The 10 Most Instagrammable Places in Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena, Colombia is one of the most photogenic cities in the world. Around every corner there’s a 400-year old cathedral, a colorful mural, a balcony laden with flowers, or a rainbow-colored street. We’ve taken several trips to Cartagena and find ourselves returning to the same photogenic spots over and over again!

Today, we’re sharing all of our secrets to finding our favorite spots to take photos in Cartagena. You know, for Instagram. Because if you don’t post about it on Instagram, did you really go? Let’s all collectively swallow our irony and just agree that photography is fun and Instagram is fun and follow each other, OK?

Planning a trip to Cartagena? Here are a few posts you’ll want to check out before your trip:

• What and Where to Eat in Cartagena, Colombia on a Budget
• What to Pack for Colombia: The Ultimate Packing Guide
• Mud Baths in a Volcano: Cartagena’s Most Ridiculous Tour
• How to Get from Cartagena to Santa Marta

Oh, hey! Don’t forget to subscribe below for a FREE printable packing list for Colombia, plus our favorite tips for visiting our favorite country!

 

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Tips for Taking Photos in Cartagena, Colombia

Be aware of the hard lighting

The lighting in Cartagena is EXTREMELY hard. Like, it’s some of the hardest lighting we’ve experienced anywhere in the world. The sun is hot and bright, and the buildings cast dark shadows, dividing half of the street into harsh lines that ruin your photos. This is probably the biggest challenge when it comes to photographing Cartagena.

The worst hard lighting lasts from around 10am to 4pm, so plan to spend some time indoors (perhaps somewhere with A/C?) during the sunniest part of the day, and plan your photos around the morning and early evening. During that time, the sun is the most forgiving – great for your photos, and for that sweaty, sticky look that I always get right at noon.

Bring a wide-angle lens

The streets of Cartagena are narrow, which makes it difficult to capture a lot of Cartagena’s most unique details, like the 2nd story balconies and street art. Bring a wide angle lens to help solve this problem so you can capture all of the beauty of Cartagena de las Indias. This one fits right on your cell phone – no fancy equipment needed!

Wait until the street clears

Patience is the name of the game in Cartagena. There is seemingly ALWAYS a bright yellow taxi,  a group of tourists, some teenagers taking a selfie, an oncoming car, or a just an onlooker blocking your ideal shot. Deep breaths – the street will clear, eventually. You just might have to stand there for a while, serenely, meditating, thinking about being “in the moment,” etc. Or just say f*** it and include taxis in half of your photos. Hey, it’s more “authentic” that way. 

Another suggestion? Head to the less crowded areas of Cartagena, like Getsemani. Many of our favorite shots of Cartagena were taken in colorful Getsemani, and we almost never had to worry about invading cars or avoiding crowds!

Be careful with your tripod

Cartagena is a busy place, and I wouldn’t recommend putting your camera on a tripod and walking away from it. But if you don’t have a photographer handy, it’s totally a necessary risk to get the ideal shot! We always travel with the lightweight JOBY GorillaPod tripod, which you can attach to anything (fences, trees, street-lamps, door handles …to give you a few examples from our last trip). Having your tripod firmly wrapped around something and your camera screwed safely into it means that nobody can walk off with your camera (or your phone, with this attachment) without a struggle, which is enough of a theft deterrent for 99% of opportunists.

Bring a lockable camera bag

Deter theft with a lockable camera bag – even better, a lockable camera bag that doesn’t scream I’M A CAMERA BAG WITH LOCKS ON IT. We have this bag, which holds all of our camera gear plus plenty of extra room, has lockable zippers, and looks like a regular backpack. Psst: make sure you buy locks that can’t be easily opened with a TSA key, like these. And read up on more travel safety tips here.

The Most Instagrammable Spots in Cartagena, Colombia

 

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Abaco Libros y Café

This iconic photo is the one most people imagine when they think of beautiful Cartagena de las Indias. We kept stumbling upon this view as we wandered through the maze of the Walled City. The dome hides around one turn and pops out through another, shows itself through a pair of palm trees on side of a park and conceals itself on the other. But the best spot to take this photo is right outside of Abaco Libros y Cafe. Just locate the coffee shop, turn around, and shoot! If you’re lucky, you’ll get a blissfully taxi-free opportunity to shoot straight down the street.

Since you’re already here to take your iconic Cartagena photo, head inside for a bonus shot! This gorgeous little coffee shop is also a stunning little bookstore. Capture your photo and spend a few minutes in the blessed A/C browsing books in Spanish, or sipping on an ice-cold coffee.

 

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Calle 37

Wander outside the crush of tourists near the entrance of the walled city to its quieter outskirts, and you’ll stumble upon some of the most adorable alleys in Cartagena – like this one at Calle 37 between Carerra 9 & 10! There are quite a few places to stay along this street, in the quieter part of the walled city.

 

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La Cocina de Pepina in Getsemani

I swear someone built this wall with Instagram in mind, because it is the PERFECT photo spot. Located just outside one of our favorite restaurants in Cartagena, La Cocina de Pepina, this wall provides the perfect framing and color for a gorgeous Instagram shot – totally profile picture worthy! It’s perfect for twirling around in front of in a flowy skirt (this is the one I’m wearing).

To get the best shot, head to the opposite side of the street, where you can frame your picture perfectly. This part of Getsemani isn’t terribly crowded, so you should be safe to set up a tripod here, particularly early in the morning. But if you’re planning to head inside and try their amazing fish soup (WHICH YOU SHOULD), don’t arrive TOO early – they open around 11.

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Calle San Andres

Head outside of Cartagena’s walled city and through the Parque del Centenario (keep an eye out for iguanas and parrots, both of which live in the park). As you exit the park through the far end, you’ll be greated with a beautiful street decorated with brightly colored banners. This is Calle San Andres, and it makes for a fantastic photo! Wander down this street and you’ll find even more photo ops, as well as local artists selling colorful paintings along the street. The next best thing to a great Instagram photo is a painting of what you WANTED to capture, right?

 

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Calle de la Sierpe

This large, curving street leading from the Walled City to Getsemani is beautiful during the day. Unfortunately, it’s also a little bit smelly, especially at night. But hold your nose and check it out, because it’s worth it to catch the stunning street art.

The most iconic mural on this street is of a laughing old woman, black and beautiful and bold in her defiant joy. It’s an uplifting piece, and it’s hella Instagram worthy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHiJOHKhFrO/

Las Tres Guerreras

This stunning portrait was created by Fin DAC and represents “The Face of Cartagena.” For a little context, Cartagena is home to a huge number of African descendants thanks to its bloody history as the primary slave port for the Spanish back when raping, pillaging, and conquering was all the rage. The brutal history has given rise to a unique Afro-Caribbean heritage, and today, the street art celebrating black Cartagena residents is a defiant and exciting statement against the racism that they still face today.

To find this gorgeous mural, head to Quintal Distrito Gourmet, Avenida Pedregal, Getsemani, Cartagena. You can also learn more about this piece and its origins in this article on Street Art News.

 

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Plaza de Trinidad, Getsemani

One of the best plazas in Cartagena, Plaza de Trinidad is usually packed at night but blissfully empty during the day. There are multiple excellent photo ops here, and both are examples of the colorful art splashed all over the crumbling walls of Getsemani.

The first is the beautiful portrait of an indigenous woman. The second is a powerful statue that dominates one side of the plaza, depicting Pedro Romero, a Cartagena hero and leader of the Lanceros, a militia comprised of free people of color (remember, Cartagena de las Indias was the primary slave port for all of South America – read more about Cartagena’s bloody history here). The lanceros led a battle to overthrow Spanish rule in Cartagena. You can read more about the story here.

Directly behind the statues is a colorful mural on the wall of a Maria Mulata, the official bird of Cartagena.  The story goes that the jet black bird was once brightly colored, but years of smoke and soot turned her feathers black. On a bright day, you might still catch a glimpse of the rainbow in her plumage!

 

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The Street Outside Santo Domingo Vidal Hostel

We discovered this nondescript little street  during our first trip to Cartagena, when we stayed at Santo Domingo Vidal Hostel. What a lucky find! The hostel ended up being one of our favorite hostels in Colombia, and it provided us with not just one, but TWO majorly Instagrammable photo ops.

Although the streets of Getsemani don’t boast the high walls and flower-covered colonial balconies as the walled city in Cartagena, it is just as colorful and beautiful as its sister neighborhood. We think this spot is a gorgeous photo op to capture the beauty and magic of Cartagena in a photo – and as a huge bonus, there’s so few crowds to worry about here that you can use your tripod worry-free.

This stunning mural of Joe Arroyo is one of the most photogenic spots in Getsemani, Cartagena, Colombia.

The Mural Outside Santo Domingo Vidal Hostel

This beautiful mural of Joe Arroyo located directly outside of Santo Domingo Vidal Hostel is picture-perfect and a great example of the gorgeous street art you’ll find as you wander through Getsemani, which is the much quieter neighborhood just outside of the more famous (& crowded) Walled City.

As a bonus, there’s a beautiful tree growing over the wall behind this mural, which means this spot is usually well protected by the shade. This is great for your photos as it avoids the problem most photographers encounter in Cartagena – the hard lighting – and for your face because it means you’ll be less sweaty as you twirl around in your flowy skirt (this is the exact one I brought!) or embrace bae for your 15th cute couple photo.

Are you dying to explore Cartagena de las Indias with your camera? I’ll come with you – who says 4 times is too many times to visit the same city?!

Heading to Cartagena for the warm Caribbean water & sunny beaches? The best beach in Cartagena is actually on an island just offshore – read our guide to Isla Baru and Playa Blanca. Pssst…what says instagrammable more than blue water and beachy scenes!?

Oh, and if you’re already shopping for plane tickets, here are a few more posts you’ll want to check out before your trip:

• What and Where to Eat in Cartagena, Colombia on a Budget
• What to Pack for Colombia: The Ultimate Packing Guide
• Mud Baths in a Volcano: Cartagena’s Most Ridiculous Tour
• How to Get from Cartagena to Santa Marta

And don’t forget to subscribe below for a FREE printable packing list for Colombia, plus our favorite tips for visiting our favorite country!

Hey, what’s the most photogenic place you’ve ever visited? Drop us a comment below!

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Disclaimer: We do have an affiliate partnership with ViaHero. And although we have not used their trip planning services ourselves, we’re really kicking ourselves for not hearing about them sooner, because they’re honestly rad AF. We’re fully intend to rectify that lack of personal experience – 5th trip to Colombia, anyone?!