Short answer (as of ): Rafael Nunez International (CTG) sits less than 6 km from the Old Town, which is about 20 minutes in normal traffic. Take the official taxi from the rank outside arrivals, where a kiosk prints a fixed fare set by zone, from 20,200 COP (about $6.60) for Getsemani to 24,300 COP (about $8) for the dock beside the Old Town and 34,400 COP (about $11.30) for Bocagrande. Do not plan on ordering an Uber at the terminal, because drivers routinely avoid airport pickups even though the app works. Skip the currency exchange counters and use an ATM in the terminal instead.
Cartagena airport at a glance
- Airport
- Rafael Nunez International, code CTG, the only commercial airport serving Cartagena.
- Distance
- Under 6 km to the Old Town, about 20 minutes in normal traffic. This is one of the closest city airports in the region.
- Best way into town
- Official taxi from the rank, fare printed at the kiosk before you get in.
- Typical fare
- Fixed by zone: 20,200 COP (roughly $6.60) to Getsemani, 24,300 COP (about $8) to the Old Town dock, 34,400 COP (about $11.30) to Bocagrande.
- Uber
- Legal in Colombia and useful in the city, unreliable for airport pickup. Details below.
- Money
- Use the ATMs, not the exchange counters. Bring nothing but your card.
How far is the airport from Cartagena?
Under 6 km from the Old Town, roughly 20 minutes door to door. The airport sits inside the city rather than out in the countryside, which changes how you should plan arrival day.
Because the ride is so short, an arrival at 8 PM still leaves you time for dinner, and an early departure does not require leaving at dawn. It also means the difference in price between transport options is small in absolute terms, so you are choosing for convenience and predictability rather than to save meaningful money. For moving around once you are settled, see our Cartagena transport guide.
Can you take an Uber from Cartagena airport?
In practice, no, and this is the single most common piece of outdated advice about arriving in Cartagena. Uber is legal in Colombia and works well inside the city, but airport pickups are a different situation.
The Colombian Supreme Court confirmed Uber’s legal status in 2023, and the app functions normally in Cartagena. At the airport, however, drivers frequently decline or cancel arrivals pickups because of friction with airport transport controls and the official taxi operation. Travellers who insist on using the app usually end up walking off airport property before requesting a ride, which is an odd thing to do with luggage after a long flight and saves you almost nothing.
I have watched people stand in arrivals cancelling and re-requesting for twenty minutes while the official taxi rank moved steadily. Take the taxi on arrival and use Uber for the rest of your trip.
What does a taxi from the airport cost?
Between 20,200 and 34,400 COP, roughly $6.60 to $11.30, depending on which zone you are heading to, with the fare printed before you travel. The rank works off a zone table set by city decree, so there is nothing to haggle over. Getsemani is 20,200 COP, the Muelle de la Bodeguita beside the Old Town walls is 24,300 COP, Manga is 28,500 COP and Bocagrande, Castillogrande and El Laguito are 34,400 COP. Between 7 PM and 5 AM add a night surcharge of 1,100 COP. The Old Town itself is not a named destination on the table, so expect to be charged the Getsemani or the Bodeguita rate depending on your exact address (rates from the airport operator’s published table, Decreto 0051, August 2026).
| Option | Cost | Time | Fare fixed in advance | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official taxi from rank | 20,200 to 34,400 COP by zone (about $6.60 to $11.30) | About 20 min | Yes, printed at kiosk | Best default for arrival |
| Uber | Similar or slightly less | Plus waiting and walking | Yes, in app | Unreliable at the terminal |
| Pre-booked private transfer | Several times the taxi fare | About 20 min | Yes | Worth it for groups, late arrivals, families |
| Hotel pickup | Usually the highest | About 20 min | Yes | Convenience only |
The kiosk system is the part worth knowing. You state your destination, receive a printed fare, and hand it to the driver. That removes the negotiation that causes most airport taxi complaints in Latin America. Confirm the printed number before the bags go in the boot, and pay in pesos.
How long does immigration take at CTG?
Roughly 10 to 30 minutes outside peak season, and 30 to 60 minutes in December and January. The terminal is small, which cuts both ways.
Baggage tends to arrive faster than at larger airports because there is less distance to cover, and the hall is easy to navigate. The constraint is immigration desks, which back up when several international flights land together. If you are connecting onward or have a booked transfer, build in an hour during high season rather than the twenty minutes the short distance to town might suggest.
Should you change money at the airport?
No. Use an ATM in the terminal and skip the exchange counters entirely. This is the most expensive avoidable mistake on arrival day.
The airport has two exchange offices, Americambios and GloboCambio, generally open from 7 AM to 8 PM, and their rates are poor by design. I used a counter on my first arrival and worked out afterwards that the same amount taken from an ATM would have covered an extra dinner. ATMs from Banco de Bogota, BBVA and Servibanca are available in the check-in hall and in both domestic and international arrivals, and they give the interbank rate minus your own bank’s fees. Withdraw a moderate amount in smaller notes, since a 50,000 COP bill is awkward for a taxi fare of 20,200 to 34,400. Our Cartagena budget guide covers cards, cash and tipping in more detail.
Where do you get a SIM card?
At the operator counters in arrivals, and Claro has the best coverage in Colombia. They register and activate the SIM for you on the spot, which is the part that is awkward to do later.
Expect roughly 30,000 to 45,000 COP (about $9.50 to $14) for 5 to 10 GB, or 50,000 to 70,000 COP (about $16 to $22) for 20 to 30 GB. Tigo and Movistar are also present and cheaper in places, but coverage outside cities is weaker, which matters if you are heading to Baru or the islands. Bring your passport, since registration is required. Terminal WiFi works if you would rather sort a SIM in town.
Is the airport area safe on arrival?
Yes, and arrival is one of the lower-risk moments of a Cartagena trip. The airport sits in a normal city neighbourhood rather than an isolated zone, and the taxi rank is supervised.
The usual arrival advice applies: keep your phone away while you walk out, use the official rank rather than anyone approaching you inside the terminal, and have your accommodation address written down rather than reading it off a screen at the kerb. Unsolicited offers of help with bags or transport inside arrivals are worth a polite refusal. Our Cartagena safety guide covers the scams that actually target visitors.
Where should you head from the airport?
Most first-time visitors go to the walled Old Town or Getsemani, and both are about the same 20 minute ride. Because every neighbourhood is close, arrival logistics should not drive your choice of base.
Bocagrande is marginally closer and Getsemani marginally further, but the differences are minutes, not a factor worth optimising. Decide on price, noise and atmosphere instead, which our neighbourhood guide compares directly.
When the airport taxi is the wrong call
Skip the rank if you are a group of four or more with luggage, arriving after midnight, or travelling with small children. The standard taxi is a small car and the queue is a queue.
In those cases a pre-booked transfer costs several times more in relative terms and almost nothing in absolute terms, and it removes the one variable you cannot control after a long flight. The same applies in reverse for early departures, when a fixed pickup beats hoping a driver accepts a 4 AM request.
The counterargument: is avoiding Uber overcautious?
Plenty of travellers do get an Uber at CTG without incident, so the advice here is about reliability rather than impossibility. Both experiences are real.
If you arrive mid-morning on a quiet day, speak some Spanish, and are willing to walk a few minutes with your bags, the app may well work and cost slightly less. The reason it is not the default recommendation is that the failure mode is bad: standing in arrivals after a long flight, cancelling repeatedly, while a queue of licensed taxis with printed fares sits twenty metres away. For a five dollar ride, buying certainty is the better trade.
The honest takeaway
CTG is small, close and easy, which makes it one of the least stressful arrivals in the region. Take the official taxi from the rank with the printed fare, pull cash from a terminal ATM rather than an exchange desk, buy a Claro SIM in arrivals if you want data immediately, and save Uber for the rest of the week. Build in an extra half hour for immigration if you land in December or January.
Cartagena airport FAQ
How far is Cartagena airport from the Old Town?
Under 6 km, which is about 20 minutes in normal traffic. Rafael Nunez International sits inside the city rather than outside it.
Can you use Uber at Cartagena airport?
Uber is legal in Colombia and works in the city, but drivers commonly decline airport pickups. Use the official taxi rank on arrival and the app for the rest of your trip.
How much is a taxi from Cartagena airport to the city?
Between 20,200 and 34,400 COP, roughly $6.60 to $11.30, depending on the zone: 20,200 COP to Getsemani, 24,300 COP to the Muelle de la Bodeguita beside the Old Town, 34,400 COP to Bocagrande. A kiosk prints your fixed fare before you travel and a 1,100 COP night surcharge applies from 7 PM to 5 AM, as of August 2026.
Should you exchange money at Cartagena airport?
No. The two exchange offices give poor rates. Use the ATMs from Banco de Bogota, BBVA or Servibanca in the terminal instead, and withdraw in smaller notes.
Can you buy a SIM card at Cartagena airport?
Yes, at the operator counters in arrivals. Claro has the best national coverage. Expect 30,000 to 45,000 COP for 5 to 10 GB, and bring your passport, since registration is required.