Current Time in Cartagena, Colombia
How to Check Current Time in Cartagena, Colombia
Open the Cartagena time converter page: Go to https://www.xconvert.com/time-converter/colombia/cartagena to load Cartagena pre-selected on the comparison grid in the America/Bogota time zone. This page is useful if you are scheduling a hotel call in Cartagena, confirming a port logistics handoff on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, or checking whether a remote support team is online during local business hours.
Add comparison cities with the “+ Add City” button: Click + Add City and search for cities such as New York, London, and Dubai to compare Cartagena with major finance, tourism, and trade hubs. These are practical choices because Cartagena connects heavily with North American travelers, UK-based travel operators, and Middle East shipping or energy contacts who may need to coordinate during overlapping work hours.
Drag across the grid to select a meeting window: Click Select, then drag across Cartagena’s row from 9 AM to 11 AM to highlight a purple time range; you can adjust the left and right handles or drag the center to shift the block. For example, 9 AM in Cartagena is 10 AM in New York during U.S. daylight saving time, 2 PM in London during UK summer time, 5 PM in Dubai, and 10 PM in Tokyo, which quickly shows whether a same-day call works for tourism operators, exporters, or distributed teams.
Export or share the selected time range: Once the purple selection is active, use the export options for ICS download, Google Calendar, Gmail, Copy to clipboard, or Share link. This is especially useful when sending a confirmed meeting slot to a travel agency, cruise operations contact, or remote team so each person sees the event automatically in their own local time zone.
About Cartagena Time Zone
Cartagena uses the IANA time zone America/Bogota, the same time zone used across most of Colombia, including Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla. Its standard time is UTC-5 year-round, so Cartagena is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. This fixed offset makes scheduling simpler than in countries that change clocks seasonally.
Cartagena does not observe daylight saving time, and Colombia currently stays on standard time throughout the year. That means the local time in Cartagena remains stable in January, June, and October, while cities such as New York or London may shift by one hour depending on their DST calendars. In practical terms, Cartagena is often 1 hour behind New York during U.S. standard time, but the same as New York during U.S. daylight saving time.
Geographically, Cartagena is located in northern Colombia on the Caribbean coast in the Bolívar Department. Its time zone aligns with nearby Colombian cities and is closely related to other UTC-5 regions in the Americas, including Lima, Peru and Quito, Ecuador, which also typically remain on UTC-5 without DST. By contrast, Panama City also matches Cartagena year-round at UTC-5, while Miami, Toronto, and London shift seasonally, changing the time difference during the year.
Cartagena City Details
Cartagena is a major coastal city in Colombia with a population of 914,552, making it one of the country’s most important urban centers for tourism, shipping, and regional commerce. It sits at 10.39972° latitude and -75.51444° longitude, placing it on the Caribbean shoreline in a strategic location for maritime activity and international travel.
The local currency is the Colombian peso (COP), which is used for hotels, restaurants, taxis, and business transactions throughout the city. If you are calling Cartagena from abroad, Colombia’s country dialing code is +57, which is relevant when confirming reservations, contacting local tour operators, or reaching business partners in the city.
Time Differences from Cartagena
Cartagena stays on UTC-5 all year, so its time difference with other cities depends partly on whether those cities are observing daylight saving time.
- New York: Cartagena is 0 to 1 hour behind/ahead relationship depending on season. When New York is on Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4), Cartagena is 1 hour behind New York’s offset but shows the same local hour difference as 9 AM Cartagena = 10 AM New York; when New York is on Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5), the two cities are on the same clock time, so 9 AM in Cartagena is 9 AM in New York.
- London: Cartagena is usually 5 hours behind London during UK winter and 6 hours behind during UK summer time. For example, when it is 9 AM in Cartagena, it is 2 PM in London during GMT and 3 PM in London during British Summer Time.
- Tokyo: Cartagena is 14 hours behind Tokyo year-round because Tokyo uses JST (UTC+9) with no DST. So when it is 9 AM in Cartagena, it is 11 PM in Tokyo on the same day.
- Sydney: Cartagena is generally 15 or 16 hours behind Sydney, depending on whether Sydney is on Australian daylight saving time. When it is 9 AM in Cartagena, it is usually 12 AM the next day in Sydney during standard time or 1 AM the next day during AEDT.
- Dubai: Cartagena is 9 hours behind Dubai year-round because Dubai uses GST (UTC+4) without DST. That means 9 AM in Cartagena is 6 PM in Dubai, which can work well for late-afternoon Gulf business calls.
These differences matter for real scheduling decisions. A morning meeting in Cartagena often overlaps well with the U.S. East Coast, works as an afternoon call for London, becomes an evening meeting for Dubai, and is usually too late for standard office hours in Tokyo or Sydney unless one side agrees to an early or late session.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time zone is Cartagena in?
Cartagena is in the America/Bogota time zone. This time zone uses UTC-5 throughout the year and is the standard time used across most of Colombia, including Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali.
Does Cartagena observe daylight saving time?
No, Cartagena does not observe daylight saving time. Colombia keeps the same local time year-round, so clocks in Cartagena do not move forward or backward in spring or autumn, unlike cities such as New York, London, or Sydney.
What is the time difference between Cartagena and New York?
The time difference depends on the U.S. season because Cartagena stays on UTC-5 all year, while New York switches between UTC-5 and UTC-4. During U.S. standard time, Cartagena and New York are on the same local time; during U.S. daylight saving time, 9 AM in Cartagena is 10 AM in New York.
What is the best time to call Cartagena from the US?
For most U.S. callers, the best time is usually late morning to early afternoon in Cartagena, especially between 9 AM and 2 PM local time. That window works well for the U.S. East Coast during business hours and can still be manageable for Central and Mountain Time teams, making it useful for travel bookings, customer support, and supplier coordination.
What is the best time to call Cartagena from the UK?
A good time to call from the UK is typically 2 PM to 5 PM London time during winter or 3 PM to 6 PM during British Summer Time, which corresponds to Cartagena’s morning or early afternoon. This overlap is practical for tourism agencies, hotel partnerships, and shipping or import-export communication between the UK and Colombia.
What is the UTC offset for Cartagena?
Cartagena’s UTC offset is UTC-5. Because the city does not use daylight saving time, that offset remains constant in every month of the year, which makes recurring scheduling more predictable for international teams.
What currency does Cartagena use?
Cartagena uses the Colombian peso (COP). If you are planning travel, paying for accommodations, or arranging local services, prices in Cartagena are typically quoted in COP, although some tourism businesses may also reference approximate U.S. dollar values for international visitors.