The City Tour Cartagena gives you a good all-round introduction to Cartagena. From the comfort of your air-conditioned transport, you will go to all the major tourist attractions in Cartagena. Along the way, your guide will provide you with context and stories to help you understand the significance of the attractions you visit.
About the activity
Experience
Highlights
- La Popa Monastery
- San Felipe de Barajas Fort
- Manga Neighborhood
- Getsemani Neighborhood
- Bocagrande Bay
- San Diego Neighborhood
- Old Historic Center
- City Wall
- Churches in the old city
- Slave, Colonial, Military, and Independency History
- Colombia & Caribbean Facts
- Taylor-made Cartagena City Tour
Full description
Through this comprehensive guided tour, you will visit the Popa Monastery on the mountaintop. From here you will have a spectacular view over Cartagena and the bay.
At the San Felipe de Barajas fortress, your guide will show you all the important areas while giving you the historical context of architecture and battles fought.
You will get a tour of the walled city of the old center, as well as the Manga, Getsemani, and Bocagrande neighborhood with an introduction to all major attractions along the way.
Includes
- Professional licensed guide
- Skip-the-line access
Covid-19 precautions
Safety measures in place
All areas that customers touch are frequently cleaned
Traveler requirements
You are required to bring and wear a mask
Prepare for the activity
The details below may change if you update your current selection:
Meeting point
Hotel
Start time of the tour
9:00 a.m. *
Length of the tour
4 hours (approximately)
Return Details
return to the original departure point
Notes
La Popa is currently open to the public.
This is perfect for cruise ship passengers.
Later departures are also available, depending on the time of year and current availability. If you are interested in booking this tour for a later time, simply contact us once your booking is confirmed, and we will do everything possible to accommodate you.
We own all types of transportation contact us if you have a group coming to town.
kschw9883 –
“Martin Rosales is an “”Cartegenero””. He has lived here all his life as has his family.
He is extremely knowledgeable and speaks very good english.
My wife and I booked a private tour and he and his driver picked us up at our hotel.in a comfortable AC SUV
We paid $130 US for the 4 plus hour tour which inlcuded La Popa and the San Felipe.along with many other sites in Cartegena…
Martin owns this business but we still gave him a tip at the end of the tour.
I can’t say enough to take this tour or any other city tour.. at the beginning of your visit.”
Rob O –
“My wife booked this tour for us and her parents who are in their 70’s. My father-in-law uses a walker and needs frequet breaks so he prefers to sit in the van most of the time, but still wants to get out and see new places. Our visit was duirng a port call on our cruise.
I met a representative from the company just past the ship while the others took the bus to the port exit. Meeting places were easy to find and they had a sign with my wife’s name. She took us through the small shopping area to the tour bus area where we met Martin who had the van brought around.
Martin gave us a history of the city as we headed to the first stop, Fort Pastelillo which is the oldest surviving fort in Cartagena. Then it was up to the tallest point around, La Popa, which is a monastery with beautiful views of the city.
Martin insisted my father-in-law get out here to see the views and when he said “”I’m not going up the stairs””, Martin replied “”That’s why I’m taking you up the elevator””. Sometimes he just needs a little prodding and glad Martin talked him into going in. Inside is beautiful with a small gift shop, exhibits and the restored chapel. There’s also a small black and white cat that enjoys a scratch behind the ears. The views from up here are not to be missed.
Next it was on to Fort Felipe, which looked tiny from the monastery, but quite huge at eye level. I knew my wife and mother-in-law wouldn’t go far up, but Martin took me all the way to the top and through some of the passages showing off the defensive positions built inside the tunnels. I could spend all day here, but Martin gave me the highlights and another great view from the top.
We headed over to the walled city and stopped at Plaza Las Bovedas which is a large collection of souvenir shops. The wife and mother-in-law shopped while I ran up the ramp to the fort above.
We rode around for a bit as Martin pointed out various things then stoppped and did a walking tour. As many others have stated, you will be approached, almost non-stop, by vendors trying to sell you things, but a quick “”no thanks”” and keep moving and they’ll move on to the next person. The buildings are beautiful, especially with the flower boxes on the second floors.
We drove over into the near part of town, then stopped by a McDonald’s so my wife could add to her Happy Meal box collection, then to a local grocery store. Martin paid so we didn’t have to exchange money and we reiumbursed him. One thing I found interesting was you could get a cold beer right before going inside, then pay for it at the checkout. Didn’t realize this until the guy in front of us put any empty bottle on the conveyer.
We were returned to port on time and I have to say that both Martin and the driver were absolutely great in helping my father-in-law get in and out of the van and get around. I really appreciated Martin’s encouragement at the monastery in getting him to go in.
The tour was a great value for the price and I don’t hesitate at all in my recommendation. It’s a great way to see the city and highlights without being stuck on a large tour bus. The bonus is the monastery as most larger tours don’t go there and it’s worth the stop.”
bignick8509 –
We went with a group of eight. We got to see places the big tours couldn’t go. Martin our guide and the owner was informative, gracious polite and patient. He also directed us to the best merchants and kept us away from the others. He even helped with negotiations. I would highly recommend Cartagena Tour Guides by Martin Rosales.
Linda S –
My boyfriend and I booked a 4 hr tour and the communication with Martin was fast and accommodating. Our guide showed up early and waited for us in the hotel lobby. Eduardo (our guide) greeted us with a big smile and walked us to our car that we would be doing our tour in. I can’t stress enough how helpful an air conditioned car was in the heat and humidity of Cartagena! We went to a church that had the most spectacular view of the city! Educardo offered to take pics for us throughout the entire tour which was so helpful. We toured the fortress and he was so great about getting us around the larger tour groups. My boyfriend is a huge history buff and Eduardo was perfect! He knew everything that was asked and you could see the excitement and passion he has for his city. After, he took us to these really cool shops that were in former duongens. He even bought us a cup of coffee as we walked through the city. I’m forgetting so many things now, but if you’re trying to decide on which tours to book, book with these guys! I was torn between a couple at first and am so so happy that I chose them. Our tour lasted closer to 5 hours, the driver was very nice and polite, and Eduardo is a real gem! We loved him! And all this for $120 USD! Spectacular deal!
Glen Dorat –
Martin was professional accommodating and very informative. He picked us up promptly at our hotel in an air conditioned car which was greatly appreciated considering the Cartagena heat and humidity. He spoke fluent english and provided an in depth overview of the history of Cartagena. We appreciated and enjoyed a private group tour (2 of us) as well as Martin’s pleasant demeanor and flexibility.