6 Days in Cartagena: The Walled City Base
Six days is the Walled City, Getsemani, San Basilio de Palenque and Bocagrande route plus a genuinely quieter sixth day: Manga and La Boquilla instead of another packed sightseeing day. Want less or more? Drop to the 5-day version or step up to the 7-day plan, built on this same spine.
Book these before you go
- Walled City or Getsemani hotel: check current listings on Booking.com
- Castillo San Felipe history tour: search dates on Viator
- San Basilio de Palenque day trip: browse fixed-departure tours on GetYourGuide
- Colombian cooking class: check availability on GetYourGuide
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Rough daily cost (COP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival, Walled City orientation, Getsemani sunset | CTG airport to center, 15-20 min | 150,000-300,000 |
| Day 2 | Castillo San Felipe, La Popa, Palace of the Inquisition | Everything walkable or a short taxi | 150,000-300,000 |
| Day 3 | Getsemani street art, MAMC, Plaza de la Trinidad night | On foot from the Walled City | 120,000-250,000 |
| Day 4 | San Basilio de Palenque day trip | 1-1.5 hours each way by tour van | 150,000-250,000 |
| Day 5 | Bocagrande half-day, chiva party bus night | Short taxi to Bocagrande | 150,000-300,000 |
| Day 6 | Manga, La Boquilla, cooking class | Short taxi to both | 150,000-280,000 |
Day 1: Arrival and the Walled City
- Land at Rafael Nunez International Airport (CTG), fixed-rate taxi kiosk, roughly 20,000-30,000 COP to the Walled City or Getsemani, 15-20 minutes.
- Walk San Pedro and San Diego in the morning or late afternoon: Plaza Bolivar, the Cathedral of Cartagena, Calle Santo Domingo. Skip the midday hours.
- Stop at Las Bovedas, a free artisan market in the old munitions vaults.
- Evening in Getsemani for dinner, sunset on the walls near Baluarte Santo Domingo.
Day 2: Castillo San Felipe and the city’s history
- Morning at La Popa monastery, entrance 4,500-11,000 COP reported, verify.
- Midday at the Palacio de la Inquisicion, roughly 24,000 COP (some sources cite 19,000-22,000 COP).
- Late afternoon at Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish fortress built in the Americas, go after 3pm. Gate prices reported 38,000-50,000 COP, verify, audio guide roughly 15,000 COP more. Part of the 1984 UNESCO listing .
Day 3: Getsemani, deeper
- Walk the murals radiating from Calle Sierpe and the quieter San Diego lanes.
- Visit the Museo de Arte Moderno de Cartagena (MAMC).
- Treat the neighborhood’s gentrification honestly, a Four Seasons opened here 2 April 2026.
- Night at Plaza de la Trinidad for live champeta.
Day 4: San Basilio de Palenque
- Fixed-departure day tour to San Basilio de Palenque, the only surviving palenque in Colombia, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2008, roughly 1-1.5 hours out with an organized tour and local guide.
- Learn about Palenquero, the Spanish-lexicon Bantu-grammar creole, and the community the Cartagena palenqueras trace their heritage to.
- Back in Cartagena by evening.
Day 5: Bocagrande and a chiva night
- Half-day at Bocagrande, the beachfront high-rise strip with big hotel brands (InterContinental, Hilton, Hyatt Regency); the beach isn’t the region’s best but it’s a workable break from history.
- Afternoon back in the Walled City for anything missed.
- Evening chiva party bus, roughly 50,000 COP per shared seat or around 650,000 COP for a private full bus.
Day 6: Manga, La Boquilla and a cooking class
- Morning in Manga, a quiet residential island neighborhood connected by a short bridge, with a handful of boutique hotels and none of the crowds, a genuine change of pace from five days inside the walls.
- Afternoon at La Boquilla, a fishing-village-turned-beach spot north of the city with mangrove canoe tours and kitesurfing, more local than touristy.
- Evening cooking class covering Colombian coastal staples: arepa de huevo, coconut rice, fresh ceviche, a hands-on way to close out the food side of the trip instead of one more restaurant dinner.
Six days is the point where a slower pace pays off more than another attraction. See the 7-day itinerary for a genuine flex day at the end.