Santa Marta

Currency

Prices are quoted in thousands and the notes have a lot of zeros — a 50,000 peso note is about €14. Change money at a casa de cambio in the centre rather than at the airport, count what you are handed, and never change with someone on the street in Taganga or on the seafront.

ATMs & cards

Bancolombia, Davivienda and BBVA machines inside a bank branch or a shopping centre, in daylight, and never one standing alone on a street corner. Colombian ATMs charge a fixed fee of roughly 20,000 pesos a withdrawal, so take the maximum. Decline conversion, and cover the keypad.

Colombian ATMs charge a fixed fee of roughly 20,000 pesos, so draw the maximum. Count the notes before you walk away.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

The old centre and the beaches are fine by day and busy in the evening, and the city is far calmer than its reputation from twenty years ago. Phone snatching is the real risk — do not walk with it in your hand — and Taganga after dark is best reached by taxi. Take a guide for the Sierra Nevada rather than walking into the hills alone.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Yellow fever if you are going to the Amazon, the Pacific coast or Tayrona — some parks now ask for the certificate
• Rabies for rural or long stays

Getting treated

Private hospitals in Cartagena, Bogotá and Medellín are good and inexpensive by European standards, which is why medical tourism is a real industry here. They expect payment or an insurance guarantee before treating. Public facilities are stretched.

Do not drink the tap water outside Bogotá and Medellín. Dengue is present on the Caribbean coast year-round. Yellow fever vaccination needs 10 days to take effect, so it is not a last-minute item.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Caribbean Colombia, not Andean: coconut rice, fried fish, patacones and arepas de huevo. Eat at the seafront stalls in the evening and in the market at lunch, and drink limonada de coco with everything. The centre’s restaurants around Parque de los Novios are good and priced for visitors.

Getting around

• Walking — the historic centre is small, flat and best seen on foot
• Taxi — cheap and everywhere, but agree the fare before getting in; the meters are decorative
• Colectivo minibuses — the way locals reach Rodadero, Taganga and the Tayrona park gate
• Uber and DiDi — both work here and remove the negotiation
• Airport: Simón Bolívar is 20 minutes south, with flights from Bogotá and Medellín all day

Internet speed

Broadband here runs at 1.8× the global median of 128 Mbps. Mobile runs at 42% of the global median of 110 Mbps.

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured May 2026

Must-see

Things to do

• Swim at Cabo San Juan in Tayrona national park
• Ride up to Minca for coffee farms and the waterfalls
• Walk the old centre in the evening when it cools
• Trek four days to Ciudad Perdida
• Take a boat to Playa Cristal
• Watch the sunset from Playa Los Cocos

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Spanish (Latin American)

• HelloHolaOH-la
• PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
• Thank youGraciasGRA-syas
• Yes / NoSí / Nosee / no
• Excuse meDisculpedees-KOOL-peh
• How much is it?¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta
• The bill, pleaseLa cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta
• Cheers!¡Salud!sa-LOOD

The c and z are said as an s here, not the Spanish "th" — gracias is GRA-syas.

Religion

Catholic

Around 70% Catholic. Semana Santa is a major holiday and Popayán’s processions are UNESCO-listed.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet everyone on entering a small shop or a lift — buenos días to the room, not to one person
• Use usted with people you have just met; it is the respectful default in much of the country
• Accept a tinto, the small black coffee, when offered — it is how conversations start
• Dance when invited, badly if necessary; refusing outright is the odd choice here

Don't

• Do not make cocaine jokes or references to Escobar. It is the single fastest way to insult someone, and Colombians are tired of it
• Do not discuss the armed conflict lightly with people you have just met
• Do not photograph people, especially the palenqueras in Cartagena, without asking and expecting to pay
• Do not flash phones or jewellery in the street — no dar papaya, do not give an opportunity, is a national principle