Cartagena City Tour

Cartagena de Indias

The Cartagena city tour, told by a family that helped rebuild it

Modern Cartagena and the fortified city in a single route: Castillogrande, the San Sebastián del Pastelillo fort, Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, the convent on La Popa, and an hour on foot inside the walls. Our guide’s father was custodian and restorer of San Felipe. You’ll notice the difference in how the fortress gets explained.

Anybody can recite the dates. Very few people grew up inside the restoration

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas took the Spanish more than a hundred years to build and Cartagena has never stopped repairing it. Enrique’s father spent his career as its custodian and restorer, and his family worked on the reconstruction of part of the fortress. Some of the stone you’ll stand on was put back by them.

That’s why our guests write the reviews they write. One of them noticed that travellers from other groups had drifted over to listen to our guide instead of their own. That happens when the knowledge is inherited rather than memorised.

What you’ll see

  • Castillogrande: the modern city on the peninsula, and the contrast that makes the old town make sense.
  • Fuerte de San Sebastián del Pastelillo: the small fort in Manga, one of the earliest defences built here, and now one of the most atmospheric corners of the city.
  • Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas: the largest Spanish fortress in the Americas, with its tunnel system and the story of the 1741 siege that broke a British fleet.
  • Convento de la Popa: the hill above the city, the seventeenth-century convent, and the best view in Cartagena. (Subject to availability.)
  • The walled city: an hour on foot inside the walls, through the plazas, the churches and the streets where the stories are.

What’s included

  • Hotel → tour → hotel transfers
  • Kerü specialist guide
  • Bottled water
  • Entrance to Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
  • Entrance to Convento de la Popa (subject to availability)
  • Travel insurance

Pricing: 1 traveller — $[PRICE] 2 or more — $[PRICE] per person (10% discount)

Frequently asked questions

The fortress is built on a hill and involves ramps and steps. There’s a great deal you can see without climbing to the top, and we’ll adapt the route to whoever’s with us. Tell us in advance if mobility is a consideration.

Yes — the tunnel system is open and it’s one of the highlights. Your guide will explain how it was engineered to carry sound, which is more ingenious than most visitors expect.

The convent is an active religious site with variable opening and occasional closures for services and events. When it’s open we go; when it isn’t, we extend the time elsewhere.

Yes, and it’s the single best choice for it. If you want the walled city covered in more depth as well, look at Fortresses & Squares, which combines this route with our three-hour plaza walk.

We do. Give us your ship and sailing time when you enquire and we’ll confirm the timing before you book.

See the fortress the way it should be explained

Private, unhurried, and organised end to end.

Practical details

Duration

About 4 hours

Starts

Hotel pickup in Cartagena

Transport

Private air-conditioned vehicle

Group size

Private — your party only

Languages

English and Spanish

Good for

First visits, cruise days, families, history travellers

Want to make it a custom experience?

Take a look of our concierge service.

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