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cartegena, columbia

trishu

By trishu,
in Caribbean - Other

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  • 2 weeks later...
GoldieAZ

GoldieAZ

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Posted

We will be there on the Lirica in early April and planning on taking the CITY TOUR with the MSC cruise tours, assuming it is the safest. We have heard wonderful things about visiting the city, in spite of the political dangers that exist. DH wants to just stay on the ship, but I am more adventurous and have read more on these boards from previous folks. Will certainly keep up with current events prior to our sailing, and willing to cancel at a moments notice if needed.

 

GoldieAZ

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  • 1 month later...
Bodger

Bodger

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We were there in the winter of 2001. We did a tour that went to the old fortress, which was fine as I recall. We also walked in the town area a bit as part of the tour, it may have been an old church we went to.

 

They had what were called 'tourist police', fellows in military uniforms with serious looking weapons. That was a little ominous, but then a year later, after 9/11 I saw the same thing in the Fort Lauderdale airport!

 

We also went to a shopping area that was in some old jail and got a great deal on a cotton table cloth (US$15). While we sat in the little bus waiting to leave I read the package that said it was polyester. We laughed, it was still a great deal and we have had a lot of use out of it and my wife says it is great to wash. (Take your table dimensions with you.)

 

An interesting port but I wouldn't do any touring on my own.

 

Bodger

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LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

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We were there in Feb and took a ship's tour.

Most place you stop are street vendors that are very persistant...if you can get past this there are some good places to see.

The fort, La popa a monestery on top of the hill with a fantastic view ..we went to the artisan marketplace for shopping got some coffee beans there for a good price.

Most of the tours seem to want you to shop for emeralds... so be warned.

There were some shops at the end of the dock though we didn't have time to have a look.

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A Sixth?

A Sixth?

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We were there in January 2004 and just grabbed a local tour guy which worked out great for us. It was 1/4 the cost of a ship tour and we never felt one bit unsafe. In fact, we even stopped at a local cafe for a snack and a beer and blended in with the locals, never hassled once.

 

1175102489.jpg

 

1175102525.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
General Max

General Max

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We were there in January 2004 and just grabbed a local tour guy which worked out great for us. It was 1/4 the cost of a ship tour and we never felt one bit unsafe. In fact, we even stopped at a local cafe for a snack and a beer and blended in with the locals, never hassled once.

 

1175102489.jpg

 

1175102525.jpg

 

Are the pictures from Cartegena? They are very nice.

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llary

llary

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We LOVED Cartegena. We took a cab to the old walled section of town. Reminds me of the French Qtr in New Orleans. Great balconies, flowers, architecture. Take a carraige ride through the narrow streets. Stroll the top of the wall for the view. Lots of tourists and a police presence. Seemed safe on our own.

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argentinita

argentinita

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We were there in November 2010. The entrance to the Bay of Cartagena is a must and the view at night is spectacular. We shared a taxi with another couple to the fort of San Felipe de Barajas. They said the fee was set at $ 20. After toured the fort walked to the walled city, about 30 minutes, which would never do. It was too hot! We could not breathe! The walled city is beautiful. We visited the clock tower, the palace of the Inquisition, the Gold Museum, the Cathedral, the 'Gertrudis' by Botero, toured the streets with their balconies. Then we stopped a taxi to return the port, the driver did not know what to charge fee and charge $ 5 for the trip! At night it is beautiful to see all the buildings from the bay.

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