maggie144

We are attending a wedding near Cancun in June and had hoped to add Colombia or another somewhat easily accesible locale (from Cancun airport).....If we choose Colombia, our thoughts were Cartagena and Bogota......is there another "must see stop" we should make in addition to these two cities? Medillin or Pereira? Is there a beach resort area near Cartagena that we should add on? Do any of you have experience with day guides in either Cartagena or Bogota --- someone you would recommend? Any and all responses are welcome....... Thanks so much!

yestravel

With one week I would stick to 2 destinations. Cartagena and either Bogota or Medellin make a nice combo. Check out my trip report of our longer time Inc Columbia bitmyou can see what we did. Click on my name to find it.

crellston

I agree with Yestravel, stick to two destinations only. My choice would be Bogotá over Medellin and Cartagena. Easy to fly between the two places. We had good experiences (and cheap cars with Viva Colombia.

Loads to see in Bogotá and a walking/ grafitti tour is a good way to get your bearings on you first day. The Museo del Oro is worth a must do as is the main square, La Candeleria, Museo Botero. Also, I would recommend a visit to Zipaquira, the salt cathedral a couple of hours by bus from the city - amazing!

Cartagena is easily navigated by yourself, no need for a guide but they are everywhere. A couple of days would suffice for the old town. Personally, I don't think a visit to the beaches nearby is worth the effort. If you did want to add a location, I would consider Mompox, although it does take some effort and time to get there.

Some photos and more detail of our time in Colombia last year can be forums on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/colombia/

If you wanted to forego Cartagena, then Bogotá would combine well with a smaller town like Villa de Leyva or Barichara or Jardin ( although thlatter would be better combin d with Medellin.

mlgb

The old town area of Cartagena is interesting if you like colonial history but I think if you want more days of beach time I would just add those on near Cancun. I was there only for a day off a cruise ship and we used Dora the Explorer on a bus tour with a large group. It was nice having an A/C bus to get back on to! Cartagena is very hot and humid. It's mostly a friendly city although there may be some areas where you should not walk, near the port or going up to the La Popa Hill.

Agreeing with those who liked Bogota and Villa de Leyva.

I did not use a guide except for a day from Villa de Leyva.

I do speak enough Spanish to more or less negotiate on my own.

In Bogota see the graffiti, and at least the Gold and Botero Museums.

I also have a trip report although not sure how much help it will be for you.

maggie144

Thank you for your responses, and based on your responses and some other research, I agree, it sounds like our time in Mexico is better suited to beaching it than does Colombia......does Bogota (and Medellin) have cooler temperatures in June than Cartagena? Or is it just hot and humid throughout all of Colombia during that time period? Is there a better time to visit when the weather is more temperate?

mlgb

Bogota/Villa de Leyva ar both inlan in the mountains and are temperate year round. June isn't a bad month per Accuweather, if typical patterns hold

http://www.accuweather.com/en/co/bog...onyr=6/01/2017

Medellin is warm but not like Cartagena, which is HOT

http://www.accuweather.com/en/co/med...onyr=6/01/2017

mlgb

For just a week I would do Bogota and Villa de Leiva (you will find different spellings, although I say that without having been to Medellin.

yestravel

We were in Colombia in Jan/Feb and it was quite pleasant with the exception of Cartegena which was hot & humid, but bearable. And it wasnt horrible at night. You need a/c and hotels have pools. I've been in much worse.