A beachfront resort on the Caribbean, a walled colonial city half an hour away, and a coastline full of music, color, and island day trips. Cartagena gives your guests a wedding week with something new every day. Here’s how to plan yours.
Cartagena pairs a Caribbean beach week with a historic city your guests will want to explore. The walled old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984, is a grid of plazas, churches, and pastel houses with bougainvillea spilling over the balconies. At night the streets fill with cumbia and champeta, and the restaurant scene gives every evening of the wedding week a different option.
Getting there is straightforward. Rafael Núñez International Airport sits about 10 minutes from the historic center, with non-stop service from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York, and Atlanta. United adds year-round flights from Houston and Washington Dulles starting in December 2026. Colombia stays on UTC−5 all year, matching Eastern time through the winter wedding season.
Our Colombia wedding resort is Dreams Karibana, a family-friendly all-inclusive on the coast north of the city. We work directly with its wedding and group sales teams to secure your date, negotiate your room block, and keep the planning on track, at no cost to you.
We work directly with the wedding coordinators and group sales team at Dreams Karibana. That means faster answers on venue and date availability, stronger room block terms for your guests, and one person on your side from the first call through the wedding day.
Stone ramparts circle Cartagena’s old town, with the Castillo San Felipe fortress on the hill just outside. Inside, guests can wander plazas, sit at a café under a balcony, or join a walking tour on their own time. Many couples plan a portrait session here for the colors and the light.
Next to the walls, the Getsemaní neighborhood is known for its street murals, rooftop bars, and the evening crowd in Plaza de la Trinidad. For a group night out, a chiva, an open-sided party bus with a live band on board, takes your guests through the city in a way they won’t forget.
The Rosario Islands sit inside a national park off the coast, reached by boat from the city. Clear water, coral, and small beach clubs make them a natural pick for the day after the wedding. Barú’s white-sand beaches are another option for guests who want a long, easy beach day.
Dreams Karibana sits beside the Karibana golf course, designed by Jack Nicklaus. The front nine winds through lakes and mangroves, and the back nine runs along the sea. It’s an easy morning plan for golfers in the wedding party while others head to the beach or spa.
Cumbia and champeta grew up on this coast, and live music is part of daily life in Cartagena. About an hour away, San Basilio de Palenque, a town founded by people who escaped slavery, keeps its own language and drum traditions, and UNESCO recognizes its cultural heritage.
Fresh ceviche, arepas de huevo, coconut rice, and tropical fruit you won’t find at home fill Cartagena’s menus. The old town’s restaurants and courtyards work well for a rehearsal dinner or a smaller gathering away from the resort, and Colombian coffee makes for an easy welcome gift.
Dreams Karibana sits within the gated Karibana community on the coast north of Cartagena, about 25 minutes from the airport and 30 minutes from the walled city. Its rooms and suites come with balconies or private pools, and the resort runs complimentary shuttles into the old town for guests.
Full-scale resorts with the programming, room configurations, and amenities to keep every generation in your guest list comfortable and entertained all week.
Cartagena is warm all year. The dry season runs from December through April, when trade winds take the edge off the heat and rain is rare. Showers increase from May, and October and November are the wettest months. Cartagena sits south of the main hurricane belt, so storm season rarely affects planning.
Visiting couples can marry legally in Colombia through a notary. You’ll need a birth certificate and a single-status certificate, both issued within 90 days, apostilled, and officially translated into Spanish. Colombia recognizes same-sex marriage. Many couples sign legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony at the resort, and we walk you through either path.
Guests fly into Rafael Núñez International (CTG), with non-stop service from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York, and Atlanta. United begins year-round flights from Houston and Washington Dulles on December 17, 2026. Guests from other cities connect through Miami, Bogotá, or Panama City. The transfer to Dreams Karibana takes about 25 minutes.
Peak dry-season dates at Dreams Karibana book 12 to 18 months out. If you plan a legal ceremony, time your document requests carefully, since the notary needs certificates issued within the last 90 days. Reaching out early gives us room to secure your venue and the room block terms your guests need.
Whether you’re still comparing countries or ready to hold a date at Dreams Karibana, our team will guide every decision at no cost to you. Resorts pay our fee, not couples.
Explore more destinations
