3 Days in Cartagena: Beaches and Islands
Three days keeps the same arrival evening and Rosario Islands day as the shorter version, then adds a slower Bocagrande beach day to actually recover before you fly home. Need less time or more? See the 2-day , 4-day , or 6-day version of this route.
Book these before you go
- Rosario Islands boat day: check tours on GetYourGuide
- A walled city, Getsemani, or Bocagrande hotel: compare on Booking.com
- A Baru and Playa Blanca day trip alternative: browse Viator
| 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 3 | Bocagrande beach, easy pace | 10-15 min taxi from the Old City | 120,000-200,000 |
Day 1: Arrival and one Old City evening
Land at Rafael Nunez International (CTG), take the fixed-rate kiosk taxi, roughly 20,000-30,000 COP into the center. Settle in, walk the Old City’s plazas and Las Bovedas’ market stalls in the cooler late afternoon, then head to the walls near Baluarte Santo Domingo for sunset, free, and genuinely the best few pesos you will spend all trip since it costs nothing. Dinner in Getsemani.
Day 2: Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca
Book a reviewed operator rather than a dockside tout, a standard day runs roughly 159,000 COP adult, 139,000 COP child, boat, a Playa Blanca stop, and lunch included. Budget separately for the national park and dock tax, roughly 25,000-29,000 COP per person, cash, and confirm it is not already bundled before you hand anything over. This is Cartagena’s well-documented overselling category, a booked, reviewed operator is worth the small premium over a walk-up boat.
Is the Rosario Islands overselling reputation actually deserved? Yes, it is well documented, not exaggerated. Concession stands at the beach, unlicensed boat operators, and the frequently-excluded park tax are all real, recurring complaints. Booking through a platform with visible reviews and confirming the tax up front solves most of it.
Day 3: Bocagrande beach, easy pace
After a full excursion day, Bocagrande earns its keep as a low-effort recovery beach, a 10-15 minute taxi from the Old City, walkable sand, and a strip of restaurants and pharmacies if you need either. It is not as good as the islands, the sand and water both take a step down, but it is the right pace for a last full day before departure. Spend the afternoon shopping or just sitting still, then a farewell seafood dinner, La Cevicheria on Calle Stuart is the most-cited spot for fresh ceviche and fish in the city.
Pack the departure morning loosely, Bocagrande to CTG runs a quick taxi hop, and three days done this way covers the water without ever feeling rushed.