Book the best bus tickets from Barranquilla to Cartagena

Colombia is full of amazing things to see and do on its exciting Caribbean coast.

AndesTransit facilitates a pleasant experience taking a bus from Barranquilla to Cartagena for those who want to remember an unforgettable journey.

Caribbean people are known for celebrating life through dance and parties. On the bus to Cartagena, you will be able to get a glimpse of this Caribe culture and be tempted to let loose and dance along.

This is not all, as the Colombia Caribe is also known for its colorful parades, mud baths, fishing, pirate and revolutionary history, and the second-largest Carnival festival after Brazil's in Rio de Janeiro.

Come on, get up ¡NOW! and watch through the window of the bus while the Caribbean breeze caresses your hair. You will find yourself filled with joy over this fantastic region that is full of love and passion.

Book your bus tickets now and enjoy an excellent trip to Cartagena by bus with AndesTransit at your service.

What is it like to travel from Barranquilla to Cartagena by bus?

Foremost, you travel along the coastal highway, so several times you get to see the surf coming to shore on one side of the bus and on the other the communities that look to the ocean for their livelihood. Not all bus lines take the coastal highway, as there's an alternative route that is more inland, and it is on the inland route that the less popular or older buses focus on, making more stops along the way and without the amenities of the higher quality bus companies that take the coastal highway.

In other parts of Colombia, you will experience a greater variety of buses and byways, and in fact other types of transportation, including private shuttles and minivans.

The more popular the destination, the more luxurious the buses are where you will experience the a more comfortable ride.

The trip on the coastal highway aboard buses to Cartagena is on board a double-decker cruiser where you will enjoy luxurious cloth seats, clean floors, skylights, and cool air thanks to the air-conditioned cabin.

Colombians have a penchant for Jean Claude Van Damme's endemic reruns, so if you don't want to join in, make sure to bring your own earbuds and entertainment device.

If you would like additional guidance for smooth bus rides, check out our article on Tips for safe and comfortable bus travel.

Getting to know Cartagena

Cartagena is one of the most desired destinations in the world, it; a place full of culture and folklore and pirate history. Therefore, traveling to a destination as popular as Cartage can be difficult due to the great demand of people who make their reservations way in advance, which drives up the price for everything they didn't reserve.

It is advisable not to wait to get bus tickets during the high-demand seasons and holidays. The best time of the year to travel to Cartagena is between December and April as the weather is a bit cooler, as in other periods more humid and frequent rains are expected.

If we're talking about budget, the middle and low seasons (between March and November) are much cheaper since the tourist crowd decreases considerably and prices drop as well.

When to book

At AndesTransit, we strive to keep prices consistently low, regardless of when you wish to book, but seasonal demand often forces spikes that do raise bus ticket prices. For this reason, it is advisable to book in advance to get a good rate, at least six weeks but as far out as several months if you can.

Which bus company to choose

The biggest factor here is the price, which correlates to the level of comfort and amenities you desire. Local buses can be in the $5 range, but they make several stops on their less direct routes and mostly require you to wait to get your ticket in sweltering bus stations with other travelers.

The better option is a little more money, but the buses will have more comfortable seats, air conditioning, and tickets you can get online at AndesTransit and sent to your email plenty in advance of your trip. You should look at the higher end of the price range when it comes to luxury or the shuttles providing trips along the coastal highway.

What are the bus schedules in Barranquilla?

Colombia is more predictable in terms of bus schedules as they don't change as often as in other countries like Ecuador or Peru. However, there is the possibility of changes when holidays bring parties and festivals to the Caribe. Therefore we recommend checking AndesTransit often for changes.

You can check on the bus company website, but that's a mistake. Why? If you run a bus company, would you choose to tweak your website over monitoring your bus operations? No, bus operators care little about their websites and think about them as a necessary evil they update once every blue moon.

At AndesTransit, however, we make changing data a central part of our business. We consult bus operators frequently to discuss changes occurring in their company, how they are updating their fleets, new routes of interest, and how their schedules may be affected. Our customers recognize our hawkish attention to detail and sorting through the confusion of a busy bus marketplace.

To obtain correct schedules, check the AndesTransit website by running your search query at the top of this page.

We take each client's itinerary seriously and confirm schedules before processing the ticket. In cases where changes are necessary due to unforeseen events, some companies allow changes of date, but you can check their policies during the checkout process.

Where can I book bus tickets from Barranquilla to Cartagena?

There are two ways to book bus tickets, but one will always be better than the other:

In-Person

You can buy bus tickets directly at the bus station in Barranquilla, but it's a waste of time that you'd rather use for sightseeing or having some fun.

Be aware that the Barranquilla bus terminal is on the southern outskirts of the city, so you would have to spend a full day getting there and back that you will want to have spent doing something else.

Also bear in mind that this option is like an auction, where at the point you finally get to reserving the route, the seats have been hustled away by others or are generally sold out, or you get exchange to another company without being told, one that has bad seats and makes a lot of stops.

Online

The online purchase method is still the fastest and best way to book bus tickets.

First of all, you can buy in advance, unlike the in-person option. You can do this from the comfort of your home, hostel, or airport, with just a few clicks you will be ready for your trip from Barranquilla to Cartagena.

Online buyers also get the benefit of better seats that are not available by the time in-person tickets are sold, and at a rate that was lower than the auction frenzy in the terminal.

What is the best bus to Cartagena?

When you load the results after clicking the Reserve Now button above, there are many bus companies to choose from, so how do you know which one is the best? We make it easy by separating our Best Bets list from the rest of the package into two separate tabs. But, we will give you two top picks from the list.

Atlantic Shared Shuttle is the highest level option, but not too luxurious, although it is completely worth it. This company usually travels the route faster than average buses, as the number of passengers is less than on the bus lines. The seats are better quality and the coach is air-conditioned. The service includes a very attractive extra: they will pick you up directly at the door of your accommodation as long as you are staying in a busy tourist area!

On the other hand, if you want a good bus option, Copetran has renewed its fleet with nicer, double-decker buses, and the lower deck is always reserved for VIP clients. The only drawback is that the buses must be boarded directly at the station, but this is always compensated with first-class service and excellent drivers at the wheel.

Click Reserve Now at the top of the page and you can check this and other companies to purchase your bus ticket from Barranquilla to Cartagena in advance and take advantage of better prices.