WALKING TOURS - SEE THE SIGHTS, HEAR THE STORIES, EAT THE EATS
Cartagena's centre is flat and relatively small.. making it the perfect city for walking. Yes, the "centro" is quite tiny, but believe me when I tell you those 100 square kilometres are absolutely choc-full of historic sites, postcard worthy streets, tasty eats, friendly folks, swinging beats, art, architecture and plenty more adventures and moments that you just can't experience unless you are on foot. So! Book a walking tour!
Once we get a group booking.. we will try to remember to add it to the WHAT'S ON calendar here. So you can see which tour we're doing on which day and where to go. If we don't have bookings.. we don't do the tour. So don't chance it! Make a booking by sending an email to [email protected] telling us which tour you want to do, how many people, which day you would like to do it, and which hotel or accommodation you are staying in (so we can call just in case you're a no-show to check). If we get at least 2 people book, we will try and do the tour. If it is last minute and you haven't heard back from your email booking, be sure to send a whatsapp message to us (+57 3173337959) so we can confirm if there is a tour happening and if there is space.
Our most popular tour by far is our group Food & Culture tour aka Shortcut to Local tour. This tour is open for anyone to join (provided you book in!) and we have a long history of people coming along and making friends as they eat their way around the Centro and Getsemani neighbourhoods.
FOOD & CULTURE TOUR
price: $30US pp (includes food)
duration: 2.30pm-4.30pm
meet point: Plaza Fernandez de Madrid
This tour has its focus more on food and culture as we walk the streets, checking out street art, exploring the community of Getsemani, getting our fill of street snacks and local favourites. Even those who aren't keen to try the food still get a lot from this tour which explains a lot about the food and the Cartageneros relationship with it, plus local insights, music and dance, folk legends and more of the Cartagena that is beyond the traditional tourist sites. We call it a "short-cut to local" tour
The tour includes snacks and samples and people usually end up pretty full. You can read more about the famous street food tour here or you might want to go the whole hog and opt for the market tour here. Most food preferences are catered for (vegetarians.. gluten free etc) but if you don't eat cheese the options are more limited. We normally don't do the tour on Sundays or Public Holidays because there's considerably less food vendors that open on this day. 2 people minimum to run the tour.
PRIVATE FOOD & CULTURE TOUR
price: $50US pp
duration: 2 hours.. start time can be chosen subject to availability (and opening times of food carts)
meet point: Plaza Fernandez de Madrid
As above, but instead of sharing your guide with others, you can opt for a private tour. Includes about 8-10 food samples.
$5 deposit
GETSEMANI + STREET ART TOUR
price: $30US pp
duration: 2 hours; 10am or 3pm (reservations essential)
meet point: Clock Tower (La Torre del Reloj)
For history that is being written and re-written right before your eyes.. look no further than Cartagena's vibrant streetart. This 2 hour tour focuses on the artists and stories behind the colourful murals; providing a unique and entertaining insight into daily life and culture of Cartagena and Colombia. It's also the perfect introduction to the neighbourhood of Getsemani and why we think it's the coolest place in the world.
2 people minimum to run the tour. Reservations essential (if we haven't received at least 2 reserved places, we don't run the tour)
$5 deposit
HISTORY WALKING TOUR
price: $30US pp
duration: 2 hours; 10am or 5pm (reservations essential)
meet point: Restaurante Nautilus, San Diego
Gold-crafting Indigenous tribes, Spanish colonialism, pirates and corsairs, African slaves, fortifications, Catholicism and The Inquisition, immigrants, Independence, cholera, drugs, crime, beauty pageants, books, art and movies: Cartagena has led a very interesting life!
With such a fascinating and turbulent history, you can bet your arepa e huevo that there are plenty of must-see sites and sights for visitors.
This tour has a historical focus and we cover the key sites within Centro Histórico. We also cover topics such as the architecture, the art, music, and culture. We meet at Cafe del Mar and the tour will run for about 2 hours. Bookings are essential.. We need at least 2 people booked to run the tour and we don't really like to take more than 12 people (normally it's a lot less).
$5 deposit
MARKET TOUR
price: $50US pp duration: 10.30am - 1.30pm meet point: Transcaribe Station, La Matuna
Wanna get local? Not afraid of gross-smelling ground sludge? Eat first, ask questions later? This is your tour. It combines a tour with transport via public buses, a tour of the market where we see all the food in it's raw state (sometimes up close and raw), the typical lunch of fried fish and steamed yuca at the market (if you feel like it.. if you're more voyeur and just want to look, that's ok too), a champeta dance lesson (this is partly joke, partly reality because the local shopkeepers always encourage us to dance), and some really great photo opportunities. Read more, see more here.
Bookings essential.. 2 people minimum To market, to market.
PRIVATE MARKET TOUR
price: $50US pp duration: 10.30am - 1.30pm meet point: Your hotel
As above, but private, and instead of public transport we take an uber and can optionally include a tour of Getsemani neighbourhood beforehand. The price doesn't include transport or food.. but we usually just keep account and add it on at the end.
For budgeting purposes, you're looking at about a $4-5US uber each way and about $10US for lunch and a drink.
PRIVATE WALKING TOUR
price: $50US (discounts for large groups) duration: 3 hours meet point: your hotel (if it's in centro/getsemani)
For those who want more flexibility and don't want to share! The private tour can be whatever you want it to be; but it is most often a chance to walk Cartagena's Centro, San Diego and Getsemani neighbourhoods - helping to orientate your stay. 3 hours with minimal stoppage and you can cover pretty much everything. If we are stopping more for eating, or travelling outside the city we can be at your disposal for up to 4 hours.
Ideas on what we can do?
The most popular option is to put yourself in our hands as we explore the central neighbourhoods and learn about the history, share local stories and legends, try some local snacks and exotic local fruit, get an introduction to the architecture, see key monuments, go sloth and monkey spotting in the city park, head to Getsemani where the local culture is vibrant and thriving, have a coffee break, get tips on where to head for shopping and souvenirs, pick our brain on the best restaurant and bars. We might call this the Bit of Everything walking tour.. or maybe the Trust us, We're Locals tour?
Or you might want to deep dive into a particular area - shopping, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, food etc. Let us know and we can tailor something specific and advise you how much you can reasonably expect to cover.
Price doesn't include entry (if you want to enter one of the paid museums for example) and doesn't include any food or drink or transport.
CITY TOUR
price: $55US (discounts for large groups) duration: 4 hours meet point: your hotel
Truth told I hate calling it a City Tour, because that's what all the other Cartagena Tour Companies call it. I always wanted to do things differently. But we keep getting asked for it, so here it is. This is the traditional tour that regular tour guides will usually sell you. It is a full 4 hour tour that includes:
Touring the Old City
Visiting San Felipe Fortress
Visiting the Convent of La Popa
Touring through Getsemani
Does not include:
Transport (quote will be provided depending on quantity of people)
Entrance fees (12,000 pesos pp for La Popa, 25,000 pesos pp for San Felipe Fortress)
Basically it is the same as our private walking tour listed above, but adds on San Felipe Fortress and the Convent of La Popa and requires transport to take you there and back. If you choose this option we will tee you up with one of our official guides (like Henry or Cata or Dan - Kristy isn't able to do this tour).
Once we get a group booking.. we will try to remember to add it to the WHAT'S ON calendar here. So you can see which tour we're doing on which day and where to go. If we don't have bookings.. we don't do the tour. So don't chance it! Make a booking by sending an email to [email protected] telling us which tour you want to do, how many people, which day you would like to do it, and which hotel or accommodation you are staying in (so we can call just in case you're a no-show to check). If we get at least 2 people book, we will try and do the tour. If it is last minute and you haven't heard back from your email booking, be sure to send a whatsapp message to us (+57 3173337959) so we can confirm if there is a tour happening and if there is space.
Our most popular tour by far is our group Food & Culture tour aka Shortcut to Local tour. This tour is open for anyone to join (provided you book in!) and we have a long history of people coming along and making friends as they eat their way around the Centro and Getsemani neighbourhoods.
FOOD & CULTURE TOUR
price: $30US pp (includes food)
duration: 2.30pm-4.30pm
meet point: Plaza Fernandez de Madrid
This tour has its focus more on food and culture as we walk the streets, checking out street art, exploring the community of Getsemani, getting our fill of street snacks and local favourites. Even those who aren't keen to try the food still get a lot from this tour which explains a lot about the food and the Cartageneros relationship with it, plus local insights, music and dance, folk legends and more of the Cartagena that is beyond the traditional tourist sites. We call it a "short-cut to local" tour
The tour includes snacks and samples and people usually end up pretty full. You can read more about the famous street food tour here or you might want to go the whole hog and opt for the market tour here. Most food preferences are catered for (vegetarians.. gluten free etc) but if you don't eat cheese the options are more limited. We normally don't do the tour on Sundays or Public Holidays because there's considerably less food vendors that open on this day. 2 people minimum to run the tour.
PRIVATE FOOD & CULTURE TOUR
price: $50US pp
duration: 2 hours.. start time can be chosen subject to availability (and opening times of food carts)
meet point: Plaza Fernandez de Madrid
As above, but instead of sharing your guide with others, you can opt for a private tour. Includes about 8-10 food samples.
$5 deposit
GETSEMANI + STREET ART TOUR
price: $30US pp
duration: 2 hours; 10am or 3pm (reservations essential)
meet point: Clock Tower (La Torre del Reloj)
For history that is being written and re-written right before your eyes.. look no further than Cartagena's vibrant streetart. This 2 hour tour focuses on the artists and stories behind the colourful murals; providing a unique and entertaining insight into daily life and culture of Cartagena and Colombia. It's also the perfect introduction to the neighbourhood of Getsemani and why we think it's the coolest place in the world.
2 people minimum to run the tour. Reservations essential (if we haven't received at least 2 reserved places, we don't run the tour)
$5 deposit
HISTORY WALKING TOUR
price: $30US pp
duration: 2 hours; 10am or 5pm (reservations essential)
meet point: Restaurante Nautilus, San Diego
Gold-crafting Indigenous tribes, Spanish colonialism, pirates and corsairs, African slaves, fortifications, Catholicism and The Inquisition, immigrants, Independence, cholera, drugs, crime, beauty pageants, books, art and movies: Cartagena has led a very interesting life!
With such a fascinating and turbulent history, you can bet your arepa e huevo that there are plenty of must-see sites and sights for visitors.
This tour has a historical focus and we cover the key sites within Centro Histórico. We also cover topics such as the architecture, the art, music, and culture. We meet at Cafe del Mar and the tour will run for about 2 hours. Bookings are essential.. We need at least 2 people booked to run the tour and we don't really like to take more than 12 people (normally it's a lot less).
$5 deposit
MARKET TOUR
price: $50US pp duration: 10.30am - 1.30pm meet point: Transcaribe Station, La Matuna
Wanna get local? Not afraid of gross-smelling ground sludge? Eat first, ask questions later? This is your tour. It combines a tour with transport via public buses, a tour of the market where we see all the food in it's raw state (sometimes up close and raw), the typical lunch of fried fish and steamed yuca at the market (if you feel like it.. if you're more voyeur and just want to look, that's ok too), a champeta dance lesson (this is partly joke, partly reality because the local shopkeepers always encourage us to dance), and some really great photo opportunities. Read more, see more here.
Bookings essential.. 2 people minimum To market, to market.
PRIVATE MARKET TOUR
price: $50US pp duration: 10.30am - 1.30pm meet point: Your hotel
As above, but private, and instead of public transport we take an uber and can optionally include a tour of Getsemani neighbourhood beforehand. The price doesn't include transport or food.. but we usually just keep account and add it on at the end.
For budgeting purposes, you're looking at about a $4-5US uber each way and about $10US for lunch and a drink.
PRIVATE WALKING TOUR
price: $50US (discounts for large groups) duration: 3 hours meet point: your hotel (if it's in centro/getsemani)
For those who want more flexibility and don't want to share! The private tour can be whatever you want it to be; but it is most often a chance to walk Cartagena's Centro, San Diego and Getsemani neighbourhoods - helping to orientate your stay. 3 hours with minimal stoppage and you can cover pretty much everything. If we are stopping more for eating, or travelling outside the city we can be at your disposal for up to 4 hours.
Ideas on what we can do?
The most popular option is to put yourself in our hands as we explore the central neighbourhoods and learn about the history, share local stories and legends, try some local snacks and exotic local fruit, get an introduction to the architecture, see key monuments, go sloth and monkey spotting in the city park, head to Getsemani where the local culture is vibrant and thriving, have a coffee break, get tips on where to head for shopping and souvenirs, pick our brain on the best restaurant and bars. We might call this the Bit of Everything walking tour.. or maybe the Trust us, We're Locals tour?
Or you might want to deep dive into a particular area - shopping, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, food etc. Let us know and we can tailor something specific and advise you how much you can reasonably expect to cover.
Price doesn't include entry (if you want to enter one of the paid museums for example) and doesn't include any food or drink or transport.
CITY TOUR
price: $55US (discounts for large groups) duration: 4 hours meet point: your hotel
Truth told I hate calling it a City Tour, because that's what all the other Cartagena Tour Companies call it. I always wanted to do things differently. But we keep getting asked for it, so here it is. This is the traditional tour that regular tour guides will usually sell you. It is a full 4 hour tour that includes:
Touring the Old City
Visiting San Felipe Fortress
Visiting the Convent of La Popa
Touring through Getsemani
Does not include:
Transport (quote will be provided depending on quantity of people)
Entrance fees (12,000 pesos pp for La Popa, 25,000 pesos pp for San Felipe Fortress)
Basically it is the same as our private walking tour listed above, but adds on San Felipe Fortress and the Convent of La Popa and requires transport to take you there and back. If you choose this option we will tee you up with one of our official guides (like Henry or Cata or Dan - Kristy isn't able to do this tour).