Drink with caution. Based on the national picture for Colombia and local conditions.
Can you…
Can you drink the tap water in Cartagena?
Last reviewed 2026 · Colombia
Cartagena scores 62/100 for tap-water safety — drink with caution. So if you’re asking whether the tap water is safe in Cartagena, the short answer is “drink with caution.” Scores above 70 mean tap water is generally safe to drink. 40–69 means treat it with caution — filtering or bottled water is wise. Below 40 means it’s best avoided straight from the tap.
Ice, brushing your teeth & cooking: what’s safe in Cartagena?
- Drinkable?
- With caution — locals and cautious travelers often filter or boil first, and short stays lean on bottled water.
- Brush teeth?
- Yes — brushing your teeth with tap water is perfectly fine.
- Ice?
- Ice is a gamble — fine in reputable hotels and restaurants, riskier from street vendors.
- Cooking?
- Yes — cooking and rinsing produce with tap water is safe.
Should you boil the tap water in Cartagena?
Boiling is a reliable fallback in Cartagena. A rolling boil for one minute kills bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It won't remove chemical contaminants or lead, though — for those you'd need a filter or bottled water. More on what boiling does and doesn’t remove.
Do you need bottled water or a filter in Cartagena?
Many visitors to Cartagena stick to bottled water to be safe, and it's widely available — just check the seal is intact. A reusable bottle with a built-in filter is a lower-cost, lower-waste alternative.
A good filter — ideally certified for microbiological removal, not just taste — makes the tap water in Cartagena safer to drink. For short stays, bottled water is still the simplest option.
How Cartagena compares to the rest of Colombia
There’s no separate official water-quality feed for Cartagena, so its rating tracks the national picture for Colombia, which scores 62/100. Conditions in a specific neighbourhood, hotel, or older building can still differ from the city as a whole.
Common questions about tap water in Cartagena
Can you drink tap water in Cartagena?+
Cartagena scores 62/100 on our water-safety index — drink with caution. With caution — locals and cautious travelers often filter or boil first, and short stays lean on bottled water.
Is it safe to brush your teeth with tap water in Cartagena?+
Yes — brushing your teeth with tap water is perfectly fine.
Is ice safe to use in drinks in Cartagena?+
Ice is a gamble — fine in reputable hotels and restaurants, riskier from street vendors.
Is tap water in Cartagena safe for cooking?+
Yes — cooking and rinsing produce with tap water is safe.
Data & sources
City-level tap-water safety isn’t published as a single official global dataset, so the Cartagena score is derived from Colombia’s national water-safety assessment together with CDC traveler guidance. For the full country picture and its official sources, see tap water in Colombia.
Read the full methodology — how the 0–100 score is built and what it does (and doesn’t) mean.