In this post we tell you all about transport in Cartagena, how to get from the airport to the city center, how to get to the terminal, in other words, how to get around Cartagena.
Cartagena is Colombia’s most visited city, but that doesn’t mean it’s the easiest to get around. Caribbean cities are notoriously messy, but it’s local politics that are the problem… but that’s not the point.
Here’s our practical guide to getting around Cartagena.
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Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
Cartagena Airport transfer
GETTING AROUND Cartagena
Once you’ve arrived in Cartagena, if you’re coming by plane, you’ll want to go straight to the city center to drop your bags off at the hotel. Here’s all the information you need on the different options for airport transfers in Cartagena.
General information Cartagena Airport
- Rafael Nuñez de Cartagena Airport (CTG)
- Website: aeropuertocartagena.com.co
- Address: Crespo Calle 70
- Tel : 57 (5) 693 1351 Ext 2747
- Email: contact form
Bus transfer – Cartagena airport
You can get to the city center with the “Metrocar” buses. These are large white and green buses. Service is fairly regular to and from the city center.
- Duration : approx. 40 min
- Fare: about $2.000 COP
- Service times : Every day from 6:50 a.m. to 11:45 p.m
- Company: Metrocar
Cab transfer – Cartagena Airport
The airport is about 20 minutes by cab from the historic center. Please note that cab fares in Cartagena are regulated.
Examples of 2021fares between the airport and various locations in Cartagena:
- Historic center, Gestemani (zone 1): $12.100 COP
- La Boquilla (zone 2): $14.600 COP
- Bocagrande, Castillogrande, etc. (zone 5): $20.700 COP
- Muelle la Bodeguita (zone 2): $14.600 COP
Whether from the airport or the bus terminal, the easiest and most comfortable way to get downtown is by cab. At the airport and bus station, you’ll easily find cabs at the exits, with 24-hour service.
TIP
Always use official cabs for your airport transfer to Cartagena. The fares we give you are regulated fixed fares, and the driver should not charge you more.
Getting around Cartagena
Finding your way around Cartagena
Cartagena has a rather bizarre layout, with a walled city, peninsulas and suburban districts. Broadly speaking, the historic quarter of the walled city is located on a point surrounded by the sea and a wall.
The center is divided into numbered “Calle” and “Carrera ” streets running perpendicular to each other. The walled city is directly linked to Bocagrande to the southwest, Getsemani to the southeast and the airport district to the northeast. From the historic center, the modern city of Cartagena stretches out to the southeast, where almost no tourists ever go.
Help getting around Cartagena
To help you get around Cartagena, as well as anywhere else in Colombia, we recommendusing applications such as Moovit or Googlemaps.
With these apps you can plan your route easily and, above all, they’ll give you the different public transport options available to you. They’ll make getting around Cartagena a whole lot easier.
Transportation in Cartagena
How to get around Cartagena
Certainly, if you’re staying in the historic center, whether inside the walled city or in the Getsemani district, you’ll be able to do everything on foot between these two parts. The historic center is small enough to be covered entirely on foot and at your own pace. In our opinion, this is the best way to enjoy Cartagena’s historic center.
Bus
Cartagena’s bus network is well-developed enough to get you around almost anywhere. Buses can take you into the city center, to Bocagrande, La Boquilla, and even to the beaches of the Baru peninsula.
The Transcaribe
This is a new bus system opened in 2016 that operates like the Transmilenio in Bogotá. It’s a reserved-lane bus, so it’s supposed to avoid traffic jams. You need a rechargeable card to use the Transcaribe in Cartagena. On the Transcaribe website you’ll find maps of the different routes, but we’ll grant you that it’s not exactly easy to understand..
- Card fare: $4.000 COP
- Route fare: $2.300 COP
Alimentadores
These are the smaller buses that connect with the main routes served by the Transcaribe. These buses stop at specific stops marked with an SITM sign.
Busetas
These are the old Cartagena buses that will be replaced or integrated into the Transcaribe system over time. These buses can be picked up anywhere with a simple wave of the hand. Similarly, you can stop anywhere by asking the driver to stop. To find out which bus to take, look out for the signs at the front of the busetas, or ask the driver or hawker.
Moto Taxi
It’s rootsy, it’s not always very safe, and fares are hit-or-miss, but it’s one of the cheapest and fastest ways to get around Cartagena.
Cab
Cabs are a convenient way to get around Cartagena, between the historic center and the surrounding area, whether you’re going to the airport or the bus terminal, or heading for Bocagrande, La Boquilla or Baru.
Official cabs are yellow, with a number and a “servicio public” plate.
Cab fares in Cartagena are regulated, i.e. they are fixed rates.
Fares are higher at night.
TIPS FOR TAXI HIRE IN Cartagena
Fares
There are no taximeters in Cartagena cabs, as fares are regulated by Zone. So it’s a good idea to know the fare before you get into a cab, and to ask the driver how much he’s going to charge.
Chances are 9 out of 10 that the price the driver quotes will be higher than the official price. It’s up to you to decide whether the extra cost is reasonable or whether you’re really being taken for a ham, because if you don’t want to be left on the sidewalk, you’ll always have to make a little effort on your principles.
Waze
Waze is a mobile application that helps you find your way around town by car. It’s a great way to avoid cab scams. If you’re in any doubt about the route the cab is taking, launch the app and show the driver that he’s extending the route. Likewise, if you’re stuck in traffic, suggest an alternative route to avoid getting stuck.
Payment
Try to carry small-denomination bills with you so that you can top them up when it’s time to pay.
Security
In Cartagena today, it’s quite possible to take an official cab on the street by raising your arm. But if you can, it’s always best to order a cab by phone (ask your hotel or the restaurant/bar where you’re staying). You can also use an app like Cabify.
Uber in Cartagena
Uber became an official option again in February 2020. So it’s once again legal to use Uber in Colombia. As elsewhere in the world, Uber makes it possible via a downloadable mobile app to hire a private VTC.
Cartagena bus terminal
Getting around Cartagena
For those who want to leave the city by bus, head for Cartagena’s bus terminal on the outskirts of the city.
General information Cartagena bus terminal
- Website: terminaldecartagena. com
- Address: Carretera de la Cordialidad – Diagonal 57 #24-236
- Telephone: 57 (5) 663 0317
TAXI between the Terminal and downtown
Cartagena’s bus terminal is about a 30-minute cab ride from the historic center. Please note that cab fares in Cartagena are regulated. Here are some examples of cab fares between the bus terminal and different areas of Cartagena:
- Historic Center (zone 6): $19.300 COP
- Bocagrande, Marbella, Aeroport (zone 7): $27.400 COP
- La Boquilla (zone 8): $29.600 COP
- Airport (zone 7): $27.400 COP
BUS between Terminal and downtown
The Transcaribe offers a line to Cartagena’s historic center. But there are also several small busetas that make the trip. If you take a buseta, don’t hesitate to ask the driver to leave you as close as possible to your final destination. Just signal to the driver when you want to stop.
- Duration: about 45 minutes
- Fare : $2.600 COP (rechargeable card for the Transcaribe)
- Line: Transcaribe X104 or Busetas
Rent a car in Cartagena
How to get around Cartagena
Renting a car to explore the region around Cartagena is a perfectly feasible option. But first of all, we advise you to read our following posts carefully:
There are plenty of things to see around Cartagena that are easily accessible by car, and if you feel like it, it would be a pity to deprive yourself of this means of transport, which offers welcome freedom if you respect a few safety rules that we talk about in our posts.
Rent a car In Colombia
To rent a car, we advise you to use the Rental Cars comparator, which gives you a complete overview of the different rental companies in Colombia.
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