Where to stay in Barranquilla?

Home 9 Travel Guide Barranquilla 9 Where to stay in Barranquilla? – The best neighborhoods + tips

El Prado, Alto Prado or Riomar?

Where to stay in Barranquilla? You can find the best neighborhoods + tips here.

Before booking a hotel in Barranquilla, it is important to check accessibility and safety of the various neighborhoods to view. The neighborhoods El Prado, Alto Prado and Riomar in the north of the city are safe and easily accessible. Riomar is further north, closer to the sea; El Prado and Alto Prado are more central.

Which of these neighborhoods is the most fun and convenient to stay in? That depends on what you want to do and where. Check out information about the different neighborhoods and our tips here.

El Prado + Alto Prado

El Prado (Viejo Prado) is a beautiful colonial neighborhood and the cultural heart of Barranquilla. There are still many colonial buildings, inhabited by Jewish, Arab, German and Italian immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century. You will find beautiful white houses with large gardens and universities. Many old buildings have now been converted into clinics, but the atmosphere of yesteryear is still noticeable in the wide streets with tall trees, parks and interesting architecture, which lend themselves well to a stroll .

In el Prado is the church Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción, and you will also find the Carnival Museum in El Prado/Barrio Abajo. There are several shopping centers, such as Portal del Prado.

Hotel Casa Colonial is a beautiful colonial house, where you can stay for an affordable price.

Hotel el Prado is a well-known hotel in the El Prado district, which was built in the 1930s and at the time was the first 5-star hotel in Latin America. The hotel is located on a spacious fenced-off lot on the busy Carrera 54 and is recognizable by its many palm trees.

Alto Prado is located north of the city’s historic center. This is one of the best and safest neighborhoods in Barranquilla. Here you will find shopping centers and the best nightlife in the city, around Washington Park. Most of the bars and clubs are located here and there are many restaurants. You can store at Jumbos Altos del Prado mall, among others. In Alto Prado, you can choose from several boutique hotels, such as Washington Plaza by DOT Premium.

Riomar

Riomar is a newer neighborhood in Barranquilla in the north of the city. The district extends to the Magdalena River and the Caribbean Sea.

Because of this location, there is usually a nice breeze and the temperature is pleasant. Riomar is one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods, with many trees and more expensive stores.

There is a wide choice of hotels in Riomar. The hotels here are mostly high-rise, many of which have rooftop terraces with pools, such as the comfortable GHL Collection Barranquilla Hotel.

Riomar is home to the city’s largest shopping centers, such as Viva Centro Comercial, Buenavista 1 and 2 +Mall Plaza that are connected. A number of hotels are ideally located for a shopping trip, such as Movich Buro 51 (Viva Centro Comercial)

Hotel Dann Carlton Barranquilla is located across from Buenavista mall.

Riomar is located on the Circunvalar, the ring road. This puts you close to the monuments Ventana Al Mundo and Aleta del Tiburón and Barranquilla’s boulevard, the Malecón del Río.

The location is also convenient for visiting mangrove park Ciénaga del Mallorquín and Bocas de Ceniza, the point where the Caribbean Sea meets the Magdalena River. Also, if you want to take a side trip to Salgar and Puerto Colombia, you are there in no time from Riomar.

The best hotels for carnival in Barranquilla

The carnival parade in Barranquilla is on the Vía 40 (Vía Industrial), a long road that runs along the major factories such as glass factories and beer breweries. There are no hotels along this road, but you can easily reach the carnival route from the hotels in Riomar, El Prado and Alto Prado.

These hotels are closest to the route in terms of distance. This does depend on exactly where you will be staying.

Tips for booking your hotel or hostel

ToColombia tips

Tip # 1
Conclusion: Spend the night at Riomar, Alto Prado or Prado?

It depends mostly on what you want to do in Barranquilla and what kind of atmosphere you like.

We ourselves booked a hotel in Riomar. We wanted to spend the night near the Avenida circunvalar (ring road), so we could get to my travel companion’s family quickly and easily get to places up north, such as the Malecón del Río and Bocas de Cenizas. From El Prado it would take longer to get to the circunvalar due to heavy traffic, so that’s why we chose Riomar. In the evening, we found ourselves relaxing on the roof terrace of our hotel GHL Collection Hotel Barranquilla overlooking the city, the river and the monument Ventana al Mundo. Our room had air conditioning, a fantastic rain shower and was super spacious. The delicious breakfast was included and otherwise we had everything we needed nearby, such as a small shopping center across the street with supermarket D1, a drugstore, coffee shop Tostao and Domino’s pizza. The hotel was on a quiet side street and we were not bothered at all by traffic or noise.

Disadvantage of Riomar is, that it is a newer neighborhood and therefore it lacks the charm of a historic neighborhood like El Prado. It also lacks the conviviality of bars and restaurants nearby.

In summary, we would recommend staying at El Prado stay if you want to be in a central location, in a colonial neighborhood. Alto Prado is highly recommended if you want to stay near Parque Washington, with its many restaurants and bars. If you are looking for a comfortable hotel with pool, on the outskirts of the city, choose from one of the many hotels in Riomar.

Tip # 2
We do not recommend staying in the Centro Histórico overnight because it is not safe there at night.

Here you can find more hotels for every budget in Barranquilla.

El Prado

€ price range up to €50

€€ price range €50 – €100

€€€ price range above €100