Cartagena Old City in 7 Days on a Budget

Seven days: the walled city, the fortress, and one real day trip

Seven days keeps the 4-day plan’s walled city, Castillo San Felipe, Getsemani, Bocagrande, Bazurto Market and cooking class intact, then adds three more days: a San Basilio de Palenque day trip, a flex/beach day, and a final relaxed day before departure. Shorten to the 2-day or 3-day plan if a week is more than you need.

Book these before you go

Day Focus Travel time Daily cost (COP)
Day 1 Walled City walk, Getsemani evening walkable, no transit needed roughly 120,000-180,000 (food and drinks; lodging extra)
Day 2 Castillo San Felipe, La Popa 10-15 min taxi each way roughly 150,000-230,000 (entry fees and food)
Day 3 Getsemani history walk, Bocagrande beach 15-20 min taxi to Bocagrande roughly 100,000-180,000 (beach snacks, optional chiva ~50,000)
Day 4 Bazurto Market, cooking class 10-15 min taxi to Bazurto roughly 150,000-250,000 (class fee plus market spending)
Day 5 San Basilio de Palenque day trip roughly 1-1.5 hours each way verify current tour pricing; typically low hundreds of thousands COP per person
Day 6 Bocagrande flex, Las Bóvedas shopping 15-20 min taxi to Bocagrande roughly 100,000-180,000 (beach, snacks, souvenirs)
Day 7 Final Old City walk, departure walkable, then 15-20 min to CTG roughly 60,000-100,000 (last meals, taxi to airport)

Day 1: Walled City orientation and a Getsemani evening

Land at CTG , 15-20 minutes from the center, and take the fixed-rate taxi kiosk into Getsemani or the walled city, roughly 20,000-30,000 COP. Walk the free ramparts, part of the UNESCO-listed fortification system since 1984, and the San Pedro and San Diego zones: Plaza de Bolívar, the Palace of the Inquisition’s exterior, and Las Bóvedas’ free artisan market. In the evening, cross into Getsemaní for street art and a cheaper dinner, then walk the walls near Baluarte Santo Domingo for sunset.

Day 2: Castillo San Felipe and La Popa

La Popa monastery in the cooler morning, roughly 4,500-11,000 COP (verify before you go), then the Palace of the Inquisition proper at midday, roughly 19,000-24,000 COP. Save Castillo San Felipe de Barajas for late afternoon, roughly 38,000 COP for foreign adults, up to 50,000 COP by some sources, since the fort’s ramparts have almost no shade and midday heat there is genuinely punishing.

Day 3: Getsemani’s history, then a Bocagrande beach afternoon

Spend the morning in Getsemaní with its history in mind: the neighborhood was historically home to the city’s Afro-Cartagenero working class and free Black population, and the palenqueras selling fruit and posing for photos (roughly 8,000 COP, agreed first) trace directly back to San Basilio de Palenque’s maroon community. Take a short taxi to Bocagrande in the afternoon for beach time, then close with a chiva party bus (roughly 50,000 COP a seat) or a quieter Getsemani dinner.

Day 4: Bazurto Market and a cooking class

Browse Bazurto Market for coffee, spices and crafts, cheaper here than the walled-city souvenir shops, best visited with a taxi already arranged for the return trip. In the afternoon, take a hands-on cooking class on coastal dishes like ceviche cartagenero and arroz de coco, or swap it for the Museo del Oro Zenú’s pre-Columbian gold collection.

Day 5: San Basilio de Palenque

San Basilio de Palenque sits roughly 1-1.5 hours from Cartagena and is the one day trip worth taking on a walled-city-focused week: it’s the first free Black town in the Americas, founded by self-liberated enslaved people (cimarrones), holds UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status, and is the home community of the palenqueras seen selling fruit and posing for photos across Cartagena. Book an organized tour rather than arranging transport yourself; verify current pricing before you go, since it isn’t as heavily documented as the fortress and museum tickets above.

Day 6: Bocagrande flex and Las Bóvedas shopping

Use this day as a pressure valve: a slower morning, a return trip to Bocagrande’s beach or a spa afternoon, and a revisit to Las Bóvedas for any souvenir shopping you skipped earlier in the week. Close with a relaxed Getsemani dinner rather than another full day of sightseeing.

Day 7: Final Old City walk and departure

Spend the morning on a last walk through whichever corner of the walled city or Getsemani you haven’t covered yet, pick up any last souvenirs, then head to CTG 15-20 minutes out for your flight.

Is San Basilio de Palenque worth the day trip?

Yes, more than a second beach day: it’s the one widely bookable excursion that engages directly with Cartagena’s Afro-Colombian history rather than just its consequences, the fortifications and the palenqueras seen around the Old City. It suits a returning or culturally curious visitor better than a repeat of Bocagrande or the walls.

Do you need 7 days for Cartagena’s Old City, or is that too long?

Seven days is more than the walled city alone needs, but not wasted on a first trip: the extra days go toward Palenque, Bazurto Market and genuine flex time rather than padding the same three sights across a week. Travelers short on time should use the 3-day or 4-day plan instead.

Confirm the Palenque tour’s departure time and price the night before; it’s the one day on this itinerary that depends on an external operator’s schedule rather than your own. Cartagena sits inside Colombia’s Level 3: Reconsider Travel national advisory, but the walled city and Getsemani are the country’s most heavily tourist-police-patrolled areas.