No need to rent a car in Cartagena! There are complicated rules about driving cars around the center area anyway which would make having a car undesirable. It’s easy to walk around the Old City & other means of transportation are available. (And if you are wondering how to figure out those street addresses, Medellin Guru has a helpful post.)

Public taxis
Cartagena’s ubiquitous yellow public taxis are easily flagged on the street & in general are safe. Fares are set by zone and by law, each cab is to have a copy of the zone fare card available; you want to know which zone you are coming from (Centro for example) and going to (Bocagrande for ex; this would be the minimum amount). As of March 2024, the minimum fare is officially COP$9,800 and there is a 900 peso night surcharge from 9 pm to 5 am (fares are set by official decree).

If taking a cab from the airport, you can get an official paper with the fare written down:
-just outside the domestic terminal there’s a taxi kiosk with a person who will give you the fare ticket
-or get one via the automatic kiosk as you exit the international terminal.

Sample fares:
*From the airport to Casa Barbara/Cabrero: $16,100
*From the airport to Old City hotels: $19,400
*Between the Old City & Cabrero, Bocagrande, San Felipe Castle, Manga: $9,800
*Between the bus terminal & Casa Barbara/Cabrero: $36,400

Additional 800 peso night charge between 9 pm and 5 am.

In practice, fares are rounded up to the next highest thousand. Tipping is not common or obligatory but always welcomed. Be sure to confirm the rate with the driver *before* getting in.

More on taxis by Cartagena Explorer here.

Taxi apps
Taxi apps have faced legal issues since the beginning; they may or may not be legal at the time of this reading!! 🙂 If you use one, be sure you know what your fare should be (based on the standard zoned taxi rates) before requesting & agreeing to a ride via an app. Popular apps for calling taxis in Colombia include
Cabify (aka Easy Taxi)
InDrive (you put in the fare you wish to pay & a driver accepts)
Uber (although some have not had good experiences with this in Colombia)

Private Driver
For private transportation (airport, city tour, Playa Blanca, Mud Volcano & more), contact English-speaking Álvaro Barreto Maturana via WhatsApp at +57 315 692 9665‬ or email abarreto_maturana@hotmail.com.

Buses
Integrated public transport system “TransCaribe” has comfortable seating and air conditioning. The main lines run on a dedicated bus lane from the tourist dock to the southern areas of the city along Avenida Pedro de Heredia. You need to buy a transit card (COP$6,000) and load it with money (COP$3,300/trip as of April 2024) in order to use it. More than one person can use a single card for a trip. Feeder buses for this system include buses to the airport and to Bocagrande. Likely more information than you will use, but system maps are here.

You will still see the older, more colorful local “busetas” which stop if you flag them down; fare is COP$3,300 (cash only; change will be provided for small bills). Destinations are written on the front of the bus and are called out by the ‘Esparring’ (bus assistant), but it can be confusing so don’t hesitate to ask! Let them know where you’d like to get off & they will stop.

‘Mototaxis’
You will see a lot of (mainly) men on motorcycles carrying an extra helmet; they are looking for paying passengers. While not legal, a blind eye is turned. This type of transportation is not recommended!

Rental cars
We do not recommend having a car in Cartagena.

More info on local transportation here.

For transportation between Cartagena & other cities, please see here.