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Cartagena


kathy407
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It is fine, in fact it was my favorite stop of my recent Celebrity cruise. You cannot walk to the sites, however, but outside the gate there are many taxis and in December it was $20 to get into old town. When we were at old town we bought our hop on hop off ticket and that enabled us to take their shuttle back to the ship at the end of the day (you just can't take the shuttle from the ship to the old town, unless you buy the hop-on ticket from the cruise line).

 

Old town is lovely - get up onto the walls and walk around the city. You can certainly walk from old town to the fort, that's very doable. Lots of vendors trying to sell you stuff, but it was really a game waving them away. We loved Cartagena.

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When we were at old town we bought our hop on hop off ticket and that enabled us to take their shuttle back to the ship at the end of the day (you just can't take the shuttle from the ship to the old town, unless you buy the hop-on ticket from the cruise line).

 

 

 

Do you recall what you paid for the hop on, hop off ticket?

 

Thanks,

 

Neil

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  • 1 month later...

We booked a walking tour of the Old Town through Princess and loved it! The tour guide was outstanding and kept everyone engaged and interested. The architecture was beautiful and I really enjoyed learning about the history of Columbia. I would go back to this city with no hesitation.

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We met a wonderful couple from Cartagena a couple of years ago. They actually live there and our Americans. We met under unusual circumstances and have kept in touch. Recently, I emailed him to let him and his wife know that we were finally getting to come to Cartagena and we wanted to know the best tour we could do.

**Little back info. Him and his wife work with the US Embassy helping people who have taken ill on a cruise ship and get them back to the US**.

 

So, with that said, here is what he sent me back,

 

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The port is only about 10 - 15 minutes from the port so it is easy to get to the Old Town and back without worry of missing the ship. The Old Town is a must see in Cartagena. You can do your own tour and take in the majority of what you want to see and do and be able to do it at your own pace and more cheaply. There are taxis at the port which are authorized and safe. Here are some ideas:

• As you enter the port terminal, there will be someone giving out maps of the city and answering questions. They will give you free maps that are great for getting around the Old Town.

• Walk through the store (the big yellow old house) (visit it in more detail when you return)

• When you get outside the front of the store follow the signs to the taxi area.

• There will be guides that hound you to go on a tour. Even when you say that you want a taxi they will try to take you on a tour.

• Tell the taxi you want to be taken to the Old Town with a stop on the way to take pictures of the fort. To visit the Fort takes a fair amount of time and can be quite hot to climb. Most everyone stops in front to be able to take pictures. Ask the taxi driver how much and there should be a sign saying $20 to the Old Town. Agree before you go and tell him it is a one way fare. Don’t’ let them try to sell you some tour or that they’ll drive you around and also bring you back. The normal fare downtown is about $3 but since they’re inside the port they charge a lot more.

• You can have him drop you off at the clock tower which is one of the main entrances to the Old Town. From there you can do your own walking tour using the map. It has descriptions of the sights on the map. You can do a big loop and see the majority of the sights.

• Along the way you can get a snack, or something to drink as there are many places. There are also several shops if you want to shop any.

• You can come back. Either get any yellow taxi inside the Old Town or by going out the clock tower where you came in and going across the street to in front of the Convention Center. Just tell them that you're going back to the port and that you'll pay $5. They'll want more but if they don't accept it, look for another taxi. It will take on 10 - 15 minutes to get back to the port. As you return, you will go through Manga and there are many beautiful old colonial houses to see.

• When you get back, they will drop you off in front of the port store and it's nice to look around the park and see the birds and other animals. The people in the store are very nice and the prices are fixed (except for the jewelry) and they take credit cards. There is a simulated emerald museum that also has a nice display of emeralds (not for sale.)

• In the Old Town there will be many tourists and, like any place with tourists, watch your belongings. There are tourist police all around and it is very safe. Also lots of people want to sell you things and can be very pushy. Just say no and ignore them. The taxis will also try to take you to shopping places and show you other things but there’s always a charge or they have some connection to make money.

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Hopefully this is helpful. It was for me as I was inquiring about the Hop on Hop off bus. That is what I had planned last time we were going there. Unfortunately we never made it to Cartagena. We met them in Barranquilla Colombia in a hospital setting.

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