on your first day.
- Book island trips through your hostel or a reputable operator rather than touts on the street.
- Use ride-hailing apps or taxis at night rather than walking through quiet streets outside the centre.
- Carry a copy of your passport and leave the original in the hotel safe.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for nightlife, budget, solo travellers and food lovers
Getsemaní
Just outside the walls across Avenida Venezuela, Getsemaní was once the craftsmen's and sailors' quarter. Its streets, especially Calle de la Sierpe and Callejón Angosto, are covered with murals and umbrellas, and Plaza de la Trinidad fills every evening with street food, performers and locals. It has the best range of hostels, guesthouses and mid-range boutique hotels.
- Good
- Lively evenings with a local feel; Good-value stays; Five minutes' walk to the walled city
- Watch out
- Noisy late at night; Can be crowded on weekends
- Nearby
- Plaza de la Trinidad, Centro de Convenciones, Castillo San Felipe, Muelle de la Bodeguita
Great on your own
Historic site · El Centro
The walled city
Explore early in the morning or after 4pm; the midday heat is intense and the light is better for photos.
- Time needed
- Half a day or more
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Castle · Getsemaní
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
Go at opening time or late afternoon, carry water and wear a hat; there is almost no shade on the ramparts.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- Kids
Landmark · El Centro
City walls and bastions
Walk the stretch between Baluarte de Santo Domingo and Baluarte de Santa Catalina at sunset, when the sea breeze picks up.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Couples
Neighbourhood · Getsemaní
Getsemaní streets and Plaza de la Trinidad
Visit twice: in the morning for photos of the murals and after dark for the scene in Plaza de la Trinidad.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- After dark
- Food
- Photo spot
Landmark · El Centro
Plaza Santo Domingo
Have a drink on a terrace after dark, when the church is lit and the heat eases.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- After dark
- Couples
Museum · El Centro
Palace of the Inquisition
Visit during the midday heat; afterwards rest in the shade of Plaza de Bolívar opposite.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Meeting people
- Evening street food in Plaza de la Trinidad — Arepas, chorizos, hamburgers and fresh juices from stalls in Getsemaní's main square, eaten among locals as performers play.
- Menu del día lunch — Local restaurants outside the walled city serve a set lunch of soup, a main with rice and a juice for a fraction of old-town prices.
- Getsemaní — Salsa bars, live music and street life around Calle del Arsenal and Plaza de la Trinidad.
- El Centro — Rooftop bars, cocktail lounges and the Plaza Santo Domingo terraces inside the walls.
Sensible precautions
The tourist areas are generally fine for visitors, but pickpocketing, overcharging and scams involving touts and street sales are common; keep phones out of sight in crowded plazas. Avoid quiet streets outside the centre at night, and decline offers of drugs, which are linked to robbery and police scams.
- Emergency number
- 123 (national emergency number)
- Staying connected
- Wi-Fi is widely available in hotels and cafés; local SIMs from Claro, Movistar and Tigo are sold in malls and the airport.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Cartagena good for solo travellers?
Cartagena is popular with solo travellers, especially in Getsemaní, which has many hostels, group tours and sociable evening squares. Stay alert to scams and keep nights in well-lit, busy areas.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Cartagena?
Getsemaní: Former working-class barrio of murals, hostels, salsa bars and evening street life.