TIME VISITED: December 2017 BUSY ? Somewhat
WEATHER: 90s 🌤 REASON FOR VISIT: Walled City
WHERE TO STAY: Republica Hostel EXPENSIVE?: $$
While exploring other parts of Colombia we kept hearing great things about Cartagena so we couldn’t wait to visit it. As for the entire city of Cartagena we only saw it for a second when driving in because we spent all four nights in the Walled City . The Walled City was by far the most touristy city we visited but for normal tourist standards it still wasn’t too busy. Keep in mind we were visiting in low season but it was nice to see a touristy town (a place with great shopping and great restaurants) without sharing the streets with tons of people. Also keep in mind with this being touristy it is also more expensive than other places in Colombia! Overall I’d say food is about 50% more expensive and drinks are double what we paid everywhere else so you are pretty much paying Western prices!
WHERE TO STAY
Oh Republica Hostel, this is a hostel I could write about forever. Especially for a hostel that sleeps over one hundred people we couldn’t believe how amazing the customer service was and how clean they kept it. When we walked in we were greeted by the nicest women who made our check in quick and easy. On top of all that it was located in such a beautiful building!
Pros of staying in Republica Hostel
- Extremely welcoming, helpful and friendly staff
- Clean bathrooms
- Party AND chill options (pool party or movie night)
- Pod sleeping arrangements
- Breakfast included
- Pool-AND IT IS CLEAN
- Awesome location
- Activities daily
- Rooftop bar
- Air-conditioning
- Strong Wi-Fi
You might get lucky and receive a visit from the neighborhood parrot.
After checking in to your hotel or hostel you must head down to watch the sunset at Cafe Del Mar. It will be extremely busy and the drinks aren’t cheap but the view is absolutely stunning and so worth it, it was our favorite sunset we saw in Colombia. Get here early if you want to get a good seat!
WHERE TO EAT
Lotti is a vegetarian so we had asked some new friends where to get some good vegetarian food in Cartagena. Multiple people told us they loved Pezetarian so we decided to try it out! They are known for their sushi, veggie rolls and bowls and ceviche.
Pezetarian was good but not very filling for the price so my friend showed me some awesome street food outside our hostel. It was a big empanada filled with meat and a fried egg SO GOOD! Also try their paleo de queso- it is a sweet bread filled with cheese!
We were walking the square just around the corner from our hostel a woman shuttled us in to this cute balcony bar assuring us their drinks were good and luckily they had happy hour! 
There was a full moon AND they served my drink with a daisy in it! 😍😍😍
We checked into our hostel on a Sunday and came back to a pool party, if it isn’t a pool party it is some kind of party (they always have something fun going on) and then you will most likely end up at one of the bars in the walled city. This is a ton of fun if you like to dance. Here I finally got some salsa lessons and learned a few other types of dancing. Such a blast and people are so sweet when they find out you want to learn! I’m terrible, but I’m getting there. 😂
The next morning you will most likely be a bit hung over and dehydrated from the 90 degree weather so head out and get some fruit from one of the many fruit ladies or stands.
Then enjoy the beautiful Walled City. We walked around for a good two hours there are so many beautiful buildings to see!
My favorite part of Cartagena was being able to meet up with our friend Gaët. If you read my previous posts we met her in Salento three weeks ago and knew we would both be in Cartagena for a our last stop before heading home. Luckily she hadn’t booked her hostel yet when we met her and she could book the same one as us. Seriously the best part of travel is the people you meet along the way! 
This is where I would recommend taking a trip to one of the many islands around Cartagena. We chose not to since we just came from a beach town but there are some stunning islands you can get to within a couple of hours. Insider tip: If you decide to do a day trip to any of the islands it will be insanely busy so I recommend staying over at least one night! We heard great things about Isla Baru and Isla Rosario.
Instead of checking out the islands we walked around the city a bit more together because it was our last day together before Lotti moved on to Peru! So many beautiful doors and buildings but this was our favorite.
This was also a good time to pick up some gifts. I was trying to find some coffee to bring back and read amazing things about this San Alberto-it was one of the few places you could purchase whole beans. I’m not a coffee drinker but I brought it home and was told it is delicious! 
For our last meal together we decided to dry Zaitún, a Lebanese restaurant down the street from our hostel. Here Lotti was in vegetarian heaven with a big creamy bowl of tomato soup and falafel and hummus! I knew I’d have some meat later so I had their shrimp ceviche as an appetizer and it was super good and fresh.
One last picture together in front of another favorite door in Cartagena!
Gelato to cure my sadness from saying goodbye to my travel buddy.
Since Lotti had left I had to indulge in a big steak. I heard and read great things about Quebracho and they did not disappoint! I enjoyed a bottle of red wine, and a 12.5 ounce filet mignon wrapped in bacon served with mashed potatoes-all for under $40 USD including tip and they even brought out two appetizers on the house! So even though Cartagena is expensive for Colombian standards you can still get amazing deals compared to most countries.
I will miss this wonderful city and country so much! What was your favorite place you visited in Cartagena!? Comment below!
Interested in traveling to Colombia, check out my other blog posts HERE!
