Cartagena
Attractions
Playa Blanca
There are several ways how to get to Playa Blanca. You can either buy a tour from guides on the street, in your hostel or you can get there on your own with a bus and a boat. We read on the internet that you can try to find a spot on a boat close to Mercado Bazurto and you don't have to pay 12.000 COP (4.20 EUR) park fee. Afterwards we met other travelers, who confirmed that it is possible to get to Playa Blanca on your own for 10.000 COP (3.50 EUR) one way p.p. and sleep in a hammock for 20.000 COP (7 EUR) per night.
We chose the easy way and booked a tour for 85.000 COP (29.50 EUR) p.p. including transportation and accommodation for one night on Playa Blanca. The chartered bus took us to a small harbor, where a boat was waiting for us. The ride with the boat takes around 1 hour. We stayed at "Hostal Playa Blanca" in a small hut-like room (cabana). All hostels are located directly on the beach 10m max from the sea.
The beach is amazing, the sand is almost white and the water warm and turquoise. The locals stay on one side of the beach which is very crowded. Most of the hostels are on the other side of the beach where it is more quiet and not that busy.
You will find various restaurants and stands with food on Playa Blanca. We recommend to go to the part where the locals are staying and where you can order a plate with fresh fish for 10.000 - 12.000 COP (3.50 - 4.20 EUR). In the evening the prices can double. The salesmen with the stalls offer overpriced shrimps or langustas (from august), but you can always bargain with them. We wanted a portion of shrimps and the merchant started with 30.000 COP. We were able to negotiate it down to 15.000 COP (5.20 EUR). Same goes for cocktails. They can prepare fancy cocktails for you served in a pineapple or coconut. We bargained the price for two pineapple piña coladas to 23.000 COP (8 EUR), 7.000 COP less then the initial price.
You can rent a jet ski for 30.000 COP (10.50 EUR) per 15 minutes. We borrowed snorkels, but we did not see anything interesting on the sea bed.
City center
The historic center is small and is surrounded by city walls. The architecture is similar to southern cities in Spain. The buildings have nice, refreshing patios and the balconies are covered with flowers. Just take a camera and get lost for few hours. This district is posh and bit more expensive then the rest of the city. You can find very expensive restaurants, boutique hotels and jewelery shops, specialized in emeralds. We saw nice design shops selling original swimsuits, shoes and hand made jewelery.
If you want to save money you can eat on the street or find restaurants that offer menu del dia and live in a hostel at district Getsemani. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to explore Getsemani. It's covered with street art, we saw pieces from Bogotas artist DjLu on Calle de la Sierpe. Visit Plaza de la Trinidad in the evening hours, where locals hang out. Have some fresh arepas or hamburgers from the stalls. Afterwards you can go to one of the many bars, they have happy hours for cocktails and special offers, like 2 for 20.000 COP (7 EUR). We heard that on Calle Arsenal has several cool clubs.
Naval museum
It's located in the historic center and the admission is 8.000 COP (2.80 EUR) p.p.. The museum has two large wings. The lower one is dedicated to the naval history of Colombia and especially Cartagena de Indias. You could spend hours reading the information boards, few of them are in English. The second wing is dedicated to the modern Colombian navy. We had lot of fun in a model of submarine command bridge, pushing buttons, playing with periscope and shooting enemy ships.
Food
Try some fresh fish or sea food you are on the coast after all. When we were there in July it was the season for Mujarra, a very tasty fish. Menu del dia will set you back 10.000-15.000 COP. In the evening the street sellers offer classic arepa con queso (grilled corn paddy filled with cheese) for 1.000 COP (0.35 EUR). Besides that they offer meat sticks, potatoes filled with meat or fried cheese rolls.
Restaurante Atahualpa
We chose the menu with fish for 10.000 COP (3.50 EUR). The fish soup was very good with whole pieces of meat and yuka, sprinkled with cilantro leaves and lime juice. The main course consists of fish, rice, beans in a sauce and pickled vegetables. The portions were big. We also recommend to try their lulu juice.
08 July 2015