Cartagena Sightseeing Tour Historic Center starting at the port

Cartagena, Colombia

5 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Cartagena, Caribbean Coast

4.0

(372)

Baru and Playa Blanca Full Day

from $39

Cartagena, Caribbean Coast

4.5

(93)

Cholon island party boat from cartagena

from $110

Large Boat Rental in Cartagena de Indias

Cartagena, Caribbean Coast

4.9

(41)

Large Boat Rental in Cartagena de Indias

from $1,290

Per group

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

When your cruise ship docks at the picturesque port of Cartagena, explore the Caribbean color and cultural flair of the Colombian city during a half-day sightseeing shore excursion. Our guide will be waiting for you at the parking of the port. Visit the historical and architectural highlights of the UNESCO World Heritage Site while delving deeper into the city’s history with a knowledgeable guide. Stroll around the ambient Plaza de la Aduana and discover the stolid structure of the Castillo San Felipe, the entrance fee to which is included in the tour.

Guided Cartagena sightseeing shore excursion
Discover the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of Cartagena with your expert guide
Visit Cartagena's historic center for close-up views of the clock tower (Torre del Reloj) and the Cathedral of Cartagena
Explore Plaza de Bolívar, home to the Gold Museum, Inquisition Palace and the Theater of Heredia
Take a guided tour of Castillo San Felipe

What's Included

Private transportation from and to the port of cruises.
Knowledgeable guide in the language of your preference.
Entry tickets to the places visited.
Visit to the city’s main landmarks.

Optional tips and gratuities
Unspecified food or beverage.
Personal expenses
Entry to Castillo de San Felipe

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point

Cartagena Port

Itinerary

Depart from your cruise ship docking point with your knowledgeable guide to begin your enriching exploration of the city. Begin your tour at the La Popa Monastery where you can learn about its history and appreciated the "Heroic City."

Arrive at the legendary landmark of Castillo San Felipe (San Felipe Castle) a foreboding fortress perched upon the hilltop of San Lazaro. Explore the interior with your guide, learning about the destruction and danger experienced by the fort as you appreciate stunning views of the Caribbean coast.

Then continue for a stroll through the picturesque historic center, over which the iconic Torre de Reloj clock tower reigns supreme. Capture this significant site on camera before gaining insight into the history of Plaza de la Aduana, a site on which hundreds of slaves were traded long ago.

Next, visit the sacred San Pedro Claver Church and Plaza de Bolivar to learn about religious art, history, and the city's colonial buildings.

At the end of the tour, you are dropped off at the parking lot of the port to board your cruise ship.

Worry-free Shore Excursion: We will ensure your timely return to the Cartagena port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.

Cerro de la Popa

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Walled City of Cartagena

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
We recommend you bring comfortable clothes and shoes as well as sunscreen and a hat or cap.

MEETING POINT: Please walk until the meeting point (don't take the shuttle bus, you will get lost). Look for a sign with your name on it. After you meet with the staff you will walk until the guide's location (you will see a small zoo inside the port)
Meeting point at the port: please read your confirmation voucher and if you have any questions or need additional information, email the operator to get a map.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Reviews

4.3

based on 9 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Loved walking down the...

Debra_T, Jan 2023

Loved walking down the very colourful streets with the umbrellas and streamers. Beautiful. Our tour guide was very passionate about his home and knew the history extremely well.

Perfect in every way!

Joan_T, Dec 2022

Fernando is an excellent historian and the perfect guide of you actually want to learn the history of the city and country. We couldn’t have been happier with the tour, our driver, the car and the inherent beauty of Cartagena.

Personal touch in Cartagena

WalterDHD, Feb 2020

The guide and the driver were great. The guide showed us all we asked to see per the agreement, with ample time for pictures and questions. The guide kept us away from the street hawkers, when he could. We would use this guide and driver again.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Hey Walter! Thank you for share your experience with more travelers like you. I'm glad to know that you had a satisfactory tour with the companion of your tour guide and driver. Cartagena is a beautiful city with lots of places to visit, hope you come back to discover more about our country. Kind regards, Valeria

Our guide, Billy, knew everyone...

Shar_M, Feb 2018

Our guide, Billy, knew everyone! And when we expressed disinterest in visting inside the fort, he immediately suggested something else! Cartagena was a wonderful experience and having an experienced guide made all the difference. Traveling in a small group, we walked parts of the city and then our van would meet us. Always love excursions with a small group.

By far, my favorite tour of our...

Kimberly_J, Feb 2018

By far, my favorite tour of our cruise. We were met at the end of the pier by someone who took us to our tour guide, Miguel. He has 50 years of tour guide experience and it shows! Made sure we had plenty of photo opportunities and was more than happy to change the tour to fit our needs as my husband and I were the only ones on the tour. He had many connections and we felt we saw so much more than any of the other tours we could have booked! We saw everything from the Castillo San Felipe to the opera house and loved every minute of it!

Great tour! Only wished they would...

Amber B, Mar 2015

Great tour! Only wished they would have picked us up at the cruise port. Instead of across at the Texaco station. It was quite a walk to get there.

Our guide was difficult to find as...

Ann L K, Dec 2013

Our guide was difficult to find as the instructions said to meet him at the Texaco station which is outside of the port. We were approached by several other tours companies telling us it was unsafe to go outside the port area on our own. After talking to a sales clerk in the shop, she took us to the Texaco station. I would suggest your Viator representative should wait at the end of the dock where the ship docks to avoid any confusion. Once we met our tour and began the tour everything was wonderful. He was very informative and took us to places that weren't on our tour schedule. He is very good and I would rate him highly. He even parked his car and we walked thru the old section of Cartagena to look at architecture, parks, churches, shops, etc. My only complaint was trying to connect with him once we left the ship