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Cartagena on your own Easy Peasy


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What would be the Top 10 things to do (in order of good to bad)

Going to be there in a couple of weeks and trying to decide what to do ?

 

I haven't been there yet, but I will be going on Valentines Day.

 

If you don't get a top 10 back from someone, you can check out my Cartagena section in my OneNote Notebook link in my signature. Within the Cartagena section, there is a page titled Overview plan. Starting below there are the sites that we have chosen to try and see. There is also Numbered map under the Walled City page that I created to help us find our way around. Each page in this section has a place to see along with a photo and any info I could find about it on the Internet.

 

If you are going after I return, I will be happy to post my favorite things that I saw.

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Ann, your notebook was wonderful!! Thank you so much for allowing us access - so much great information. Am looking forward to reading any post-cruise thoughts. Hope you're having a great time!

 

 

Thank you! We had an amazing time. Everyone was right about how hot it is there. Part of it is just how intense the sun is. It was "only" in the upper 80s with about 70% humidity, but we were very hot when walking in the sun and drank lots of water. Our interpreter that our driver brought carried a light umbrella when we walked. She said that it is just too easy to burn and get overheated there.

 

Although our driver and interpreter helped to spare us from some of the more pushy vendors, I didn't think it was any worse than Guatemala or some other locations we had been to in the past. I felt quite safe and would have felt perfectly safe doing it on our own.

 

There were a ton of people offering tours both inside and outside of the cruise port gates. Both sets were very pushy. Prices they were yelling at us did go down as we left the port. Others on the cruise took taxis from inside or outside the port area. Some recommendations based on that ...

 

1) Verify that their English goes beyond how to sell the tour to how to tell you about Cartagena. People had mixed experiences here.

2) Verify how many other people they will be loading in with you. They say they will take you to the Castillo or Walled City for a certain price, but that is probably a per person price and others will be joining you as well.

 

For us, since we had our driver pre-arranged and waiting outside of the port area, the worst part of the day for us was trying to get outside of the port area. The Exit signs wind you through a shop and the bird sanctuary and past all of the tour vendors. There was an exit signed for buses and cars only. I wish we had broken the rules and just walked out there. It would have saved us about 10 minutes and a lot of wondering around since we eventually just ended on the other side of that building any way.

 

One thing I realized, my map in the OneNote notebook doesn't have street names. They hand out a nice map and booklet at the port if you can work you way into the information booth person to get it. Also, I think if you went to one of the port talks, they handed them out as well.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions that I can help with.

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Thanks for this very helpful thread. We paid $20 for 4 of us to take a taxi from just outside the aviary area to the walled city. Even if some think that was inflated, I thought it was a reasonable price after the taxi driver had to wind his way through the traffic. It also would seem like they probably can use the money. Also, since these taxi drivers all had "Taxi" print fabric (all over print with the words many times), it felt like at least you were getting in a cab that might be safer than just one on the street. Also, our driver was very good at telling us the sights on the way. He said his English wasn't very good, but we had no problems with it. YMMV. He also offered to pick us up where he dropped us off at a designated time of our choosing. We picked a time, were there early and he was already waiting for us. A very hot, but pleasant day.

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Thanks for this very helpful thread. We paid $20 for 4 of us to take a taxi from just outside the aviary area to the walled city. Even if some think that was inflated, I thought it was a reasonable price after the taxi driver had to wind his way through the traffic. It also would seem like they probably can use the money. Also, since these taxi drivers all had "Taxi" print fabric (all over print with the words many times), it felt like at least you were getting in a cab that might be safer than just one on the street. Also, our driver was very good at telling us the sights on the way. He said his English wasn't very good, but we had no problems with it. YMMV. He also offered to pick us up where he dropped us off at a designated time of our choosing. We picked a time, were there early and he was already waiting for us. A very hot, but pleasant day.

 

 

I think that price sounds about average for what I heard. I am different than some. I believe in paying what I think is fair, even if it might be higher than what I could possibly get them down to. They definitely need to make a living, I agree with you.

 

Did he charge $20 again to go back, or was that included. If it was included, that was an amazing deal. ;)

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Visited Cartagena on April 2017 on ms Amsterdam. My wife and I (seniors) visited the old city by ourselves, no problem at all. We walked through the port terminal building, ignoring the taxi drivers offering tours and rides at inflated prices and walked 50 yards down the street outside. There we met another couple from the ship and shared a taxi ($10US for the 4 of us) to the Clock Tower Gate of the old city. From there we explored the compact and beautiful restored old city on foot. We visited the Gold Museum (free, with air con and toilets) and the next-door Emerald Shop, where a nice lady showed us their model emerald mine and told us about emeralds. We did not buy any there. We visited the cathedral and several scenic plazas and walked along the walls. We passed on the grisly Palacio de la Inquisición. We visited Mr. Emerald but as the store was full of people being herded along on ships tours we did not stay long. I had bought 50,000 Colombian pesos (about $18 US) before leaving Canada, and paid 20,000 pesos for a nice embroidered bag from a street vendor after a bit of haggling (He would have taken $US.) When we were ready to return to the ship we went back to the Clock Gate and offered another taxi 20,000 pesos to take us back to the cruise terminal. He accepted and gave us a bit of a tour on the way back. At the terminal the free small zoo is well worth a visit and we spent my last 10,000 pesos on a couple of cold beers. We also bought a small emerald pendant (on a credit card) in the terminal shop. In the old city the street vendors were doing their best, but were not a real problem. A firm "Non, gracias" worked OK. The numerous tourist police seem to have cleared out the beggars previous posters have reported. We only saw one. Go as early as possible and take water as the city does get hot as the sun gets higher!

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I haven't been there yet, but I will be going on Valentines Day.

 

If you don't get a top 10 back from someone, you can check out my Cartagena section in my OneNote Notebook link in my signature. Within the Cartagena section, there is a page titled Overview plan. Starting below there are the sites that we have chosen to try and see. There is also Numbered map under the Walled City page that I created to help us find our way around. Each page in this section has a place to see along with a photo and any info I could find about it on the Internet.

 

If you are going after I return, I will be happy to post my favorite things that I saw.

 

Can't find the link - can you please post it for me?? Thanks!!! :)

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We have been to Cartagena before, but some years ago. This time I think we would probably just take a taxi to the old town. Since last there I now have limited mobility.

 

Therefore, can somebody tell me if my OH would be Ok to push me in a wheelchair? Or are the streets just too difficult to manoeuvre?

 

Am I correct in thinking taxis are not allowed in?

 

Any information or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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We have been to Cartagena before, but some years ago. This time I think we would probably just take a taxi to the old town. Since last there I now have limited mobility.

 

Therefore, can somebody tell me if my OH would be Ok to push me in a wheelchair? Or are the streets just too difficult to manoeuvre?

 

Am I correct in thinking taxis are not allowed in?

 

Any information or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You could probably get by with the wheel chair, but I think it would be hard. They don't always have cut outs for getting on and off the sidewalks like we do, the streets were pretty narrow and busy when we were there. There were also cobblestones if I remember right.

 

Our driver drove into the back part of the old town. He stopped and let us take some pictures. There were some areas that he could not get to. He also took us to a jewelry shop (which I wanted to do), over to see the new part of the city, to the fortress (hubby could push around the outer edge here easily enough), and more. We had it arranged ahead of time and it was a little more expensive, but having the A/C and someone to show us the sites was great.

 

Email me (annjunk at sbcglobal dot net) if you want me to try and find the email address of the guy who took us around Cartagena.

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  • 3 weeks later...

LOVE the link Ann!!! So informative and very much appreciate you sharing this with us. Heading on a Panama cruise in November and this helps so much with the planning. Our ports are a little different with Celebrity, but 4 ports are the same. Again many thanks!

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Have been to Cartegania twice and did not have trouble getting around with my wife's transport chair. I do not require curb cuts as I can lift it up and down between street and sidewalk. Should not have any problems.

 

 

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I have done Cartegena several times.

 

We've done it on our own just using a taxi and also having a tour guide with us another time.

 

If you can arrange a private tour I would do that. There is so much to see including the old city but also get up to the Catholic Church sitting way above the city.

 

Keith

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LOVE the link Ann!!! So informative and very much appreciate you sharing this with us. Heading on a Panama cruise in November and this helps so much with the planning. Our ports are a little different with Celebrity, but 4 ports are the same. Again many thanks!

 

Thanks for the link and information. We are booked on Celebrity in January with an overnight in Cartagena.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I am glad that you were both able to make use of the OneNote notebook link. I'm working on my Hawaii one now. It is massive. So much to see and do. I still have 16 months until that cruise, so it is going to keep growing. :D

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I know its been a while, but I haven't been on CC much. If you get OneNote for the iPad, the link should work for you.

 

Ann, we will be overnighting in Cartagena on Celebrity Reflection in early February. Thank you so much for posting the link to all of your research. It was very helpfu!

 

Beth

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I went to Cartagena in 2014. Based on advice I read online, I walked past the first set of taxi drivers who are hounding you, until you are fully out of the port. I 100% recommend this. By walking just a little bit further you find the less aggressive taxis who will charge you much less.

 

Also if you want a tour with your taxi, make sure they actually speak english. If air conditioning in a car is important, ask, they don't all have it.

 

We ended up paying a driver to take us to the Mud Volcano. It was an absolutely amazing experience that I will never forget. I think there were parts where our taxi driver convinced us to overtip, but it didn't bother us much because we can tell the locals don't have a lot. Then he gave us a tour on the way back and dropped us off at the walled city. Then picked us up a couple hours later and brought us back to the ship. Unfortunately I can't remember how much we paid. I can tell you we used US Dollars everywhere, with absolutely zero issue. I do recommend having lots of small bills in case you do anything that requires a tip.

 

We will be back in Cartagena on a cruise next month, so we need to decide what to do this time.

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I am glad that you were both able to make use of the OneNote notebook link. I'm working on my Hawaii one now. It is massive. So much to see and do. I still have 16 months until that cruise, so it is going to keep growing. :D

 

Ann, how do I find this link everyone is speaking of? I'm interested to read it, as I return to Cartagena next month.

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