Cartagena 4 Day Itinerary (Old City First)
Four days keeps the same spine as the 3 day itinerary , Walled City, Castillo San Felipe, Getsemani, and adds a market-and-nightlife day rather than rushing straight to a day trip out of town. Ready for San Basilio de Palenque too? Move up to the 5 day itinerary , or read the Cartagena guide first for the full context.
Book these before you go
- Book a Castillo San Felipe tour , 38,000 to 50,000 COP entry plus a tunnel-history guide.
- Book a Walled City walking tour for the colonial and slave-trade history.
- Check rates on Booking.com for Getsemani, walking distance to everything at a lower rate.
Day 1: Arrival and the Walled City
CTG airport is a 15 to 20 minute drive from the historic center; the fixed-rate taxi kiosk outside arrivals prints the fare, roughly 20,000 to 30,000 COP into the Walled City, Getsemani, or Bocagrande. Walk the Old City’s plazas while the heat is tolerable, Plaza Bolivar, Plaza Santo Domingo, Las Bovedas’ free artisan market, then into Getsemani for dinner and back to the walls near Baluarte Santo Domingo for sunset, free and better than a rooftop bar’s markup.
Day 2: Castillo San Felipe and La Popa
Visit Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in the late afternoon, not midday; the fort has almost no shade. Entry runs 38,000 to 50,000 COP, plus 15,000 COP for an audio guide explaining the tunnel network engineered so footsteps carry to guards above. Use the morning for La Popa monastery (4,500 to 11,000 COP) and the Palace of the Inquisition on Plaza Bolivar (roughly 24,000 COP) between the two.
Day 3: Getsemani, properly
Spend the day in Getsemani rather than passing through for dinner: the murals on Calle Sierpe, daylight quiet, then Plaza de la Trinidad after dark for street vendors and live champeta. This is the honest place to sit with Cartagena’s slave-trade history: Getsemani was historically home to the city’s Afro-Cartagenero working class and free Black population, and the palenquera fruit-sellers here (agree roughly 8,000 COP before the camera comes out) trace directly to the Cimarron maroon communities of self-liberated enslaved people. The Museo del Oro Zenu, free, is a quick break from the heavier history.
Day 4: Bazurto Market and a chiva bus
Spend the morning at Bazurto Market, Cartagena’s real working market rather than a tourist stall, and the afternoon on Old City shopping: Portal de los Dulces for cocada sweets, San Diego’s boutiques for anything less sugar-based. In the evening, book a chiva party bus, an open-sided, brightly painted bus touring the city’s zones with a live band and drinks included, roughly 50,000 COP a seat for a shared 2 to 3 hour run. Lighthearted and loud, and it is not trying to be a serious sightseeing product.
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Rough daily cost (COP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival + Walled City orientation | CTG to center, 15 to 20 min | 80,000 to 150,000 |
| 2 | Castillo San Felipe (afternoon) + La Popa + Inquisition | Short taxi to each | 150,000 to 230,000 |
| 3 | Getsemani, murals and history, day and night | Walkable from the walls | 60,000 to 120,000 |
| 4 | Bazurto Market + shopping + chiva bus | Short taxi to Bazurto, rest walkable | 90,000 to 160,000 |
Is a dedicated Getsemani day overkill on a short trip?
No. Most visitors treat Getsemani as a dinner-and-drinks stop attached to a Walled City day, and miss both the murals in proper daylight and the neighborhood’s actual history. A full day here is a better use of four days than a rushed half-day trip to the coast.
Is Bazurto Market worth a tourist’s morning?
Yes, if you want to see how the city actually shops rather than another curated craft stall. It is louder, less polished, and genuinely more interesting than the artisan markets inside the walls, though it rewards going with someone who has been before or a small guided visit if you would rather not navigate it cold.
Carry small COP bills for the palenquera photo fee and for Bazurto, where card machines are rare and change for a large note is not guaranteed.