NAME
Cartagena de Indias, Cultural and Tourism District
Also called: La Heroica
FOUNDED
June 1, 1533, by Spanish conqueror Pedro de Heredia
DEMONYM
Cartagenero or cartagenera
ELECTRICITY
110 volts
TIME ZONE
GMT-5
ALTITUDE AND LOCATION
Cartagena is two meters above sea level and its exact location is Latitude 10° 25’ North – Longitude 75° 31’ West. It is set on Co-lombia’s Caribbean coast, with easy access by air, road and sea.
POPULATION
Home to 1,036,134 residents, it is Colombia’s fifth most populated city after Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla.
CLIMATE
A humid tropical climate with a sea breeze, and temperatures ranging between 28 °C and 32 °C. In general, there is no rain between December and March.
TRANSPORT
For your own safety, we recommend ordering transport by phone or using applications such as inDriver or Uber.
MONEY
Foreign currency can be exchanged for Colombian pesos in most hotels, currency exchanges or the main local banks. You can also make and receive transfers in Western Union.
TIPPING
In Colombia, tipping is not obligatory, but it is seen as a kind gesture to reward good service. In restaurants and bars, before receiving your bill you will be asked if you accept the inclusion of a voluntary 10% service charge.
HOLIDAYS
June 1 is the celebration of the founding of Cartagena and November 11 is the commemoration of the city’s independence. The week surrounding the latter sees the celebration of the Independence Parties and the National Beauty Pageant.
RECOGNITION
Declared a Colombian National Heritage site in 1959 and a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1984.
