Things to do in Cartagena (with kids)

This northern port city in Colombia clearly embraces colour unlike any other. We thoroughly enjoyed spending our week in charming Cartagena after a quick visit to bustling Medellin. Read on to find out more about things to do in Cartagena (with kids).

Here are some things to do in Cartagena (with kids):

1) Get lost in the old town

What struck me the most about Cartagena was its colourful colonial buildings and the cobblestones within the city walls.

I couldn’t stop admiring the pretty colourful colonial buildings in the Old Town and taking tonnes of pictures. What a feast for the eyes!

2) Visit the chocolate museum

Discover the history, nature and production process of chocolate in this free museum.

I was pleased to learn that Switzerland is the biggest consumer of chocolates at 11.9kg per person per year.

3) Enjoy the street art in Getsemani

Popular with backpackers and street artists, you will find more locals than tourists in this neighbourhood just outside the walls of the old town of Cartagena.

Start at Plaza Trinidad, the hub of the neighbourhood.

Then check out the street art on Calle de la Sierpe and Calle 25.

From there, it is a short walk to El Castillo de San Felipe de Borajas – another major tourist attraction in Cartagena. There is said to be a mall close to San Felipe castle with a great indoor playground for kids. Check out this blog post for more info.

4) Spot sloths and iguanas at Parque del Centenario

Cartagena has many parks but the one that the kids will enjoy spotting wildlife at is Parque del Centenario.

We saw a sloth and many iguanas while we were there. Some reportedly have seen monkeys too!

5) Swim in the sea

Although it has a black sand beach and murky coloured waters, we LOVED the beach in Cartagena.

The waves are small, the sand is perfectly soft and the water is very shallow. Perfect for kids. 

6) Swim in a rooftop pool

If you are staying outside the old town in one of Cartagena’s many sky rise buildings, a swim in a rooftop pool with the kids is a winner.

Take in the views of the city as well as the Caribbean Sea as you cool down in the heat.

Day trips to do from Cartagena:

1) Tierra Bomba Island

Just a short boat ride away from Cartagena is Tierra Bomba Island. I found a great post written on how best to do this trip here.

We did the trip with Hotel Topical Inn. For 90,000 pesos, you get transport by boat, use of their pool, showers (there is barely any water coming out of them!), a towel, a welcome drink and lunch.

You could also check out Mariana’s Beach Club and Blue Apple Beach Club.

What we found most annoying was how ALL the men hording around the boats that would take you to Tierra Bomba would offer us a ride for the most ridiculous amount (50-90,000 Pesos per person when a standard price should be 20,000 one way).

It was a pain to keep saying our transport is covered and that we were looking for a Senor Torres who was working for Tropical Inn. It was hilarious to see 5 men claiming they were all the Senor Torres we were looking for.

There were local men walking around selling fresh oysters and crabs while we were waiting to find Senor Torres.

I realised that there was no way we could have been able to do this trip for 90,000 pesos for the boat ride and lunch without going through one of these hotels or beach clubs.

It was obvious that all the men at the boat pier were in on it together, and unless you’re a local, you’ll never get to pay 20,000 pesos one way to get to Tierra Bomba island.

The time on the island itself was fine if you are ready for a very hot day and having some motorbikes drive past on the beach every 30 seconds. It was however a nice place from where you can see the skyline of Cartagena.

2) Playa Blanca and the Rosario Islands

The famous Playa Blanca on Isla Baru is just a 45 minutes drive from Cartagena. The colour of the water is as you expect when someone mentions the word Caribbean.

We did a day trip there which cost us 150,000 Pesos per adult. This included a return trip van ride from Cartagena to Playa Blanca, a boat ride to the Rosario Islands and lunch. Be prepared for a full day out for 8am to 5pm.

The time on Playa Blanca itself was wonderful. Soft white sand and the beautiful blue sea.

Be warned that there is no running water here. So don’t forget all those important wipes for your kids.

We were picked up from Playa Blanca and joined a boat ride full of local tourists to Rosario Islands. This was such a waste of time and in hindsight, I wish we never did it.

The reason was that you were made to choose between visiting the Aquarium and doing a snorkeling trip. Both were for an additional cost of 30,000 pesos per person. You had to pay 25,000 Pesos for the aquarium for kids 3 and above. DAYLIGHT robbery!

With 3 young kids, snorkelling was not a choice for us. Apart from the fact that the aquarium was way overpriced, it also features a dolphin show which I am against.

We just chilled outside the aquarium and waited for the hour to pass. A man was selling seafood while standing in the water in the picture below.

I also did not find Rosario Islands to be such a remarkable and beautiful place as many claim. 

We got back to Playa Blanca and had some lobsters for lunch which we ordered separately on top of the lunch that was included. This would be the cheapest place to eat lobster on your trip to Cartagena.

Unluckily for us, the lobsters were overcooked, cold by the time we got back from Rosario Islands and we were combating flies the entire time we were trying to eat our food.

Bonus tip: Cartagena has many wonderful restaurants and we found that for double the price (of a normal restaurant within the city walls where a main meal would cost around 30,000 Pesos) , you get to dine in a place 4 times the value.

Some of the best places we ate at include Alma, Mistura and Moshi.

Is Cartagena a place you would like to visit with your kids?

I hope you have found this article on things to do in Cartagena with kids useful.

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