Top Things to do in Cartagena District
Top Hotels in Cartagena District
- 1. Dreams Karibana Cartagena Golf & Spa Resort
- 2. Hyatt Regency Cartagena
- 3. Hotel Las Americas Casa de Playa
- 4. Hotel Cartagena Plaza
- 5. Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo
- 6. Hotel Las Americas Torre del Mar
- 7. Holiday Inn Cartagena Morros, an IHG Hotel
- 8. ESTELAR Cartagena de Indias Hotel & Convention Centre
- 9. Ermita, Cartagena, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel
- 10. Sofitel Legend Santa Clara
Countries
10 Things to do for Honeymoon in Cartagena District That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Cartagena District, Colombia including Tour in Cartagena with Marelvy Pena-Hall, Segway Cartagena, Cartagena Tour Guides, Boating Cartagena, Free Biking Tour Cartagena, Paraiso Dive Cartagena, Luxury Boats Cartagena, Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, Walled City of Cartagena, Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver.
Restaurants in Cartagena District
1. Tour in Cartagena with Marelvy Pena-Hall
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 507 reviews
Marelvy Peña-Hall is completely fluent in English, French and Spanish. In her work as a tour guide she combines the intimate knowledge of a native of Cartagena who is steeped in the city’s centuries-old traditions with an easy familiarity with North American and European people, society and culture, having traveled and lived in both the U.S. and France.
2. Segway Cartagena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 539 reviews
Explore Cartagena like never before. Enjoy our Segway Tours through Cartagena's walled city, and bring back home one of the best memories of your trip to this beautiful city.
3. Cartagena Tour Guides
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 256 reviews
Our commitment to customer service is what makes "Cartagena Tour Guides by Martin Rosales" services stand out, we are committed to small group sizes and creating personalized experiences. Quality staff are important for customer service and this is never a problem for us because all guides are amazing in what they do! Come and visit Cartagena with Cartagena Tour Guides By Martin Rosales!
4. Boating Cartagena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 150 reviews
When visiting Cartagena there are two wonders no one should miss, The famous Old City and the astonishing Islas del Rosario (only a 20 minute boat-ride from Cartagena). These islands have crystal clear & turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and the most important coral reefs on the Colombian Caribbean coast. Our company was founded on the premises to provide the finest option when visiting and cruising the islands. We offer comfortable private boats and yachts that are professionally crewed (captain & assistant), while providing top-notch customer service. Rely on us and let us host you. Boating Cartagena is the way to go when chartering a boat in Cartagena – Colombia. We host, you relax!
5. Free Biking Tour Cartagena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 307 reviews
You rent a bike, we add the guide! Get in touch with us to book a bicycle tour and enjoy discovering every corner of the old city of Cartagena! We provide you an unique custom-made bicycle and a helmet for two hours. The tour will be led by a professional tour guide who will share information about the history while we bike in all of the must-see places and visit the hidden gems of the old city! Our tours work under the free tour concept, which means one does not pay for the service of the guide, meaning the tour is free and in the end of the tour one can say "thank you" to the guide with some tips! As we are a biking tour and need to take care of the bikes, we ask a bike rental. This concept makes our group tour more affordable and is always professional! Please book in advance via email or WhatsApp and arrive min 15 minutes before the tour starts at the meeting point in the old city on Plazuela del Pozo! Check out our Bike&Bite food tour or ask about the private biking tours! Vamos!
6. Paraiso Dive Cartagena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 205 reviews
Scuba diving has always been our passion. When it comes to scuba diving and snorkeling in Cartagena, whether for your first or hundredth time, our staff of professional PADI scuba Divemasters and Instructors strive to provide you with the most professional, safe and enjoyable experience possible. We can take you near and far to a variety of dive and snorkel sites with our reliable boat, excelent equipment and great team.
7. Luxury Boats Cartagena
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 109 reviews
Luxury Boats Cartagena is a company specialized in the nautical boat charter service, that is, we dedicate ourselves to make you live special moments in luxury boats. Our main objective is to make you live a unique and fun experience in Cartagena de Indias and its beautiful adjoining islands; All this you will enjoy in luxury boats, the best brands and avant-garde designs. Our service is exclusive and reliable. All our team is specialized in maritime navigation, guaranteeing you peace of mind and safety when navigating.
8. Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12,870 reviews
Cartagena was always a desirable conquest for pirates and enemies of the Spanish Crown; and for this reason, the defense of the city from these threats was a question of priority for its inhabitants from the first decades of the existence of the city. Once the primitive nucleus of Cartagena and the outlying district of Getsemani were fortified, there was a need to erect a structure on San Lazaro Hill that would prevent an enemy attack from its peak, since the hill dominated the walls and the only entrance to the city, the Media Luna Entrance in Getsemani. In addition, this hill was the intermediate point between the city and the nearby Popa Peak, where some heavy guns and canons were installed between 1769 and 1780 to cross fire with the castle and make an enemy attack more difficult from the large beach of Playon Grande in Pie de la Popa.
Reviewed By myom624 - Coquitlam, Canada
A hilltop fortress (but just a 5-minute-or-so walk up from the bottom) with a "quite sprawling" area above the ramparts, this is really a site for a "high-ground walk" in I would categorize as generally 3 parts: the Central Part with the "national flag" (a good-sized one for a nice photo-op) where there's also a tunnel to go down below which connects with the North Part (a straight walk for just about 5 minutes to the other side but where inside are also some "diverging paths" to wander around a bit); the North Part which is the "most spacious" of the three where there's also like a higher promenade along its one side for some direct views to outside through the openings among the battlements alongside; and the South Part which is actually a 2-level one with its upper level being the "highest part" of the entire fortress (and likely due to that physical position being the "most number" of cannons of the Fortress to be found at that specific location). And yes, to enjoy above apart from spacious grounds are also great views all around especially to the south with just a "pretty phenomenal" view of the city's skyline (generally around the Bocagrande Beach area with really quite a number of modern high-rises spread along an impressive length!) and also to the east with La Popa Hill (a distant-but-clear view of its convent on top with actually also interestingly some of the cannons of this fortress pointed in that direction for some "unique scene" I would say). Just somewhat on the downside though (not personally for me) is that this is a site pretty much "all outdoor" except for some rest shelters, but be sure not to miss the small souvenir shop on the upper level of the South Part (which despite its size has a pretty good collection of a variety of souvenirs). If coming from the "Walled City", after coming out of its east side is just about a half-hour walk pretty much just a straight way (until arriving at the north end of the Fortress which is where to turn right for a further short walk to the ticket entrance), and also to pass by "at about halfway" along the way is the India Catalina statue right beside a big lake (one commemorating the tribal woman who accompanied Conquistador Pedro de Heredia in his quest to establish Cartagena). And actually as for statues, there's also one right at the bottom of this fortress (just to the left after coming back out of the ticket entrance) which is just somewhat of an interesting one featuring a "sword-weilding" commander or such (with my initial impression being one for the Spanish defenders in the 1740's War, but the inscription below mentioning actually being one for the British attackers!).
9. Walled City of Cartagena
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 22,769 reviews
Reviewed By midwaytoheaven - Midway, United States
A PHOTOGRAPHERS DREAM! We loved exploring both the inside and outside of the Old City Walls of Cartagena. It is amazing that these walls still exist and standing after hundreds of years of history. Boy, if these walls could talk what stories they would tell. A MUST SEE when visiting Caratgena. BOTTOM LINE: What a fun place to see so much history in a compact area. You can wall atop many parts of the wall and get a different perspective of the old city, too. We found it fun strolling the old narrow cobblestone streets, seeing the Cartagena Cathedral, San Pedro Church, city hall, customs house square, shops, jewelry stores, historical statues, seeing street vendors, Yellow Clock squared and more. Plan to spend several hours strolling the streets and better appreciate the flavor of this walled old city. MY RATING: 9/10. Most of the old colonial homes have been nicely restored. You'll see some beautiful flowered balconies down every street. A photographers dream location. Photo and selfie stops around every corner!
10. Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,829 reviews
Four hundred years ago jesuits established in Cartagena and founded a school and a church in downtown. During the XVII century a father called Pedro Claver dedicated all his life to the protection of the african slaves and became saint 300 hundred years later. To keep alive his legacy, jesuits came back to the city at the end of XIX century and started to collect pieces for a museum that includes precolombian, religious and african caribbean art and, of course, the chamber and other spaces where the saint lived and died. Nowadays it is the museum with the most complete collection of religious art in Colombian coast, and the building preserves the spirit of Claver, the spirit of Human Rights.
Reviewed By ruthandvern - Wilton, United States
Not only is this a museum, it leads to the sanctuary. Within the exterior walls there is a wondrous courtyard full of plants and calm and quiet. The plants and flowers just light up the buildings. On three floors there are colections of ceramics of the saint's, his cell, the most complete collection of of religious art in the area, African arts and crafts both old and new. Workmen were working on the roof of the sanctuary and brought supplies up the narrow winding staircase from the sanctuary to the choral loft and on up to the bell tower. The tower was not available for viewing.
