We took a last-minute trip to Cartagena when we found out we couldn’t fly from Bogota to Costa Rica without a yellow fever vaccine. No worries, we re-routed ourselves to the gorgeous town of Cartagena, Colombia and found some amazing places to stay, and sampled from some of the best restaurants in Cartagena!
Keep reading if you want to know more about where to stay and where to eat…
Where to stay:
- Casa San Agustin — Amazing. We just wandered in off the street after reading the reviews on TripAdvisor, and this ended up being one of our favorite hotels in all the world.
- The Ananda — next door to Casa San Agustin, also fantastic. I stayed here my first time in Cartagena and really enjoyed it.
- The Sofitel — luxurious, but low on personality.
But wherever you pick, make sure it’s inside the old city.
Our favorite restaurants in Cartagena:
1. La Cevicheria
So nice we ate their twice during our small time in town. Order a Small langostino, Ceviche pescado peruano, and tortastadas with guacamole.
2. El Gobernador by Rausch
Amazing. The costa negra (Colombian-style black beef) with plantains and coconut rice was one of my favorite things I’ve ever had.
3. Pasteleria Milo
We came to just get a drink and use their wifi, but this place has incredible desserts that are NOT to be missed.
4. Demente in Getsemani
…if you’re already in that neighborhood.
5. La Vitrola
An old Cuban place. Our highlights were the coco de pie and mojitos.
6. La Mulata
A fish place for locals.
7. Marea by Rausch
Solid, but not quite El Gobernador level. But it’s elevated by the location — right on the water. It’s muy romantic.
Make sure you try:
- Ceviche — lots of it!
- Pargo rojo with coconut rice
- A granizada
Anyone else have any tips on the best restaurants in Cartagena? Leave ’em in the comments, and help other hungry travelers!
