Walled City Walking Tour
Plazas, balconies and fortress tunnels with a local guide.
Overview
Why visit Cartagena
Founded in 1533, Cartagena grew rich as the main Spanish port for Peruvian gold — and rich enough to be raided by pirates, which is why 11 kilometres of walls and the giant San Felipe fortress still ring it. The walled Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Inside the walls, every street is a postcard: pastel mansions, flower-draped balconies, horse-drawn carriages and plazas where palenqueras sell fruit in bright dresses. The fortress of San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish fort in South America, guards the bay.
Getsemaní, the former working-class quarter, is now the city's street-art and nightlife heart. Offshore, the Rosario Islands offer day-trip beaches and snorkelling, and evenings belong to salsa clubs, sunset cocktails on the wall, and Gabriel García Márquez's city of magic realism.
Things to do
Top things to book in Cartagena
Popular tours and tickets. Compare prices and book ahead to skip the lines.
Rosario Islands Day Trip
Beaches, snorkelling and lunch on the coral islands.
Salsa Night
Learn the steps then hit the clubs of Getsemaní.
Street Food Tour
Fruit, arepas and ceviche through Getsemaní.
Plan your trip
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Fun facts
Things you didn't know about Cartagena
- 01
Pirate-Proof
The walls and fortress took over 200 years to build after repeated attacks by pirates, including Francis Drake.
- 02
The Largest Spanish Fort
San Felipe de Barajas is the biggest colonial military fortress Spain ever built in the Americas.
- 03
Gabo'S City
Gabriel García Márquez set novels here and kept a house in the Old Town — magic realism in real life.
- 04
The Palenqueras
The fruit sellers in bright dresses descend from San Basilio de Palenque, the Americas' first free African town.
- 05
Walls You Can Walk
The 11-kilometre city wall is intact enough to stroll — Café del Mar sits on top of it at sunset.
- 06
An Island Escape
The Rosario Islands' coral park is an hour offshore by boat.
- 07
A Convent Turned Hotel
The Sofitel Santa Clara was a 17th-century convent with crypts still beneath the bar.
- 08
The Clock Tower
The Torre del Reloj, built in 1601, is the city's symbol and the old walled city's gateway.
- 09
Emerald Markets
Cartagena is a centre for Colombian emeralds — some of the finest in the world.
- 10
A Sunken Treasure
The Spanish galleon San José, sunk in 1708 with treasure worth billions, lies off the coast.
Random Cartagena fact
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FAQ
Quick answers about Cartagena
Where is Cartagena located?
Cartagena is in Colombia, in South America.
What is the population of Cartagena?
The greater Cartagena area is home to about 1,000,000 people.
What is Cartagena famous for?
The Caribbean's best-preserved walled city wraps colonial plazas in bougainvillea, minutes from white-sand islands and Colombia's salsa-coast nightlife.
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