Any advice on whether we should visit it? We want to make the most of our time in Colombia without getting caught in too many tourist traps or (worse) sketchy situations.
I'm thinking to go to Colombia with my girlfriend, and we’re trying to figure out how much time to spend and if we should even bother to go to Cartagena. It looks like a nice beach city, but I’m a bit worried it might be too touristy and not give us the real Colombian experience. I've heard some crazy stories and looks like there is a lot of sex tourism there, so I'm not sure if it's worth it or not, considering that I'm going with my girlfriend so I want her to be safe.
I have traveled around Colombia for 6 weeks, from which 4 days in Cartagena, and have to say it was the only place I didn’t like too much. There is a small part which looks great to attract the tourist, and here it’s relatively more pricy. For sure it is beautiful to have seen it and to get to know the rich history of the city. But personally, and what I have heard from other tourists as well, three days was enough. There are great beaches as well, but they require a drive.
In terms of safety, I did not have any problems, but have heard some stories from other people. Always be aware and use your common sense to avoid dangerous situations.
Cartagena is definitely worth it but it is not for everyone. It is my favourite city of Colombia and it is the most touristic city of all of Colombia for a reason. The colonial town and the beaches are some of the best i’ve ever seen. That being said it is touristy November-March. There are a lot of salesman that can be annoying but if you speak spanish if you match them with a funny sarcastic attitude they will be cool and easily take a no. If you want privacy & actual tranquility on beaches you will have to pay more 
the cheaper you pay the more party and heavily touristic areas will be. The food is great in Cartagena, a lot of nomads complain of expensive but when you compare to the west its still very cheap and higher quality IMO. With that said check out lacarta.co its a Cartagena culture magazine with everything tourism & culture of Cartagena. I stayed at a airbnb for a month for 500$ in the most expensive neighbourhood of Cartagena, Castillo Grande here . I would say if your doing a quick tour of Colombia 4-5 days should be enough. I did a month and will be going back.
Hey @brittmw thanks so much for sharing your experience/advice, really appreciate it! 
What you said makes a LOT of sense (especially about having common sense) but ngl we were a bit disappointed when we read about having to drive to be able to reach the beach…Which beach did you prefer the most and would you recommend? Thanks again for everything!
This is actually such great advice, thankyouuu! And everything else you said make 100% sense 
Also, thank you for sharing Airbnb/resources with us – we’ve decided to go for a week there in Nov (we’ll also fight jet lag!) and will definitely start our research from what you’ve shared 
Any good restaurants you can remember? Thanks so much again
For advice on beaches it’s better to ask someone else, I don’t know. Have fun there!