Cartagena de Indias Rafael Núñez Airport (CTG) — The Complete Master Guide 2026

🛫 Domestic + International Wings (Same Building)

Airlines: Avianca (the dominant carrier and Star Alliance hub partner), LATAM Colombia, Wingo, JetSmart, Aeroméxico, Copa, Spirit’s former routes now operated by JetBlue, Avianca and Wingo, plus American, Delta, JetBlue, Air Canada Rouge, KLM, and a smattering of seasonal European carriers (Edelweiss, Neos, Plus Ultra, World2Fly) in winter peak.

Layout: Domestic and international are in opposite ends of the same single-storey terminal; check-in hall is shared. International departures use the new 2024 pier on the south side. Walk time check-in to gate: 5–10 minutes max — CTG is a small airport.

📥 Spirit Airlines Collapse — What Changed in May 2026

Spirit Airlines ceased operations in May 2026. Pre-collapse, Spirit ran multiple daily CTG–FLL and CTG–FLL/CTG–EWR rotations carrying budget travellers from Florida and the US Northeast. JetBlue absorbed the bulk of Spirit’s FLL and FLL–CTG market share, with Avianca and Wingo picking up the rest.

Practical impact: CTG–US fares from Florida are 15–30% higher in mid-2026 than the Spirit-era floor, but reliability is back. JetBlue, Avianca, Frontier and Wingo serve the main Florida and US Northeast city pairs (FLL, MIA, EWR, JFK).

90-Day Visa-Free Stamp · Extendable Once

EU/UK/US/CA/AU/NZ passports get up to 90 days visa-free on arrival. Stays can be extended once by another 90 days at a Migración Colombia office in Cartagena (Calle 30 in Manga district) for ~140,000 COP. Maximum 180 days per calendar year. Officer at immigration enters the days granted on the stamp; ask politely for 90 if your itinerary needs them.

Peso vs Dollar — Cards Win at the Airport

USD is not widely accepted in Cartagena city the way it is in Panama or the Bahamas. Withdraw COP at a Bancolombia or Banco de Bogotá ATM in arrivals (the airport Globalnet kiosk has a poor rate). Most ATMs charge 15,000–25,000 COP plus your home bank fee. Cards work in tourist Cartagena — restaurants, hotels, Old City shops — but small food carts and chiva buses still want cash.

Colombia is not in any visa-waiver scheme requiring online pre-registration. There is no tourist VAT/IVA refund at CTG. The 19% IVA on goods is included in the price and stays in Colombia. Hotel stays of 30+ days for non-residents are VAT-exempt — relevant for digital nomads but not most leisure travellers.

⭐ Official Airport Taxis — Flat Zone Rate

Cartagena airport runs an official taxi desk just past Customs in the Arrivals hall. Pay at the desk, get a slip, dispatcher pairs you with the next car. The price is fixed by destination zone; no haggling, no meter surprises. White and yellow livery only. All accept card.

📱 Uber, InDriver, Cabify & DiDi — Cheaper, Slightly Awkward

Uber, InDriver, Cabify, and DiDi all operate at CTG. Pickups happen at a Level 1 designated app zone, signposted “Aplicaciones” or “Servicio app”. Uber is legally a quasi-grey area in Colombia — it works, but drivers sometimes ask passengers to sit in the front seat to look like a friend rather than a passenger if a transit officer is around. Don’t worry about it; it’s a politeness, not a real problem.

🚶 Walking, Yes — But Only If Daytime & Light Bag

Genuinely possible: the Old City is 1.5 km from the airport terminal, a 20–25 minute walk. The route follows Avenida Crespo south along the Caribbean coast and crosses into the walled city via the Clock Tower (Torre del Reloj). Pleasant in cool morning hours; brutal at midday in 32°C+ humidity. Daytime only — not recommended after dark.

🚌 Public Bus — Yes, But Don’t

The Transcaribe BRT system has stops near the airport (Crespo terminal, ~400m walk) and runs to the Old City for ~3,000 COP. Skip it. Crowded, slow (45+ minutes), no luggage racks, and the 7,000 COP saving over Uber is meaningless on a vacation budget. The Transcaribe is a great way to explore the city on day 2; it’s a poor airport-transfer choice.

✨ Heroica VIP Lounge (international & domestic airside, Priority Pass)

If you have one airport meal at CTG, make it an arepa de huevo (a deep-fried corn dough disc with an egg inside) from one of the airside food kiosks — ~7,000–12,000 COP for the most Cartagenean breakfast you can have airside. The Juan Valdez in the terminal is the same Juan Valdez you have at home; arepa de huevo is the Caribbean Coast you came for.

Colombia’s national coffee chain Juan Valdez at CTG sells single-origin pour-overs (try the Huila or Caldas single-origin) for 15,000–22,000 COP. The smaller Café San Alberto stand at the international concourse is where Colombian-coffee enthusiasts go — arabica from Quindío, properly extracted, ~18,000–25,000 COP. Skip the airport Starbucks; you can have that anywhere.

Aguardiente Antioqueño (sugarcane liquor with anise, ~70,000 COP a litre) and Aguardiente Cristal are the export-gift defaults. Ron Medellín Añejo and Ron Caldas Añejo 12-year are the standout Colombian rums. Whole-bean Juan Valdez Cumbre coffee, single-origin, vacuum-sealed. Colombian emeralds at the Joyería Caribe stand — certified, but compare to Bogotá Mercado de las Pulgas prices first if you’re serious. Avoid the airport-priced Wayuu textiles — Old City Sunday markets are 50% cheaper.

Colombia is one of the world’s great juice countries. Lulo (a sour-sweet citrus-tomato hybrid only really sold here), maracuyá (passion fruit), guanábana (soursop), níspero (loquat). The CTG food court has a Cosechas juice stand — ask for jugo en agua (in water, not milk) for the cleanest taste. ~8,000–14,000 COP for a 500 ml cup. You will miss it within a week of getting home.

Spirit Airlines collapsed in May 2026, taking with it the cheapest US–Cartagena route option. JetBlue absorbed most of FLL–CTG and EWR–CTG. Avianca picked up MIA–CTG and JFK–CTG slots. Wingo serves the budget end on FLL–CTG. Direct from JFK is JetBlue / Avianca. Old Spirit tickets are essentially worthless; check your travel insurance for airline-insolvency coverage. Allow 1–2 weeks for refund processing through the bankruptcy estate.

Cartagena sits at 10°N latitude with no significant temperature variation: 31–33°C daytime year-round, 24–27°C overnight, humidity 75–90%. The “cool” dry season (December–March) is still 30°C in the afternoon. Schedule airport runs at 06:00–09:00 or after 18:00 if your luggage is heavy; midday Avenida Crespo is a thermal nightmare. Hotels in Bocagrande all have AC; many Old City colonial conversions rely on ceiling fans and 60-cm walls only — book Bocagrande if you’re heat-sensitive.

Cartagena tap water is not safe to drink, including airport washroom taps. Bottled water airside runs 5,000–9,000 COP for 500 ml. The Plaza Premium Lounge has free filtered-water dispensers. Hot drinks (coffee, tea) are safe because boiling kills bacteria. In the city, even ice in restaurants outside Bocagrande and the Old City should be questioned; both Avianca and tour operators routinely warn about “agua sin hielo” for nervous stomachs.

For Cartagena and the Caribbean coast: Airalo, Holafly, GigSky and Saily all work fine in the city centre — ~US$10–20 for 5–10 GB / 14 days. For travel beyond — Tayrona, San Andrés, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta — buy a local SIM. Claro has the best Colombian Caribbean coverage; Movistar is second. Tigo is fine in cities, weaker rurally. The Claro kiosk at CTG arrivals takes a passport and 8 minutes; ask for the “Plan Turista” (~30,000–50,000 COP for 30 days unlimited).

Cartagena’s tourist core — Old City, Bocagrande, Castillogrande, Manga, Getsemaní — is among Colombia’s safer urban districts, with active police presence and tourist police circuit. The single biggest rule: do not hail street taxis; use Uber, InDriver, Cabify or DiDi only. Avoid the beach south of Castillogrande after dark. Getsemaní is bohemian and safe by day, sketchier by night — fine for dinner if you Uber both ways. Avenida Crespo is well-policed; the airport itself has standing security at the terminal.

Cartagena is card-friendly in tourist Old City and Bocagrande; cash matters in markets, food carts, smaller restaurants in non-tourist districts, and on the chiva & bus rides. Withdraw 200,000–400,000 COP at a Bancolombia or Banco de Bogotá ATM in arrivals — both have machines on Level 1. The 50,000 COP note is hard to break in small shops; ask for 20,000s and 10,000s if possible. USD is rarely accepted in Cartagena; convert to COP. Tipping: 8–10% in restaurants is included on the bill in tourist Cartagena (look for “propina sugerida”); don’t double-tip.