Cartagena and Medellin are often considered two of the must-see places in Colombia, but if you don’t have time to visit both, you might be left wondering, “How do I decide between Cartagena vs. Medellin?”
Let’s take a look at the differences between the two so you can make an informed decision. But first, a brief rundown of each city.
What Is Medellin Like?
Medellin is the second-largest city in Colombia, with a population of just over 2.5 million. Nestled in the Andes Mountains, Medellin is an adventurist’s paradise.
Considered the most dangerous city in the world throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Medellin has since seen a remarkable turnaround. Now, it’s one of the best places to visit in Colombia. It even has a modernized train service reminiscent of something you’d find in Asia or Europe.
What Is Cartagena Like?
Cartagena is the 5th-biggest city in Colombia, but it’s the 2nd-most visited city in Colombia, only behind Bogota.
The reason for this lies in the fact that Cartagena is a coastal city with plentiful beaches, and it boasts exceptional nightlife in its coastal neighborhoods. Its famous Walled City, or the historic center, is one of the most picturesque places in the country.
Climate
Weather in Medellin
Medellin is considered “The City of Eternal Spring.” It’s been given this nickname because of its constant springlike weather throughout the entire year.
Medellin sits high in the Andes with an elevation of 5,000 feet, and it’s not incredibly far from the equator in northern Ecuador. This means that Medellin’s temperatures are relatively consistent year-round. No matter what time of year you visit, you can expect temperatures around 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night and 70 to 85 degrees during the day. Visitors might be surprised at how consistently comfortable temperatures are in Medellin.
However, rain is prevalent, so make sure to bring your waterproof clothes and a rain jacket. Medellin averages a staggering 69 inches of rain per year.
Thankfully, this usually falls in the form of showers rather than thunderstorms, so you can still spend time outside on rainy days.
Weather in Cartagena
Despite its location only a few hundred miles north, Cartagena’s climate is vastly different than Medellin’s. Cartagena’s low elevation on the Caribbean Coast means hot temperatures throughout the year. In fact, the lowest-ever recorded temperature here is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Daytime temperatures hover around 90 degrees, with low humidity in the winter and spring and high humidity in the summer and fall.
Cartagena has two distinct seasons: a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy months are from June to November, when Cartagena receives up to 40 inches of rain. From December through May, the city receives little to no rain at all. Thunderstorms can be quite severe as they’re often tropical storms that roll in from the Atlantic and Caribbean.
Because of how temperate it stays year-round; Medellin has a better climate than Cartagena.
Nightlife
Nightlife in Medellin
Medellin benefits from having multiple neighborhoods with great bars, restaurants, and other nightlife activities. Most of the popular neighborhoods here are relatively safe as well. These include Laureles, El Poblado, Jardin, Belen, Sabaneta, and the nearby city of Envigado.
Laureles is a young, vibrant neighborhood where the major university and football stadium is located. Many consider it the most well-rounded neighborhood of the city, and I’d agree. El Poblado, on the other hand, is the most touristy. Although El Poblado has some fantastic trendy restaurants, clubs, and bars, it will be a far pricier visit than most places in Colombia (though still fairly cheap by U.S. standards, so don’t be scared off!).
Medellin has superb public transportation. In particular, a clean, reliable train service that passes through essentially every part of the city. And if you want to go to a neighborhood higher in elevation than where the train runs, you can likely get there via cable car. If you’re out and about, this makes it easy to hop from place to place, which is a luxury in South America.
Nightlife in Cartagena
Cartagena is most well-known for its historic old town, commonly referred to as the “Walled City.” The nightlife here is endless, with a plethora of options to eat and drink. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the walled city has an unbeatable atmosphere.
This historic center of Cartagena is possibly the priciest neighborhood in Colombia, though, so don’t come here thinking you’re going to get a great deal on everything.
Next to the old town is the Bocagrande area, a strip of the city that juts out on a peninsula. It includes beaches, casinos, shopping, and incredible nightlife. If you’re a partygoer headed to Colombia and you’re weighing Medellin vs. Cartagena, you should probably choose Cartagena for the nightlife that the historic center and Bocagrande area offer.
However, once you retreat inland from these coastal areas, you’ll hard pressed to find good nightlife in safe areas.
Medellin offers very good nightlife, but Cartagena’s old town and Bocagrande neighborhoods have some of the best nightlife in the country, especially for visitors. If beaching and partying are your two favorite activities, you should prioritize Cartagena over Medellin, as Cartagena is the better city for nightlife.
Attractions
Things to Do in Medellin
Medellin was once the most dangerous city in the world in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. This can be attributed to the presence of Pablo Escobar.
Thankfully, crime in Medellin has drastically decreased over the past 25 years. There are a few attractions in particular that have bloomed from its past darkness.
Comuna 13 (or Comuna Trece) is one example. Once ravaged by drugs, gangs, and violence, Comuna Trece is now one of the most unique, extraordinary places to visit in Colombia. Nestled high on the edge of the mountains overlooking the city, Comuna Trece is filled with outdoor escalators, jaw-dropping murals and other outdoor art displays, street performers, and countless authentic food and drink options. It’s also entirely walkable.
Many of its residents are still suffering from poverty, but Comuna Trece has become a beacon of hope for what the area can become thanks to its magnificent art and human creativity on display.
Another example is the Real Pablo Escobar Tour, where you can receive a guided tour from a local that includes a visit to his former residence and discussions about how he affected the lives of citizens.
Because of its climate, Medellin is incredibly green year-round, meaning there are many parks to explore as well. The best is Parque Arvi, perched on top of the mountains that can be reached by a cable car from the city center. The Park offers horseback riding, cycling, hiking, and more.
Things To Do in Cartagena
Due to its location on the coast, Cartagena’s most popular activities often involve heading to the beach and having good time. There are many nice beaches in and around the city, and there are even islands you can take a quick boat ride to for some more exclusivity. Cartagena is known for its nightlife, so it goes without saying that partying is a main attraction.
It’s OK to have a day without an agenda, as you can spend hours wondering around the Walled City and exploring the historic area.
Cartagena was once one of the wealthiest cities in South America thanks to its prime location as a port city on the Caribbean Sea. You can see the elegance of Cartagena from centuries ago by visiting the Castle San Felipe de Barajas and Monumento Torre del Reloj, the latter of which is the main city gate where you enter into the Walled City.
Both Cartagena and Medellin have numerous activities that are well worth your time, but we give the slight edge to Medellin as having more attractions than Cartagena because of the authenticity that comes with many of the activities.
Safety
Safety in Medellin
If you were alive in the 1980s and 1990s, you might remember hearing about Medellin on the news. For several years around this time, it had the highest homicide rate in the world.
However, the vast majority of crime was attributed to the presence of Pablo Escobar. Since his death, crime rates have reduced dramatically. Now, Medellin is just like any other major city – it has its good parts and its bad parts. It’s important to research neighborhoods before you go anywhere.
Currently, Medellin has a 55.17 crime index, on par with cities like London (54.29) and New York City (50.03). Its 15 homicides per 100,000 residents is fewer than many large American cities.
Safety in Cartagena
Cartagena never had the reputation that Medellin had 25+ years ago, but it’s been no safer in recent times.
Cartagena’s crime index stands at 54.88, just a touch better than Medellin’s. However, it’s level of crime has been increasing at a higher rate than Medellin over the past three years.
Additionally, there are more tourists in Cartagena, meaning you’ll be more prone to having your pockets picked. Aside from this, safety numbers are very comparable between the two cities.
Medellin and Cartagena have similar safety scores, but visitors are more likely to deal with petty crimes in Cartagena due to the sheer number of tourists, who are more prone to being taken advantage of than locals. For this reason, we view Medellin as a safer city than Cartagena.
Food
Food in Medellin
The food in this country is one of the main reasons you should visit Colombia. And being the second-largest city in Colombia, Medellin provides a huge variety of authentic, tasty, and affordable Colombian food. Colombians love their soup – and I can attest, you’ll have some great soup here.
The common Colombian foods – Bandeja paisa, arepas, bunuelos, and empanadas – will be easy to find in Medellin. Bandeja paisa is a large dish that’s especially popular in the Antioquia region. It includes beans, plaintain, chorizo, rice, arepas, avocado, and beef all in one!
Overall, Medellin is a great city for dining out. You might not find the diversity of options in terms of international cuisines that you find in other large cities, but you’ll have the chance to eat at some of the best restaurants in Colombia when you’re in Medellin.
Food in Cartagena
Unsurprisingly, Cartagena has a wider variety of fresh seafood than Medellin being a coastal city. The warm climate means a wider variety of fresh fuit as well, including coconut, guava, mango, pineapple and papaya.
Dishes like bandeja paija aren’t quite as common here, but you should still be able to find it.
Cartagena residents’ go-to dish is the fried fish plate. Cazuela de Mariscos, or seafood stew, is also prevalent, often including clams, shrimp, and calamari. Plus, it’s cooked with coconut milk. Yum!
Medellin won’t disappoint with the quantity of fantastic restaurants and options offering traditional Antioquian food. However, Cartagena is a better food city than Medellin because of its diversity of options, with more a higher quantity of fresh seafood and fruit.
Ease of Transportation
Getting Around in Medellin
No city in Colombia has better public transportation than Medellin, including Bogota.
The Medellin Metro rapid transit system has 27 stops throughout the city, running from North to South and Center to West (the eastern portion of the city is too mountainous). This is a clean, reliable train service that can take you to most areas of the city in a timely manner.
Buses aren’t quite as reliable (this is a theme of the country as a whole) but are obviously more plentiful. No matter where you are, you’ll likely be within a 10 to 15-minute walk of a bus stop.
Plus, you have the Medellin Metrocable, which has 6 lines and 19 stations. These cable cars take you to the more remote neighborhoods and underdeveloped barrios of the city that are perched up in the hills and mountains. The Metrocable perfectly complements the train system.
Getting Around in Cartagena
Since Cartagena has a low elevation in a flat part of the country, there’s no need for cable cars.
Unlike Medellin, Cartagena does not have a train system. The main method of public transportation is via buses. Its bus system is more modern than that of Bogota, but the city still has a notorious congestion problem.
You’ll likely rely on buses and taxis to take you around Cartagena if your destination isn’t within walking distance. It’s important to agree on a fare with a taxi driver before you depart, as rates are often spiked for foreigners.
It is much easier to get around in Medellin than Cartagena, despite being a significantly larger city.
| Medellin | Cartagena | |
| Weather | ✔️ | |
| Nightlife | ✔️ | |
| Attractions | ✔️ | |
| Safety | ✔️ | |
| Food | ✔️ | |
| Ease of Transportation | ✔️ | |
| Overall | ✔️ |
My Choice: Medellin
Debating cities to visit like Medellin vs. Cartagena is always going to be subjective. However, this debate objectively boils down to the following.
If lounging by the beach and experiencing an international nightlife scene are your highest-priority items when traveling, you should visit Cartagena instead of Medellin. Cartagena’s Old Town and Bocagrande neighborhoods has a lot to offer for visitors looking for a party or carnival-type feel for their trip.
However, Medellin is the better choice for someone who values cities that are lesser-traveled, easier to get around, and surrounded by greenery and nature. Its temperate climate means you won’t be dripping in sweat like you might in Cartagena, especially if you’re frequenting somewhere without decent air conditioning.
Cartagena has more historic attractions from centuries ago, but Medellin has more important and relevant historical attractions from just a few decades ago. If you want to see visuals of how far Colombia has come over the past 25 years, you should visit Medellin.
Unlike Cartagena, which has a reputation of only having a couple of relatively safe neighborhoods that you might feel restricted to, many of Medellin’s interesting neighborhoods have become either very safe or fairly safe over the past couple of decades.
Medellin is popular for expats because of good public transportation, the temperate climate, and the relative safety. Cartagena, on the other hand, is mainly limited to visitors who want to see the historic center and the beaches. Your wallet will feel this in those areas of Cartagena as well. Generally, Medellin is cheaper for foreigners than Cartagena.
However, if you’re planning an extended, 2-week trip to Colombia or longer, you should try to spend time in both cities. Medellin and Cartagena are two of the best places to visit in South America.
