This guide is for you if you want to walk the old town of Cartagena with someone else handling the car: the squares and churches inside the walls, then Getsemaní across the way. It covers the choices to make first: which slot, which day of the week, which dates are crowded, and what to carry on four hours of cobbles in the heat.
Which slot, and which day of the week
The tour starts at 07:00 or 13:00. Midday is the hardest time to walk in Cartagena, so the early start is the comfortable one.
The day of the week matters for one stop. The church and cloister of San Pedro Claver keep shorter hours than the streets around them: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 16:30, and closed on Mondays. On the 07:00 start the walk leaves it until after 10:00. If going inside matters to you, avoid Mondays, and check the hours before you go.
The sanctuary also lists guided climbs up the church dome from Monday to Saturday, in small groups of up to ten, with 97 stairs to the top. It is not part of the tour, but you can make time for it if the hours line up.
When to go
December to April is the dry season, and the most comfortable months for walking. May to November brings rain, with September and October usually the wettest. The old town is busiest from December to March, in July and August, and above all at Christmas, New Year and Holy Week. May, September and October are quieter, if damper.
November is a special case. Cartagena declared its independence in 1811, and the city celebrates for most of the month. The official programme opens with a parade through the historic centre, and its dates are set each year, so check them for your trip. On those days the streets inside the walls are fuller and louder. Some travellers come for exactly that; others would rather choose another week.
How the walk fits together
The old town is best on foot, so the car drops you at one end and collects you at the other. You start at the Clock Tower gate, cross to San Pedro Claver, go on to the cathedral and the Plaza de Bolívar, then Santo Domingo, and finish in Getsemaní. Then the driver takes you to your hotel or a restaurant.
Two things are worth knowing as you walk. First, the walled city was never one place. UNESCO describes three quarters: the Centro, with the cathedral, San Pedro Claver and the Palace of the Inquisition; San Diego, where merchants and craftsmen lived; and Getsemaní, outside the main walls, once home to artisans and enslaved people. You will feel the change in scale as you cross into it.
Second, the Palace of the Inquisition on the Plaza de Bolívar is older in purpose than in stone. The Holy Office arrived in Cartagena in 1610, but the building was not finished until 1770. Today it houses the city's history museum.
Getsemaní has its own place in that history. The Plaza de la Trinidad, where the walk ends, is where Pedro Romero and others met to talk about independence, and the lancers who took part came from the neighbourhood.
The four hours are yours to shape. If you want a long coffee on one square, or more time in Getsemaní and less at the cathedral, tell your driver where to collect you.
On your own, or with a car and driver
You can walk the old town on your own with a map, and the walk itself is the same. The tour gives you the car: collected from your door, dropped at the Clock Tower, picked up at the far end of Getsemaní, and taken on to lunch or back to the hotel. On a hot afternoon with tired children, not walking back the way you came matters more than it sounds.
The tour covers the vehicle and the driver, not a guide. If you want the history explained as you walk, bring a guidebook, or plan to join a church's own guided visit where one is offered.
Church and museum entrances are not included in either case, and you pay them on the day. The price of the tour depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- Shoes with a good sole. The streets are cobbled and uneven.
- Water, a hat and sun cream, even on the early start.
- Small change for church entrances, a fruit or a coffee. There are cafés on every square.
Street sellers are friendly but persistent. A polite "no, gracias" is enough, and nobody minds.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits first-time visitors, families with children, and cruise passengers with a fixed return time. The cruise terminal receives most of the ships that call in Colombia, and we can collect you from yours: tell us the ship and the time when you book.
- Limited mobility. The car shortens the distances, but there is still walking on cobbles.
- You want the forts. This tour stays inside the walls and in Getsemaní. Our San Felipe and La Popa tour covers the fortress and the convent on the hill.
- You have only one day. Cartagena in a day puts the forts in the morning and the old town after lunch.
Questions people ask
Can we go inside the cathedral and San Pedro Claver?
Yes, when they are open. Entrances are paid on the day. San Pedro Claver is closed on Mondays, and on the early start the walk reaches it after it opens at 10:00.
Can we stop for a drink?
Yes. Stop wherever you like; it is your walk.
Can we cancel?
Yes, up to 24 hours before pick-up, with a full refund. Our cancellation page has the details.
Booking the walk
Choose your day with San Pedro Claver in mind, check your date against Holy Week and November, and pack for the heat. Our guide to day trips from Cartagena shows how this half day fits with the others. To choose your group size and book, go to the walled city and Getsemaní tour page.
