Cartagena, Colombia: Cruise Stop

Colombia hardly needs an introduction. It has seduced the world with superb coffee, emeralds, and one-of-a-kind happy people. We’ve had the pleasure of visiting several of its cities and are no strangers to its charm. This time, our voyage through the Panama Canal brought us to Cartagena cruise port. Named after the eponymous city in Spain, Cartagena is a buzzing historic port on the Caribbean coast. It’s known for its architecture, Afro-Colombian culture, color, and heat. A hallucinatory blend that inspired the unique style of the Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez and continues to hypnotize visitors.

The first thing you’ll notice as your ship pulls into Cartagena cruise port is the skyline of Boca Grande – a modern strip of high rises often called the “Miami of Colombia.” But Cartagena’s real treasures lie beyond the glitz, situated within its historic walled city. The challenge is trying to cover these attractions when you only have one day in Cartagena, Colombia.

To avoid crowds and maintain control over our Cartagena shore experience, we opted to DIY our Cartagena, Colombia shore excursions. Skipping the hop-on-hop-off buses and forgoing pre-packaged tours, you can hire a driver or use Uber to explore independently. If you are wondering what to do in Cartagena, Colombia from cruise ship on your own, our list of Cartagena shore excursions might be just the inspiration you need.

Best Things to Do in Cartagena

Explore the Walled City

In a city famous for its streets, the best thing to do is to go on a self-led walking tour. The historic Walled City, completed in 1796 after two centuries of construction, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must for anyone spending one day in Cartagena, Colombia. Originally designed to protect Spanish conquistadors, the Walled City is now Cartagena’s biggest attraction and makes for one of the most popular Cartagena Colombia shore excursions. We recommend going first thing in the morning to beat the tour buses and avoid congested narrow streets. Here are some highlights of the Walled City you shouldn’t miss.

The clock tower, situated at the original entrance to the fortification, should be your starting point, which opens onto the Plaza de los Coches. Proceeding clockwise along the wall, you’ll see San Pedro Claver church and museum, its entrance filled with statues depicting the history of slavery in Cartagena and a monk known as the “Slave of the Slaves.” Plaza de Bolivar is home to some of Cartagena’s most remarkable buildings and museums, including the Cathedral, the Gold Museum, and Palacio de la Inquisicion, with its terrifying collection of torture devices. Plaza de Santo Domingo is identifiable by the statue of the voluptuous Gertrudis by Fernando Botero – Colombia’s artist and sculptor known for his signature “boterismo” style featuring inflated characters.

As you circumnavigate the historic center, make sure to climb up the wall and take in the views of the city skyline and the Caribbean Sea from above. Across the water from the Getsemani neighborhood, you’ll spot the famous fort San Felipe de Barajas, the largest fort in South America, perched on a hilltop. Technically it's located outside the old city walls but it's a significant UNESCO-listed landmark in Cartagena, nonetheless. The fort dates back to the 1600s and is an architectural feat of its time. Aside from the fascinating stories it tells, the views from the top are breathtaking, and, if you dare, you can also trace underground tunnels.

The historic walled city is incredibly photogenic but so are its characters. Palenqueras, known to tourists as fruit-carrying ladies dressed in colorful ruffles, are local icons. Descendants of African slaves brought here during Spanish rule, these women started out trying to make an income selling fruit and homemade sweets. Instead, by popular demand, they became models, charging a small fee for a photo with or of them.

As you transition to the next point, load up on fresh fruit in the streets that separate the Walled City and Getsemani. Colombian fruit varieties, many of which may be completely new to you, are one of its unique attractions. Food tours in Cartagena always make time to introduce you to local flavors so why not do it yourself by selecting whatever tickles your fancy at fruit carts you spot along the way.

Stroll through Getsemani Neighborhood

Cartagena’s unique streets are its calling card, and no place oozes charm and color like the Getsemani neighborhood, a short walk outside the historic walled center. This former worn-out part of the city has gone through a transformation and in addition to beautiful murals, houses some of Cartagena’s hippest venues. Take your time wandering through the streets, people watch in squares like Plaza de la Trinidad, places that once inspired the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This part of the city is filled with meaningful murals that dive into the history and heritage of Cartagena and its people. If you’d like to learn more about the significance of Getsemani’s art, we highly recommend taking a graffiti walking tour. In two hours, you’ll be well-equipped to see Cartagena in a new light.

After your graffiti tour, make your way to Celele restaurant to process what you learned and taste Cartagena’s Caribbean flavors. Considered one of the best restaurants in Latin America, Celele explores local gastronomy and biodiversity by sourcing native ingredients and creating contemporary dishes. The menu and its flavors are colorful works of art, just like the streets the restaurant is located on, developed through over a decade of studying Colombian culinary traditions by the head chef Jaime David Rodriguez Camacho. A meal at this restaurant will leave a lasting impression on your Cartagena cruise port experience.

See Cartagena from Gabo’s Perspective

Established fans of Colombia’s most revered writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, fondly called Gabo, will love embarking on a tourist trail dedicated to his work and recognizing bits of Cartagena through his writing. Growing up in these parts, the scenes of Cartagena have inspired his characters, events, settings, and, of course, his unique style of magical realism. Cartagena’s historic center became his resting place, but his legacy lives on. If you are only in the planning stages of your Cartagena cruise excursions, there is still time to get familiar with his work, like the particular favorite “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, or “Love in the Time of Cholera” and “Of Love and Other Demons” that take place in Cartagena. We recommend taking this engaging tips-basis walking tour where you’ll get to step into Gabo’s shoes.

Day Trip to San Basilio de Palenque

Visiting San Basilio de Palenque, or just Palenque, is one of the best day trips from Cartagena to take on your Cartagena port experience. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Palenque was founded by escaped African slaves in the 16th century and, after multiple battles, became the first free African town in the Americas. Today, it’s populated by descendants of those slaves who continue to preserve their culture and share it with visitors, making the one-hour-and-a-half journey from Cartagena. Though you could drive through independently and admire the murals, getting a guide will go a long way when it comes to introductions and attending cultural performances. During this Cartagena shore excursion, locals tell stories of rebellion led by Benkos Bioho and demonstrate the significance of traditions like music, dance, and even hairstyles that encoded escape routes and were used to hide tiny valuables.

Day Trip to the Islands

Although Cartagena is right on the Caribbean Sea, its city beaches are not the paradisiacal type you see on postcards. But, luckily, white sand and crystal clear water are accessible as a day trip from Cartagena. Book a 45-minute boat ride to Playa Blanca on Isla Baru, which is technically a peninsula, so you can also get there by car in an hour. Or tour Rosario Islands – an archipelago of 28 picture-perfect islands declared a national park. These islands are popular day trips from Cartagena for cruisers and other travelers, accompanied by beats of salsa music. If you’d like to avoid the party scene, splurge on a private boat tour instead. The experience takes about 8 hours.

No matter which of these recommendations for DIY Cartagena Colombia shore excursions you choose, you will get to experience the contagious energy of this country and larger-than-life people, just like Botero’s sculptures.