For spring break, my friend and I traveled to a vibrant city in Colombia—Cartagena. From the moment we landed, we were greeted with bright colors, rich culture, and Caribbean heat, which made it the perfect weekend escape. I learned about this city through TikTok and fell in love with the heavy influence of Afro-Colombian culture and the scenic atmosphere. There’s a lot I want to cover about what I learned in traveling to Cartagena, so stay tuned over the remainder of April for more! To summarize our stay, here’s our 4-day itinerary:

DAY 1

✈️ Arrival & Customs
In addition to packing our bags, we had to pack your patience! Our plane deboarded at both the front and back of the plane. It was a bit chaotic since people were randomly getting up and getting off the plane in both directions. The customs line at the Cartagena Rafael Núñez International Airport was super long, and it took us 2 hours to get through. We saw a lot of interesting things while waiting in line (i.e., we saw a couple that was behind us completely skip the entire line). Once we make it past customs, we ordered an Uber, which was super inexpensive! Pro tip: If you ask someone who works in or near the airport a simple question and they become a bit too friendly and follow you around a bit, let them know you no longer need help. They are trying to stick around to earn a tip from you.

🏨 Stay at OSH Hotel
Located in the Getsemani area, the OSH Hotel offers modern, tropical vibes. It has two pools (the rooftop pool was closed during our stay) and a rooftop bar! While we waited for our room keys, we had a drink at the bar in the lobby.

🍽 Dinner at Morena
Once we were settled, we make your way to Morena for dinner. Morena (which means “dark-skinned”), is one of the most popular restaurants in the city, known for modern twists on Colombian flavors. In my personal opinion, it’s nice to go to for the ambiance and to take beautiful pictures, but the food wasn’t the best. Pro tip: Make a reservation in advance in case there is a long wait.

DAY 2

🍾 Brunch at Townhouse
We started our day with a rooftop brunch at Townhouse—a local favorite with a lively atmosphere and bottomless mimosas. The food was okay and seemed to accommodate tourists instead of having local cuisine. Pro tip: Ask for the entire champagne bottle so you don’t actually see the bottom of your mimosa glass).

📚 Bookstore & Boutique Stops
After brunch, we strolled through the walled city and stumbled upon a bookstore called Librería Nacional. We then went to a jewelry shop where I bought a beautiful bracelet. Cartagena is known for its emeralds and artisan jewelry.

📸 Clock Tower, Souvenirs, & Palenque Ladies
We then headed to the iconic Clock Tower (Torre del Reloj) and I took pictures with the Palenque ladies in their colorful dresses. This area is also great for souvenirs. Don’t be afraid to be firm and to tell sellers NO. They can be VERY persistent! Pro Tip: If you take a picture with the Palenque Ladies, ask them how much the tip costs before you begin posing! Remember, they are also trying to make $$$

🍻 Clock Pub & Food
We took a break at The Clock Pub and asked what the locals typically drink. We were initially given a mojito, and when pressed more, we were given another very refreshing drink (I can’t recall the name of it, but I’ve included a photo of it). After walking around the area, we ran into something familiar – KFC! If you visit, be prepared to have your translation app ready when ordering! As we walked around the area, we saw more bars and restaurants. We even ran into a Starbucks! If you’re a collector of Starbucks travel mugs, the one for Cartagena is a must! Swing by before heading back to your hotel for some downtime.

DAY 3

🛎 Room Service Breakfast
We took it easy and ordered breakfast to our room. It was delicious! 

🚤 Boat Tour to the Islands
We made our way to Bocagrande for a boat tour with Tribu Cartagena. Our tour included stops at three different islands. If you book with this company, be sure to bring cash, sunscreen, and be prepared to take MULTIPLE shots of tequila! I had a drink called Coco Loco and it was so good! 

🍛 Dinner at La Tinaja
After freshening up from the boat excursion, we ate at a restaurant called La Tinaja and order the Bandeja Paisa—a traditional Colombian dish that’s as filling as it is flavorful. It included grilled meat, chorizo, rice, beans, plantain, fried egg, avocado, and an arepa. It was very filling and surprisingly very tasty!

🌇 Rooftop Bar & Alquímico
We ended our night with cocktails at OSH’s rooftop bar, then we headed to Alquímico. We learned that it is one the top 10 best bars in the WORLD! It has multi-levels, creative drinks, and Afro-Caribbean beats. While we were worn out from drinking on the boat, we had room for one more drink at this famous bar and it was flavorful! 

DAY 4

🏖 Poolside Breakfast
Since we had afternoon flights back home, we spent the morning hanging out by the pool and had breakfast by our longue area. 

📸 Cartagena Letters Stop
On your way to the airport, we stopped by the giant Cartagena letters by the beach for one last photo op. It’s was a cute way to end the trip.

Pro Tip: Be prepared to be patient once again as other people are also trying to capture a picture as well! Our Uber driver was extremely patient! 

✈️ Travel Day
We had to have patience once again while waiting through the customs line. The flight back took longer than expected as we both had layovers in Miami (it is my least favorite airport, and I explained why in this previous post). While we both had different flights we were both stuck on the runway due to weather, which delayed us by 1+ hour. Once I landed in Atlanta, it was around 1 AM and the SkyTrain was running on a reduced schedule. I had to walk from Terminal E, and once I made it C, I was exhausted and caught the train to the ground transportation terminal. I always park at the ATL West parking garage, and when approaching the gate, I realized the cars in front of me weren’t moving. Come to find out, the systems were down. It was 2:30 AM, I was exhausted, and beyond ready to just drive home. I eventually made it home by 4 AM. I am thankful it was spring break and I didn’t have to worry about missing work.

Overall, it was a fun trip and a great experience being in South America for the first time! The only 2 things we wish we could’ve done if we’d stayed longer would’ve been doing a walking tour and doing a tour of Palenque. Both tours would’ve take 4+ hours and there wasn’t enough time. Even though I did some research before we went, there were things I wish I knew prior to going. Stay tuned for more about Cartagena! Cheers to more adventures!