Cartagena, Colombia

Getting around Cartagena

How to travel around Cartagena — 5 options, what they cost, and which booking apps fix the fare before you go.

Last updated 2026-08-11

1. Walking the old city

The walled centre is small and walkable, and most of it is pedestrian in practice.

2. Uber and Cabify

Both operate; app cars sometimes ask you to sit in front, which is a legal grey area rather than a scam.

3. Yellow taxis

Unmetered here — fares run on published zones and must be agreed first.

Watch outFares several times the going rate quoted to arrivals; ask your hotel what the run costs.

4. Transcaribe

The bus rapid transit line running through the city on dedicated lanes.

5. Rafael Núñez airport

Unusually close — about 10 minutes from the walled city.

Booking apps in Colombia

Agreeing the fare in an app before you travel removes the argument at the end of the journey, which is where most transport scams happen. Links go to each app's official page — lookalike apps are themselves a scam.

Uber

Operates in Colombian cities, though its regulatory position has shifted repeatedly.

Coverage: Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena.
Why it helps: Fare is agreed in the app before the trip, and the route is recorded — which removes the refused meter, the tampered meter and the fixed 'foreigner price' in one move.

Cabify

Fixed-quote ride-hailing, common in Bogotá and Medellín.

Coverage: Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena.
Why it helps: Fare is agreed in the app before the trip, and the route is recorded — which removes the refused meter, the tampered meter and the fixed 'foreigner price' in one move.

Metro de Medellín

The metro and its cable-car lines, using the Cívica card.

Coverage: Medellín and the Aburrá Valley.