3 to 5 days in Cartagena: a practical itinerary

This is the plan that ties the rest of the guide together, where to spend each day, and in what order, so the heat, the history, and the food all land at the right moments.

Day 1: Arrive and get oriented

Settle into your neighbourhood if you haven’t picked one yet, and spend the afternoon walking the walled city without an agenda. Enter through the Torre del Reloj, drift through Plaza de los Coches and Plaza de la Aduana, and let the evening cool things down before dinner. This is also the right night for your first arepa de huevo from a street stall, not a restaurant version.

Given the journey from the UK involves at least one stop, it’s worth treating day one as a genuine recovery day rather than packing it with sightseeing, you’ll enjoy day two a lot more for it.

Day 2: History day

Morning: Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, before the heat and the crowds arrive. Go early, the stone holds sun fast, and the tunnel network is more interesting with some shade left.

Midday: walk back into El Centro and San Diego, this time with intent. Palacio de la Inquisición, San Pedro Claver’s church, Las Bóvedas. Grab lunch at a spot without an English menu, that’s usually where the better ceviche is. If the sieges and forts have you curious, particularly the ones with a British connection, the full history of Cartagena covers how this city held out against all of them.

Evening: Getsemaní. Plaza de la Trinidad picks up around sunset, street food stalls open, and it’s the best neighbourhood in the city for a slow dinner followed by live salsa.

Day 3: The islands

Pick one, based on what kind of day you want:

• Isla Barú, for the classic white-sand beach day at Playa Blanca (or a quieter alternative like Agua Azul if you want fewer vendors), plus the National Aviary if birds are your thing. Budget the full day, speedboats take about 45 minutes each way.
• Tierra Bomba, if you’d rather mix a swim with history. It’s a 10-15 minute boat ride, and the Bocachica forts (San Fernando, San José) are a genuinely different experience from anything inside the walled city.
• Rosario Islands, if snorkelling and a full beach-resort day matter more than history, this is the option most Cartagena tour itineraries default to, usually with a seafood lunch included.

Full details on the first two are in the Barú vs. Tierra Bomba guide.

Day 4 (if you have it): Slow down

This is the day to do the things you skipped for pace: a cooking class to actually learn the dishes you’ve been eating, a walk through Mercado Bazurto with a local guide, or simply revisiting Getsemaní’s murals in daylight, since a night-time visit doesn’t do the street art justice.

Day 5 (if you have it): Bocagrande, Castillogrande, or Manga

Spend the last day on the peninsula side of the city, a walk along Castillogrande’s Paseo Peatonal boardwalk, a swim at the calmer Playa Castillogrande, or a wander through Manga’s Republican mansions if you want one more piece of history that isn’t inside the walls.

Timing notes

• Season: dry season (December-April) means better weather and higher prices. May, or September-November, trades some rain for 20-30% lower accommodation costs, and May also tends to be the cheapest month for flights out of the UK.
• Heat: front-load anything outdoors (San Felipe, walking tours) to the morning. Afternoons are for shade, food, or the beach.
• Length of trip: given the flight time involved, five days makes noticeably better use of the journey than three, worth factoring in when you’re deciding how long to book.
• Getting between neighbourhoods: walk inside the walls, Transcaribe’s T103 route for Bocagrande to the historic centre, taxis or Uber/InDriver for everything else. Full breakdown in the getting-around guide.

This itinerary is close to the shape most guided Cartagena tours already follow, a city and forts day, an island day trip, and a Getsemaní walk, just spread out with more breathing room.

See Exoticca’s Colombia holidays if you’d rather have this itinerary guided, with flights, hotels and the activities above already arranged.