City Tours in Cartagena: 15 Weighed Up on Cost and Hours

1.City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour & Extras

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 681 reviews · from $23Our pick

See Cartagena from an open-top double-decker bus with an audio guide in six languages. Ride the full 90-minute loop or hop off near San Felipe Fortress, the Walled City, Bocagrande, and Cartagena Bay. A 90-minute English or Spanish walking tour leaves at 4pm, and mobile or printed vouchers are accepted.

“Staff was nice. Stops were informative. Nice venture, just wished there were more historical stops to visit.”

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2.Panoramic City Tour, Monuments, Walls, Castle

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 636 reviews · 210 minutes - 4 hours · from $15

Ride a traditional chiva through Bocagrande, Manga, and Cartagena’s bay, then visit San Felipe Castle and walk the Old Town to the Clock Tower and Las Bóvedas. Guides such as Fernando, Cesar, and Kike lead bilingual tours. Bring cash, water, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes. Castle admission costs extra.

“Nice done! It was pretty neat. Everything was done on time. No complains.”

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3.BILINGUAL CITYTOUR + SAN FELIPE CASTLE & Old city

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 387 reviews · 4 hours · from $29

See Cartagena by traditional Chiva bus, visit San Felipe Castle with entry included, photograph the India Catalina and Old Shoes monuments, then walk through the Old Town with an English-Spanish guide. Cesar, Kike, William, and other guides have earned praise for clear translations and lively storytelling.

“Loved this tour. The guide did an amazing job at translating everything in English for us and making us feel included. No regrets!!!”

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4.Walled City and Getsemani Shared Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 352 reviews · 2 hours · from $16

Meet beneath a black umbrella in Plaza de Santo Domingo for a two-hour walk through Cartagena’s Walled City and Getsemani. Guides such as Arthur, Rafael, Nelson, Jorge, and Isaac mix colonial history with local life, street art, food tips, and photo stops. Expect heat, cobblestones, and a shared English or Spanish group.

“Arthur was fantastic, very informative and entertaining. He took time to answer any questions and provided great tips along the way. Recommended without reservations!”

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5.City Tour Hop On Hop Off – Bus Turistico de 2 pisos

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 147 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)

Use the City Sightseeing Cartagena double-decker bus to orient yourself around the walled city, Getsemaní, Bocagrande, and San Felipe Fort. The approximately 90-minute route includes six audio-guide language choices, plus live walking tours of the Wall City and Getsemaní. Hotel transfers, lunch, and drinks are not included.

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6.Shore Excursion PRIVATE City tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 121 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $163Top rated

Explore Cartagena by private vehicle and on foot with a guide such as Nico, Ismael, Julia, or Niomi. You’ll visit the hilltop La Popa convent, the old walled city, Las Bóvedas, the San Pedro Claver church, and a major colonial fort. Port transfers, light refreshments, and a flexible pace are included.

“Absolutely fabulous tour guide! I mentioned that I have mobility problems and he even brought a wheel chair in case it might be needed! The pride that he has for his beautiful city and country is reflected in his knowledge! We came away from our tour of Cartagena with a profound respect for the people who brought independence to Cartagena! Our tour guide was kind and respectful of my lack of mobility and did everything that he could to insure that we didn't miss anything! We give 10 stars!!!”

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7.Walled City & Getsemani Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 107 reviews · 4 hours · from $69

Spend four private hours with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide in Cartagena’s Walled City and Getsemani. See Plaza de Bolívar, San Pedro Claver Square, sea walls, bastions, colonial streets, and try arepa with egg and raspao. Pickup is available from Cartagena hotels, rentals, points of interest, and the cruise terminal.

“Adalberto González Ortiz was one of the best tour guys I’ve ever had. Very sweet, knowledgeable and attentive. I totally recommend booking him for this tour. Great experience. Thank you so much.”

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8.Cartagena City Tour & Convento de la Popa (AM)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 102 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $40

See Cartagena’s major sights in about four hours with air-conditioned transport, entry to San Felipe and La Popa, bottled water, and a bilingual guide. You’ll visit the fortress, hilltop convent, Las Bóvedas, the Walled City, Old Shoes Monument, and an 18-karat jewelry workshop. Guides such as Nima and Carlos have been praised for their clear local insight.

“Carlos’ knowledge of Cartagena is vast! He was an excellent tour guide, every detail was covered and no question was left unanswered! Also, he was very amiable and we were very well looked after! The tour caters to small groups so it was all very personal, informative and enjoyable. This tour is an excellent introduction to Cartagena!”

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9.Private Transportation from Cartagena to Santa Marta City

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 95 reviews · 4 hours (approx.)

Travel from Cartagena to Santa Marta in a private, air-conditioned SUV, minivan, or minibus with hotel pickup and drop-off. Your driver, often someone like Hader Bustamante or William C, sets the pace, provides bottled water, and can stop for coffee, lunch, restrooms, or an ATM. Expect about four hours, though traffic can stretch the ride.

“Great, fast drive! Driver was early, flexible with stops, gave wonderful cold water, and was very friendly. We felt safe and were very happy with the decision to take private transport rather than the shuttle.”

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10.Private City Tour in an Air-Conditioned Vehicle

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 82 reviews · 4 hours

You’ll tour Cartagena with a private driver and guide, visiting La Popa, San Felipe Castle, Manga, Getsemani, San Diego, Bocagrande, and the walled city. Guides such as Nico, Fernando, and Carlos have earned praise for clear history, flexibility, and thoughtful care. Two attraction tickets, hotel or port pickup, and air-conditioned transport are included.

“Our guide Nico and the driver Gabriel were simply awesome !! We visited the main touristic points of Cartagena in a very comfortable car and with the well known explanations of Nico ! Everything we wantes to try, he accomplished !!”

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11.Cartagena Unforgettable: Half Day Private City Tour (Also for Cruisers)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 77 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $188

Spend about four hours exploring Cartagena with a bilingual guide and private driver. Visit Bocagrande, Castillo San Felipe, La Popa Convent, the Walled City, and Plaza de San Pedro Claver. Guides such as César, Catherine, Nelson, and Roosevelt have tailored routes to guest interests, while the private vehicle helps you cover more ground in limited port time.

“Since it was a private tour, we got to customize a bit which we wanted to see an artsy neighborhood and we did. The tour was great, and guide was exceptional. We enjoyed ourselves touring around the city. The view from the convent was amazing. Everyone should visit up there just for the view of the entire panoramic view. So glad we booked this since we were only there 1 day cruising.”

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12.Private transportation from Santa Marta city to Cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews · 4 hours (approx.)

Travel from Santa Marta to Cartagena in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with a Bukap driver. Expect hotel pickup, door-to-door drop-off, about four hours on the road, and room for stops such as bathrooms or food. Drivers usually speak Spanish, though some, including Juan and Hader, have spoken English.

“A great service - very comfortable and the driver was lovely. Picked us up from our hotel with no issues, and dropped us at our door in Cartagena, helping with bags too. Highly recommend”

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13.Shore excursion Cartagena city tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 64 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $75

This four-hour Cartagena shore excursion combines La Popa’s sweeping city view, the San Felipe fortress, Las Bóvedas, the walled city, Saint Peter Claver Church, and Manga’s historic homes. Local guides such as Benny, Eduardo, and Julio lead the visit, with air-conditioned transport, bottled water, and two admission fees included.

“Difficult to get clear answers from tour operator. Tour meeting information on confirmation was wrong and almost missed pickup. One of the stops Viator listed was was not on guide's agenda. But the guide was good. Be prepared to be accosted by vendors at every stop.”

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14.Party on a typical bus crossing the city

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 46 reviews · 2h 30m · from $11Best value

Ride a music-filled party bus through Cartagena for 150 minutes, with a live guide and animator. You’ll pass Bocagrande, Manga, India Catalina, the city walls, Cartagena letters, and the Bóvedas before ending near Getsemaní. Hotel-area pickup, bilingual service, and a possible nightclub stop are included.

“Poor communication. Despite the initial booking confirming pickup at the hotel I selected, the host did not contact us until the day of the excursion via WhatsApp to say that this was not the pickup location and that we needed to meet at a different location we were unfamiliar with as tourists. We are not from this country and do not always have reliable signal or data access for WhatsApp, so the message did not come through until one hour before the scheduled time—which is also the time they expected to pick us up. This caused unnecessary stress and confusion and could have been avoided with clearer and earlier communication.”

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15.Barranquilla & Santa Marta Guided City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 46 reviews · 15 hours · from $90

Travel from Cartagena to Barranquilla and Santa Marta with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide. See the La Venta del Mundo monument, Pumarejo Bridge, Santa Marta’s colonial center, and the Pibe Valderrama Monument. Lunch and beach time at Rodadero are included, but expect an early start, a long bus day, and limited time at each stop.

“las playas de Sta.Marta, en la zona del Rodadero, es muy lindo, sus hoteles, restaurantes, muy vibrante y la gente muy gentil, incluyendo los vendedores ambulantes dispuestos a detenerse y tener una breve charla con el turista e invitando a qué vuelva. Se disfrutó el almuerzo y uso libre de la piscina del hotel y cruzar a la playa, hermosa el agua. Barranquilla, más sencilla. La estatua de Shakira en un parque muy bonito y familiar junto al río Magdalena, también la llamada ventana al mundo y un árbol de navidad de laisma altura, son muy atractivos.”

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