Which To Visit, Cartagena Or Bogota Colombia?
Thinking About Visiting Colombia And Wondering Which Is Better To Visit, Bogota or Cartagena?
I lived in Colombia for a little while to teach English, but when the teachers went on strike I had a lot of time to go out and explore places like Bogota and Cartagena, and while I have my personal preference between the two, here is a comparison to help you decide if one, the other, both, or neither are worth adding to your next trip to Colombia.
🇨🇴 Which To Visit, Cartagena Or Bogota, Colombia?
Although they’re both in Colombia, Bogota and Cartagena are completely different kinds of places to visit so you might find that both are worth adding to your next trip to Colombia, or maybe one will be better than the other depending on your interests.
Reasons To Visit Cartagena
Although it’s crowded, pricey, and a big party place for Colombia, Cartagena can be worth visiting because:
- it has a cool old colonial walled city with a Spanish fort and lots of beautiful architecture
- the beaches right there in Cartagena aren’t very pretty, but there are some beautiful nearby beaches and islands
- there are plenty of cruise ships and flights into this city so it’s a pretty easy place to reach
- it’s pretty easy to get around Cartagena because the old walled city is very walkable, although it gets really hot here so it can be exhausting
- the weather is hot and humid so it’s perfect for all the great water activities
- there are lots of popular beach, party, and island activities (which is something Cartagena is most known for)
➡️ For more reasons on why to visit or not visit Cartagena, check here; I also have more comparisons between Cartagena and Medellin as well as Cartagena and Santa Marta to help you plan your next Colombia trip
Reasons To Visit Bogota
People outside of Bogota aren’t always big fans of Bogota because it’s colder and the people aren’t as warm and friendly as some other parts of Colombia, but I think Bogota is a great place to visit because:
- it’s the capital of Colombia so it’s a big city with lots of things to see and do
- there is some really interesting history in Bogota, particularly at the Simon Bolivar Museum and the Gold Museum
- Monserrate is a popular mountain top site in Bogota with great views of the city and the mountains
- the weather in Bogota is nice and cool because it’s high up in the mountains but it can be more rainy and cloudy here
- there are some very interesting close (or sort of close) sites like the Salt Cathedral and the town of Villa de Leyva
- because Bogota is the capital and the largest city in Colombia, almost all flights go in and out of here so if you want to visit other places around Colombia it’s really easy to get to them from Bogota
So Which Is Better, Cartagena Or Bogota, Colombia?
Since Bogota and Cartagena are completely different kinds of places to visit, it’s not easy to give them a fair comparison because they might both be worth visiting if you’re interested in the capital/cultural side of Bogota and the Caribbean/beachy side of Cartagena, but if you only have time to choose one:
➡️ Bogota is best for a large city, historical, cultural, cool weather, and further Colombia exploration kind of a trip
➡️ Cartagena is best for a beach, island, architecture, and party kind of trip
Personally, between the two my favorite place to visit was Bogota because I loved all the history, the museums, the cooler weather, and the beautiful mountain views.
🔁 Sum Up: Cartagena Or Bogota, Colombia
Although they’re both completely different kinds of places to visit and they might both be worth adding to your Colombia itinerary, if you only have time to visit one or the other, I think Bogota is best for a large city, historical, and cultural kind of trip, while Cartagena is best for a hot weather, beachy, island, and party kind of trip. Personally I prefer Bogota over Cartagena, but both are great destinations to add to any trip to Colombia.
