First thing to accept: the beach is a trip, not a stroll
The sand you came for is across the water, not at the bottom of our street. We're on Carrera 7 in San Diego, inside the walls, and that's a neighbourhood of cobblestones and plazas rather than sun loungers. So a beach day here is a small piece of logistics, and the good news is it's a short one: the closest island is about 25 minutes on a boat.
Two real options. Pick by how much of your day you're willing to give up.
Tierra Bomba: the 25-minute island (our pick for most people)
Tierra Bomba is the island directly across the bay, and the boat ride is roughly 20 to 25 minutes depending on where you leave from. The detail that matters more than the minutes: the island sits inside the bay of Cartagena, so the notoriously choppy afternoon seas outside don't hit it. That means a late start is fine, and the ride home at 5pm isn't a rodeo.
Our beach club, Blue Apple Beach, is over there. It's the reason we're relaxed about telling you to leave the old town for the day, because you're still with us when you get there. Access and pricing for a beach day change with the season, so ask us directly rather than trusting a blog post, including this one.
Who it's for: anyone with half a day, anyone with a dinner reservation to get back for, and anyone who read the phrase "three hours each way" and lost interest.
Playa Blanca on Barú: the white sand, at a price in hours
Playa Blanca is the beach on the postcards, a long stretch of white sand on the Barú peninsula, and it's genuinely beautiful. It's also further than people expect. By road it's roughly an hour by car from the city. By water, speedboat transfers run from Todomar Marina in Bocagrande with a travel time of about 50 to 55 minutes each way. Traffic on the road route can make a mess of that, so if you're going by land, go early and don't schedule anything before evening.
Who it's for: a full day, an early start, and a tolerance for company. This is the most popular beach near Cartagena and it gets sold to every visitor in the city, so it is not a quiet cove.
Straight comparison
| Tierra Bomba | Playa Blanca (Barú) | |
|---|---|---|
| Travel time | About 20 to 25 min by boat | About 1 hr by car, or 50 to 55 min by speedboat from Todomar Marina, Bocagrande |
| Water | Inside the bay, protected from rough afternoon seas | Open Caribbean, white sand |
| Day needed | Half a day works | Full day, early start |
| We're involved | Yes, Blue Apple Beach is our beach club | No, it's a day trip |
How to run the day so it doesn't unravel
Eat breakfast before you go. It's included if you booked direct through our website, and it's the cheapest meal of your day by a wide margin.
Take pesos. Island and beach spending is easier in cash than with a card, and there's no cash machine in the sea.
Go in the morning, come back for the rooftop. Head up to the rooftop, it's open till midnight, and it's a decent way to end a day that started on a boat. Locals get 15% off up here too, so expect real company at sunset. It gets loud after dark, which we'd rather flag than have you discover at 11pm.
Don't try to stack a beach day with an island-hopping tour and a sunset sail. Pick one piece of water per day. This city is hot and the sun is not negotiating.
Arriving straight from the airport with beach plans
If your flight lands early and you want to go straight out, get into town first. We can arrange an airport transfer: 120,000 pesos for up to four people, 200,000 pesos for five or more. Drop bags with us, change, then go. Early check-in is free if the room's ready, but it depends on availability and we can't promise it, so plan the day as if you'll be in yesterday's clothes for an hour.
Live Cartagena the way we do: a boat in the morning, ceviche when you're back, and a drink upstairs while the plaza fills up.