The Port of Cartagena de Indias is located just five minutes from the old city and near the major tourist attractions and main shopping areas. It offers: 6 docking sites.

At the Cruise Ship Terminal, visitors are received with typical music and landscaped gardens. They may visit the duty and tax free store, the cafeteria, Juan Valdez coffee store, or the shopping area. Here they can find handycrafts, emerald gem stones, jewelry, pre-Columbian items, souvenirs, leather goods, cigars and more.

There is a free shuttle bus from the ship's pier to the cruise terminal where you can get taxis to the Old City. You can easily walk to all of the different sites in the Old City. From one end to the other is about 30 minutes but half the fun is all of the sites and people along the way.

Inside the port the taxis are posted to cost $15 one way for 4 people. The normal fare outside is about $4-5 for a trip to Old Town.

There is now a catamaran service that takes passengers from the cruise port to the docks by the Old Town. You buy a bracelet at the port store for $10 and it allows you to go to the Old Town and back for one price. The trip takes about 15 minutes each way and run every 30 minutes. There are 2 catamarans and they each hold about 120 passengers. During the trip you get a good view of Bocagrande as well as the old town and Convention Center. There are restrooms on board as well as refreshments and a guide to provide maps and other information.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise calendar for this port.

Watch a destination video.

Cartagena is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Considered by many as one of the world's most beautiful, fascinating and magical cities, Cartagena was founded by Spanish conquerors as a main port to bring Europeans and their goods into South America, and transport gold, silver and all sorts of plants, animals, minerals and handicrafts from all over the continent across the Caribbean and on to the Old World.

Today the city hosts intellectuals and plenty of beautiful restored homes among exotic, highly attractive and dynamic plazas, waterfronts and other public spaces. One of the most hospitable venues for any tourist looking for a good rest, Caribbean and Colombian magical realism and tropical ambiance or natural wonders. The city hosts many conventions but the two of major interest to Europeans and americans are without doubt the classical Music Festival held in the first two weeks of January and the South american version of the (UK) Hay Literary Festival towards the end of january. Both are particularly imaginative with world class performers, writers and critics.

Hop on/off tours.

Maps with walking tours are available at the cruise terminal.

Travelers should exercise vigilance at all times due to the level of violent crime. Although kidnapping and homicide rates in urban areas of Colombia have dropped in recent years, they remain high. Outside the main tourist areas these dangers are greatly magnified - avoid any off-the-beaten-track travel. It's best to stick to the main routes and travel during daytime only. Regions to avoid include border areas with Ecuador and Venezuela, where criminal, guerrilla and paramilitary activities are a threat to travelers.

Taxis are generally easy to find, although in the old town you may have to walk a few blocks away from the center, toward the wider road close to wall.

About 10.00 USD per cab from the pier the clock tower entrance should do it.

It pays to compare your cruise line shore excursions here.

The Colombian textile industry is well-recognized and reputable around South America and Europe. Clothing and lingerie are particularly regarded as high quality and very affordable.

The water is drinkable right from the tap in most of the major cities, but be prepared to buy some bottles if you go to the countryside. Agua Manantial Bottled water is recommended, it comes from a natural spring near Bogotá. An advice make sure you do not use ice cubes, or drink any beverage that might contain non distilled water, ask if the beverage is made with tap or bottled/boiled water.

The peso is the currency of the Republic of Colombia. 2000 Peso = 1 USD

DO NOT, under any circumstances, exchange your dollars for Colombian pesos with anyone offering to do so on the streets of Cartagena. You will be robbed.

Currency Converter

Spanish spoken

WiFi is available at the cruise port terminal so you can bring your laptop to access the internet. The cost is $3 - 5 an hour and tickets can be bought at the cash registers.

The cyber cafes in Cartagena are centered in the Centro (Old Town) district, cheap but slow times.

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