Elevated view of the Camellón de los Mártires with the Clock Tower and the walled city behind
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Cartagena in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 5.2 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days let you get to know Cartagena beyond its walls. On top of the three tours, the museums and the fortress, you cross over to Manga, the district of grand old houses on the bay, and spend a morning on Bocagrande beach before one last sunset. It’s the most relaxed of the plans: ideal for couples or families who want to mix walking, sea and long siestas.

Day 1From street art to gold

Kick off first thing with “From Getsemaní to sunset on the walls”: the murals of Callejón Angosto, Plaza de la Trinidad, the Clock Tower Gate and the cathedral, finishing at the Santo Domingo Bastion. Have posta cartagenera for lunch and spend the afternoon indoors at the Zenú Gold Museum and the Naval Museum of the Caribbean, which are very close to each other. When it cools down, head back to Getsemaní: at night Plaza de la Trinidad fills with locals, food stalls and music.

  1. Morning

    From Getsemaní to sunset on the walls

    Mixed · 1.6 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. Callejón Angosto and the murals of GetsemaníThe craftsmen's district that pushed for independence is now an open-air street art gallery.
    2. Plaza de la TrinidadThe square where Getsemaní comes out to play every evening, in front of its yellow 17th-century church.
    3. Clock Tower Gate and the Portal de los DulcesWalk through the gate of the walled city and sweeten your afternoon at the Portal de los Dulces.
    4. Cathedral of Saint Catherine of AlexandriaOne of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas, which survived Francis Drake's cannons.
    5. Plaza de Santo Domingo and Botero's GertrudisThe liveliest square in the old town, with Botero's reclining woman that everyone wants to touch.
    6. Santo Domingo BastionEleven kilometres of city walls and Cartagena's best sunset, with the Caribbean at your feet.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Posta cartagenera at Restaurante La Mulata. Calle Quero n.º 9-58, San Diego

  3. Afternoon

    Zenú Gold Museum

    A small museum run by Colombia’s central bank on Plaza de Bolívar, devoted to the goldwork of the Zenú people, who lived on the plains of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. It takes about an hour and makes a good refuge from the midday heat.

    Directions

    Naval Museum of the Caribbean

    In a colonial building next to San Pedro Claver, it tells Cartagena’s maritime story: pirates, galleons, fortifications and Vernon’s siege of 1741, with models and replicas. It sets you up nicely for the next day’s history tour.

    Directions

Day 2Forts and lookouts

Get up early for “From Heredia to Blas de Lezo”, from Plaza de Bolívar to the Camellón de los Mártires and Castillo San Felipe, where the tour ends. Go inside the fortress as soon as you arrive, before the sun is overhead, then have seafood cazuela for lunch, perhaps at the Club de Pesca in Manga, right on the bay. After your siesta, take a taxi up to La Popa Convent to look down on the city, the bay and the walls you walked that morning.

  1. Morning

    From Heredia to Blas de Lezo: the city everyone wanted

    History · 2 km · 2 h

    1. Plaza de Bolívar and the Palacio de la ProclamaciónThe old main square, where Cartagena declared its independence from Spain on 11 November 1811.
    2. Plaza de la AduanaThe great square of the colonial port, where duties were charged on everything that came in or went out of the city.
    3. Church and Cloister of San Pedro ClaverThe Jesuit who went down into the holds of slave ships and signed himself «slave of the Black people forever».
    4. Clock Tower Gate and Plaza de los CochesThe main gate of the walled city and, beside it, the square where enslaved people were sold.
    5. Camellón de los MártiresNine marble busts recall the patriots Morillo had executed in 1816.
    6. Castillo San Felipe de BarajasThe largest Spanish fortress in the Americas and Blas de Lezo, who held out against Vernon's fleet in 1741.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Seafood cazuela at La Casa de Socorro. Calle Larga n.º 8B-112, Getsemaní

  3. Afternoon

    Inside Castillo San Felipe

    The tour ends at its gate, and going in is worth it: ramps, gun batteries and tunnels dug beneath the fortress, with views over the city. There’s hardly any shade, so go early with water; buying your ticket in advance is a good idea.

    Directions

    La Popa Convent

    On top of La Popa hill, the highest point in Cartagena, stands a convent founded in the early 17th century, with a cloister full of flowers. Go by taxi, ask the driver to wait, and spend a while at the lookout gazing over the bay.

    Directions

Day 3Sea, mansions and ghosts

On your last day you leave the walls behind. In the morning, cross to Manga, a district of Republican-era mansions facing the bay, then take a taxi to Bocagrande for a swim. Stay for lunch there, fried fish with coconut rice, just as locals do at the beach, and head back for a rest. Mid-afternoon, start “Witches, devils and a mane of copper hair” at San Pedro Claver: you’ll pass the Palace of the Inquisition and Santa Clara before ending at Las Bóvedas as the sun goes down. Ceviche in San Diego for dinner.

  1. Morning

    Manga

    An island linked to Getsemaní by bridges, where wealthy families built Republican-style mansions with columns and gardens in the early 20th century. It’s a quiet walk with few tourists, leading to the San Sebastián del Pastelillo fort.

    Directions

    Bocagrande Beach

    Cartagena’s city beach, running along a peninsula of high-rises a few minutes from the old town by taxi. Warm water, a local crowd and plenty of vendors: if you rent a chair or umbrella, agree on the price first. Best for an early swim.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Fried fish with coconut rice at Kiosco El Bony. Playa de Bocagrande, carrera 1, frente al Hotel Caribe

  3. Early evening

    Witches, devils and a mane of copper hair

    Mysteries & legends · 1.6 km · 1 h 35 min

    1. San Pedro Claver: the saint's bonesA skeleton in a glass casket beneath the altar and a long list of miracles told by the people of Cartagena.
    2. Palace of the InquisitionThe tribunal that tried heretics, healers and alleged witches in Cartagena, and the little window where denunciations were left.
    3. Church of Santo DomingoA crooked bell tower that, legend says, the devil himself pushed, and the lost grave of Blas de Lezo.
    4. Former Convent of Santa ClaraThe convent where, in 1949, García Márquez saw the copper-coloured hair that inspired «Of Love and Other Demons».
    5. Las BóvedasTwenty-three bombproof vaults that ended up as dungeons, and the route's final sunset.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Ceviche and shrimp cocktail at La Cevichería. Calle Stuart n.º 7-14, San Diego

The map

Cartagena in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Cartagena in 3 days

  • Day trips to the Rosario Islands or Playa Blanca on Barú leave early from the La Bodeguita pier: if you want to do one, put it on the morning of day three instead of Manga and Bocagrande.
  • On the beach you’ll be offered massages, food, bracelets and boat rides. If you’re not interested, a calm “no, gracias” is enough; if you do say yes, settle the price first, including for your chair and umbrella.
  • Between Getsemaní, Manga and Bocagrande, taxis are the easiest option, as the rides are short. At night, stick to busy streets and order your taxi by app or through the restaurant.

Questions

Cartagena in 3 days: your questions

What day trips can you take from Cartagena?

The most popular are the Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca on Barú; the Totumo mud volcano, a crater of mud you float in; and San Basilio de Palenque, founded by escaped enslaved people and considered the first free town in the Americas. Any of them can replace the morning of day three.

How far will I walk in three days?

The tours add up to 5.2 km: 1.6 km on day one, 2 km on day two and 1.6 km on day three. That’s not much; it’s the heat that tires you, not the distance. Add the stroll around Manga and the fortress visit, and take taxis to La Popa and Bocagrande.

Is Bocagrande beach worth it?

For a swim without leaving the city, yes. It’s an urban beach with dark sand and a very local vibe, not a postcard paradise. If you’re after turquoise water and white sand, set aside a day for the Rosario Islands or Playa Blanca.

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