Where to live or invest in Cartagena: areas and neighbourhoods

Cartagena is Colombia's best-known tourist city, on the Caribbean coast, hot and humid all year. Its property market mixes homes for residents, holiday apartments and investment for tourist rentals. Each area is a different market.

The areas at a glance

• The Historic Centre and San Diego. The walled city: colonial and republican houses, boutique hotels and restaurants. It is protected heritage, which brings rules (see below).
• Getsemaní. Next to the centre, a former working-class neighbourhood turned into a district of hostels, bars and street art. Smaller houses and a lot of street life.
• Bocagrande, Castillogrande and El Laguito. The peninsula of tall buildings facing the sea. Castillogrande is the most residential and quiet part; Bocagrande, the most commercial and hotel-heavy.
• Manga. A residential island with republican houses, apartment buildings and marinas, minutes from the centre. Favoured by people who live there all year.
• Pie de la Popa and Crespo. Residential and more affordable. Crespo is next to the airport and has a beach.
• The northern zone. La Boquilla, Morros, Manzanillo and Serena del Mar. New beachfront developments, complexes of houses, schools and clinics, twenty to thirty minutes from the centre.

Buying in the Historic Centre

Houses in the centre are protected as heritage. Before buying one to renovate:

• Any works need authorisation from the heritage authorities, on top of the building licence.
• There are limits on façades, heights, courtyards and materials.
• Have an architect with experience in the centre check what can be done, before you sign.

Buying on the seafront

• Beaches are public. No property includes the beach. Building on beach or tidal land needs permits from the maritime authority.
• Salt air. Sea air wears out windows, railings, air conditioners and façades. Maintenance costs more than inland.
• The building fee. Seafront buildings with a pool and a backup generator charge a high one. Always ask.
• Flooding. Some streets flood in heavy rain or at high tide. Ask the neighbours.

If you are buying for tourist rentals

• The building's bylaws must allow short stays. Many residential buildings forbid them.
• Whoever provides the service must be in the National Tourism Register (RNT).
• Occupancy is seasonal: December, January, Easter week and mid-year concentrate demand.
• Work out the return including the building fee, utilities, maintenance and the commission of whoever manages the property.

If you are a foreigner

Cartagena is one of the cities in Colombia where foreigners buy most. They can do so with a passport, but the money must come in through a bank and be registered. Read Buying property in Colombia as a foreigner and closing costs.

Searching in Cartagena

See properties in Cartagena, for sale or for rent, or type what you want: "sea-view apartment in Bocagrande".

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best area to live in all year?

Manga, Castillogrande and the northern zone are the most residential. The Centre and Getsemaní are more touristy and noisier.

And to invest?

It depends on the use. For tourist rentals, the Centre, Getsemaní, Bocagrande and the northern zone, provided the building allows it. For long-term rentals, Manga and Crespo.

Do you need air conditioning?

Yes. Factor it into the electricity bill, which depends on the estrato.