let these guides be just a starting point…follow your senses and try a little bit of everything…be kind, remembering you are but a visitor here

One can feel like they are swimming in a sea of color in Cartagena. Pink sunsets, yellow city walls, red buildings, blue skies and sea. It’s one of those touristic cities where everything is contained for you within a couple square miles—in this case, quite literally, as the old city walls that run along the sea that used to protect this settlement now function as a sort of tourist safety net. That’s good, in a way, as most of what you’ll want to do is all within walking distance, but I’d also encourage you to take your leave from this zone for a day or two to go to the beach or to hop on a boat and go swimming or snorkeling. That said, you could wander the many small streets of stunning Cartagena for days and continue to find new sights and sounds at every turn. And along the way, you’ll need some food:

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Local Guides & Tours:

https://www.facebook.com/LocalCartagenaTours/

https://freetourcartagena.com/

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Alquimico: A must. One of the World’s 50 Best Bars, and ranked often as South America’s very best bar; you’ll see why as soon as you step inside. There are three floors to choose from, with each offering a different beverage and food menu that pays homage to a different concept. The bottom floor, for example, explores the theme of “Roots”, drawing inspiration from the various regions of Colombia in its flavor profiles. Many of the ingredients come from the farm of the French-Vietnamese owner, and everything I tried (admittedly, only from floor 2 :)) was outrageously good. 

Celele: If you’re looking for one nicer meal in Cartagena, look here. Easily the best meal I had in Colombia was at Celele, an unfussy fine dining experience that celebrates the food of the northern coast of the country. That includes a lot of Caribbean and African influence, making for food that's far more colorful and vibrant than the typical arepa and meat diet of inland Colombia. It’s flavors are composed and clean, but the chefs aren’t afraid to take risks either, like hearty portion of beef tongue I had as my entree. I went for lunch with friends--we had a feast and all spent about $40 each. 

Misia: Disclaimer: I never went here! Please, dear reader, go, let loose and live a little, order most everything on the menu, and afterward let me know how it is. What I can tell you is this: the chef, Leonor Espinosa, is famous in Colombia for having a fine-dining restaurant in Bogota called Leo, which has frequently been ranked amongst Latin America’s best. At Misia, she offers a more laid-back atmosphere and a wide variety of creative yet approachable dishes that are sourced from around the Caribbean coast. 

Los Fritos de Dora: Street food is alive and well all over Colombia, but perhaps is at its finest in Cartagena, where African traditions and possibly Arab as well have provided the foundations for brilliant uses of cassava, corn, and more. Los Fritos de Dora, located in Plaza de San Diego, plays all the hits, namely the carimañolas (fried cassava stuffed with meat and vegetables) and the remarkable arepa de huevo, an arepa fried with an egg inside, and sometimes meat and/or cheese as well. Open 5pm to midnight, it’s the perfect late night snack in Cartagena.

La Mulata: While you’re on the coast, you’ll likely be wanting to enjoy seafood, especially if you’ve already spent time in Bogota or Medellin, where meat and corn and cheese and bread reign supreme. La Mulata serves a wide variety of refreshing options, like ceviches or fish served on plantain leaves. Terrific decor and excellent art make this space both hip and traditional all at once.

Gelateria Paradiso: A swelteringly humid day in Cartagena can make ice cream seem like simply the most appealing option in the world. There’s many shops to choose from in the city, but few can boast, as Gelateria Paradiso can, that they don’t use preservatives or hydrogenated fats. Try local fruit flavors like corozo or soursop, or opt for their wide array of more traditional flavors. While you’re there, take a moment to luxuriate in the decor, which makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to, like, my grandparents’ old, dimly lit house in Vermont with some more tropical vibes. 

Portal de los Dulces: Sweetooths beware, there’s a hundred delectable options at this candy store tucked into the city’s south end. Papaya, coconut, and more local ingredients comprise the base of many of these specialities. If you can find the old city walls nearby, amble up them and bring your candy with you for a walk along the city’s outskirts while you watch the sunset.