2 Days in Cartagena: Beaches and Islands
Two days is barely enough, but it works if you cut the Old City down to one arrival evening and spend the entire second day on a Rosario Islands boat, the actual reason to book a Cartagena weekend. Got more time? Step up to the 3-day , 4-day , or 7-day version of this same route.
Book these before you go
- Rosario Islands boat day: check availability on GetYourGuide
- A walled city or Getsemani hotel for one night: compare on Booking.com
- Airport transfer: the fixed-rate taxi kiosk at CTG arrivals, no app needed
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Daily cost (COP, per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival, Old City walk, sunset on the walls | 15-20 min CTG to center | 150,000-250,000 |
| Day 2 | Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca boat day | About 1 hour each way by boat | 350,000-450,000 |
Day 1: Arrival and one Old City evening
Land at Rafael Nunez International (CTG), the fixed-rate kiosk at arrivals prints your fare, roughly 20,000-30,000 COP into the walled city or Getsemani. Drop your bags, then walk the Old City while it is tolerable, the plazas, the Palace of the Inquisition’s facade, Las Bovedas’ artisan stalls. Around 5pm head for the ramparts near Baluarte Santo Domingo, walking the walls at sunset costs nothing and is the single most-repeated Cartagena recommendation for good reason. Dinner in Getsemani, order the ceviche cartagenero if the stall has visible ice and fast turnover, that is the actual food-safety tell here, not the fried street snacks.
Do I need a full day in the Old City before the islands? No. A single evening covers the plazas, the walls at sunset, and dinner, which is genuinely enough for a 2-day trip. The Old City rewards a longer stay, but on this schedule the islands are the priority, not a consolation prize.
Day 2: Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca
Start early, boats typically leave the dock by 8am. A standard day trip runs roughly 159,000 COP per adult, 139,000 COP per child, covering the boat, a Playa Blanca beach stop, and lunch, book it through a reviewed operator rather than a dockside tout. The number that catches people off guard: a separate national park and dock tax, roughly 25,000-29,000 COP per person, paid in cash at the checkpoint and frequently missing from the advertised price, ask directly before you pay. Snorkel gear and beach loungers are usually extra at the island itself, agree prices before you sit down. Head back to Cartagena in the late afternoon, grab dinner near your hotel, and pack for an early departure.
Skip Castillo San Felipe and the deeper Old City museums this trip, they deserve a proper visit, not a rushed hour squeezed in before a flight. Two days done right means one great evening in the walled city and one full day on the water, not a half-hearted version of both.