Street traders in Cartagena

[uk-ladies]

Having just returned from a Coral Princess cruise that included this port I just wanted to say something about the street traders there. I was a little concerned about this port having read various threads on cruise critic and how aggressive the traders can be. I am 46 and was travelling with my 28 year old daughter, we encountered many traders whilst on the walking tour but to say they are aggressive is not entirely accurate in my opinion. yes they will approach you and ask if you want to buy their goods but all you need to say is a polite " no thankyou" and they will walk away, you'll find yourself saying this alot but please bare in mind that the tourist is their only form of income and they have to make the most of their chance when it comes along. Please don't be put off by past reports. Many people on our ship didn't get off at this port because of things they had heard and read by various means and they missed a great place. I'm not saying that it's like this all the time (how would I know) I'm just stating what it was like for us and we're glad we did it. We booked the walking tour with the ship and I have to say three hours is hard to do in the heat but if you're into buildings and history then go and enjoy. :)

[grandmato4]

Oh please do tell more about your stop in Catagena and your whole cruise!We are doing the same cruise in February and can't wait to see Cartagena and all this cruise has to offer! :)

[uk-ladies]

Oh please do tell more about your stop in Catagena and your whole cruise!We are doing the same cruise in February and can't wait to see Cartagena and all this cruise has to offer! :)

 

Grandmato, I've written a little more about the cruise on the Princess board on here so have a peek there.

As for Catagena, should I visit there again (and I hope to) I would definately do some sort of tour, be it ships own or private. There is no shortage of taxi's at the port and they can give you a tour at a reasonable price, we just booked the ship one in advance as this was all new to us. You cannot escape Emeralds here lol, they are everywhere and whilst on our walking tour we were taken to what was described as an emerald factory, well I personally wouldn't have called it that, there was one man at the rear of a shop who was melting gold to shape a ring mount (not exactly a factory) but if you like emeralds there is no shortage of choice. We found the walking tour a bit much in the heat to be honest but then we're from the UK and just not used to this sort of heat. Our guide was a part time history teacher and was very knowledgable on the city and it's architecture which is very diverse. At the end of the tour we were invited to enter the museum, we declined this and chose to go off on our own for half an hour to buy some bits from the street traders, if you like colourful, bright jewellery (for fun) then you wont get cheaper. I paid £15 (appox $26) for a braclette that I have at home and got 5 of the same in different colours for $10 the lot!! Hope you have a great time there, explore, feel and have fun!!

[mamapickle]

UK: I am very interested in purchasing emeralds when we are in Cartagena in Dec. Can you give me any specific info on pricing, stores, etc. did you purchase any there? Did you find the prices and quality about the same at the various stores?

 

pat

[travellovers2]

We are considering the walking tour because our main interest is architecture. We want to see it close up. My in-laws are going with us, is the walking tour going up steps or hills?

[uk-ladies]

I'm afraid I can't help with suggestions on where to buy emeralds, I didn't buy any or price them up but you definately wont be short of places to do so, sorry I can't be more help.

 

As for the walking about in the town, some places are a little steep but not overly so and we didn't encounter any steps on our tour. To be honest I would be more concerned about the heat (if your not used to high temps) and walking for any length of time with "mature" people.

[camahta]

thanks for posting. We are doing the same cruise in April. And this is the port we are looking forward to the most. I read your post on the Princess board then came here. I know you took a shore excursion but I was wondering about going off on your own? Did you see many people going off into the city? Is the port a walkable distance to town?

 

Thanks for any info.

Samantha

[pilotdane]

We just got off a Panama Canal cruise and ran into street vendors in three countries.

 

Mexico was the worst. They will follow you as you walk down the street "working" you the whole way. If you go walking on your own there are no vendors once you get a couple hundred yards away from the dock or other tour drop off spots.

 

Cartagena was not bad. They are very prevelant but if you say "no thank you" and keep walking that is it. They will be almost everywhere but they do not follow and do not threaten. They were less a problem than I thought they would be and were no sweat after three ports in Mexico to practice your technique.

 

Antigua, Guatemala: There are vendors where the tours drop off but they are very non-threatening and nice. You almost feel bad saying "no thank you".

[uk-ladies]

thanks for posting. We are doing the same cruise in April. And this is the port we are looking forward to the most. I read your post on the Princess board then came here. I know you took a shore excursion but I was wondering about going off on your own? Did you see many people going off into the city? Is the port a walkable distance to town?

 

Thanks for any info.

Samantha

 

Samantha

 

Alot of people just got a taxi from the pier, in my opinion it would be to far to walk from the dock to the old city (though I can't recall exactly how far) and the taxi's are very reasonable. We did go off on our own for a while and skipped the last part of our tour to see a museum. We had alot of fun just walking down the streets bartering with the vendors, we were approached but just said "no thanks" and we were left alone. Glad we did this as we got some great bargain "fun" jewellery and had a chuckle with the locals. If I can answer anything further just ask.

[grandmato4]

uk-ladies- Were the street vendor accepting US dollars ? I see that you skipped the last part of your tour to the museum to wander around the streets. Did you catch up with the tour again or catch a taxi back to the ship? Thanks for sharing all the great information about your cruise!:)

[pilotdane]

Everyone I saw was accepting US Dollars.

[uk-ladies]

uk-ladies- Were the street vendor accepting US dollars ? I see that you skipped the last part of your tour to the museum to wander around the streets. Did you catch up with the tour again or catch a taxi back to the ship? Thanks for sharing all the great information about your cruise!:)

 

Yes, every port we stopped at accepted US dollars. Before skipping the last part of the tour we just asked the guide what time he was leaving the museum and made sure we were back there before they moved on, it was about half an hour I think.