The Best Hostels in Cartagena, Colombia

Set on a cottage-lined backstreet, the cute, lime-green Casa del Pozo is less than a 10-minute walk from the walled city. The boutique hostel offers whitewashed dorms and doubles with simple, chipboard and pine pallet beds, colorful scatter cushions and Sevilla tiles. Enjoy the onsite bonsai bar and small pool.

Next to the Bulwark of Santa Bárbara and with views over the imposing Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (which looks like it belongs in The Count of Monte Cristo), the Santuario Hostel is a 15-minute walk from the colonial center. It has bare, white doubles and dorms with cubicle bunks, along with an open kitchen where you can cook meals and connect with other travelers.

As the name suggests, the dorm beds at the Hostel La Antigua Capsula are self-contained capsule spaces. Doubles are tiny and furnishing is sparse. However, the hostel sits in the heart of the lively Getsemani neighborhood, with plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs at your doorstep.

Cartagena hostel locations don’t get better than the El Barrio Hostal, which sits right in the center of the old city. It has balconies overlooking the Spanish colonnades and courtyards of the University of Cartagena. There are no dorms, but the basic ensuite rooms are budget-friendly, and brightened with light cream walls and stencil art.

Be Lounge is a beautiful hostel inside a 400-year-old house in the center of the old walled city of Cartagena. Its downstairs area features a lovely restaurant and garden bar, while the upstairs is home to private and shared bedrooms. This intimate little hostel also has a pleasant terrace ideal for sunbathing by day and stargazing by night. It’s just two blocks from the city walls and a stone’s throw from Plaza Santo Domingo, meaning you get a premium setting at hostel prices.

El Arsenal is a winsome boutique hostel that gets all the little details right – including a private light and socket by each dorm bed – and is equidistant between the Getsemani neighbourhood and the old walled city. Among the other draws are an excellent little swimming pool in the central courtyard – a very welcome amenity in such a hot city – and a couple of private rooms with private balconies and sea views, a rarity in Cartagena hostels.

While Viajero is a chain hostel, it’s up there with the best that Cartagena has to offer. With charming touches such as free classes in salsa, bachata and champeta dancing, as well as a pair of lovely colonial patios, the hostel occupies a privileged location in the heart of the old town, just a few blocks from the relaxed Plaza Fernández de Madrid. It was also ranked the best hostel in South America by Hostelworld in 2013, so has the credentials to back up its popularity.

Welcome to the ultimate Cartagena party hostel, sitting in the artistic neighborhood of Getsemani – it’s a favorite among backpackers wanting a quality night out. The lovely sunny patio is great for relaxing on by day, but becomes a dance floor by night, so if you want peace and quiet, think twice about staying here. If you want to socialize however, you’ll also be in a perfect position to dive into its celebrated Media Luna Mega Party every Wednesday.

Floating on the Caribbean Sea’s sparkling blue waters, Casa en el Agua is the definitive fantasy stay for beach and sea devotees. The only way to get there is through a boat transfer from Cartagena. With not much to do other than sip your way through cocktails on the deck, splash around idly or chill out in a hammock, it couldn’t be a dreamier. A Caribbean-castaway fantasy at a backpacker rate.

República is an excellent hostel in the old town near Plaza Fernández de Madrid. Its appeal is in its lovely pool and bar area, where you can relax away the day, chatting with fellow travelers over cold beers in the sunshine. There is a main bar, too, on the second floor, with a slightly more pronounced party atmosphere. Each dorm bed is set in a separate cubicle space, so you needn’t worry about noisy drunken roommates waking you when they crash following a raucous night out.