Cartagena in March

When to go

March sits outside the Atlantic hurricane season dates that the National Hurricane Center lists, and the center's basin includes the Caribbean Sea. The WMO climate table, supplied by Colombia's national meteorological institute, shows the month's temperatures and precipitation. Colombian law lists a March holiday, which moves to the following Monday when it does not fall on one, and also lists Holy Thursday and Good Friday as days of paid rest, so check the calendar for your year and confirm opening hours and transport around those days.

Trip facts

• The WMO's World Weather Information Service lists, for Cartagena, Colombia, a mean daily maximum temperature of 30.8 °C (87.4 °F) and a mean daily minimum temperature of 24.5 °C (76.1 °F) in March, from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environment Studies and based on monthly averages for 1971–2000. (worldweather.wmo.int, checked 2026-10-15)
• The WMO's World Weather Information Service lists, for Cartagena, Colombia, a mean total precipitation of 2 mm in March, from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environment Studies and based on monthly averages for 1971–2000. (worldweather.wmo.int, checked 2026-10-15)
• The National Hurricane Center says the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and that the Atlantic basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of America. (www.nhc.noaa.gov, checked 2026-10-15)
• Colombia's Ley 51 de 1983, as published in the Función Pública's Gestor Normativo, lists March 19 and the days Holy Thursday and Good Friday ('Jueves y Viernes Santos') among the holidays with paid rest for all workers, and says the paid rest of March 19, when it does not fall on a Monday, moves to the following Monday. (www.funcionpublica.gov.co, checked 2026-10-15)
• Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 'Estados Unidos de America' among the foreigners exempt from a visa for short-stay visits, and defines a short stay as staying in the country for up to 90 days, extendable up to 180 days per calendar year. (www.cancilleria.gov.co, checked 2026-10-15)
• The U.S. Embassy in Colombia's website shows the State Department's Travel Advisory Level 3: Reconsider travel to Colombia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and natural disasters, and says some areas have an increased risk. (co.usembassy.gov, checked 2026-10-15)
• The website of the airport's operator, OINAC, says Rafael Núñez International Airport is inside the urban area of Cartagena, in the Crespo neighborhood, 10 minutes from the Historic Center and the Convention Center and 15 minutes from the hotel zone. (aeropuertocartagena.com.co, checked 2026-10-15)
• The airport operator OINAC's accommodation page lists colonial and boutique hotels in the Historic Center and chain hotels in areas such as Bocagrande, El Laguito and Manga, and describes Getsemaní as one of Cartagena's most emblematic neighborhoods, with lodging from boutique hotels to hostels and posadas. (aeropuertocartagena.com.co, checked 2026-10-15)
• The airport operator OINAC's transport page says the airport has two authorized taxi stations, at the national and international exits, and recommends that passengers always use these stations for transfers to other areas of the city. (aeropuertocartagena.com.co, checked 2026-10-15)
• The Rosario Islands page of the Corporación Turismo Cartagena de Indias, which lists Muelle La Bodeguita as its address, calls the pier the only one authorized for departures in Cartagena and says all departures to the Rosario Islands start there, in the heart of the Historic Center in front of the wall. (muellelabodeguita.com, checked 2026-10-15)