Cartagena City Tour with La Popa Convent and San Felipe Castle

San Felipe de Barajas Castle

Rising over San Lázaro hill just outside the old town, Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is the most important of Cartagena's fortifications and the largest fortress Spain built in its American colonies. Work began in the 17th century and the castle was expanded through the 18th century into a maze of sloping stone walls, batteries and narrow tunnels designed so that defenders could hear an enemy approaching. Its greatest test came in 1741, when a huge British fleet besieged the city and was driven back.

On this Cartagena city tour you spend about 30 minutes inside with your guide, walking the ramps to the upper batteries and peeking into the tunnels. Your San Felipe Castle tickets are included, so there is no queue to buy them. Near the entrance stands the statue of Blas de Lezo, the Spanish admiral who led the city's defence. Is San Felipe Castle worth visiting? For the views over the walls and the sheer scale of the stonework, absolutely.

Convent of Santa Cruz de La Popa

La Popa is the highest hill in Cartagena, about 150 metres above the sea, and its white convent has watched over the city since the early 17th century. The cloister is a calm courtyard of arches, flowers and a central well, and the chapel holds the image of the Virgen de la Candelaria, the patron of Cartagena, whose feast is celebrated every year at the beginning of February with a candlelit procession up the hill.

Most travellers come for the view: from the terraces you see the whole city at once, from the domes of the Walled City and the fortress walls to the high-rises of Bocagrande, the harbour and the open Caribbean Sea. Reaching La Popa on your own means a taxi up a steep road, so having it included in this Cartagena guided tour is a real plus. You stay about 30 minutes, with time for photos and the story of the convent from your guide.

The Walled City of Cartagena

Founded in 1533, Cartagena de Indias became one of Spain's main ports in the Caribbean, and its old town is still wrapped in around eleven kilometres of stone walls. The port, fortresses and monuments were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Inside the walls, narrow streets of colonial houses painted yellow, blue and terracotta, with wooden balconies overflowing with bougainvillea, open onto shady plazas, churches and the cathedral.

The tour ends with a guided walk of about 40 minutes through the historic centre, where your guide explains the architecture, the old trade and the daily life of the colonial city. You pass through the Clock Tower gate, the main entrance to the old town, and see squares such as the Plaza de los Coches. If you want to explore the Walled City further, our team can suggest the best streets and cafés for after the tour.

Old Shoes Monument and the Clock Tower

Behind San Felipe Castle sits one of Cartagena's most loved symbols: Los Zapatos Viejos, a giant pair of old bronze shoes unveiled in 1957. They were inspired by a famous local poem in which a Cartagena poet compares the love people feel for their old city to the comfort of a pair of old shoes. Visitors take turns sitting inside them for a photo, and the stop takes about 15 minutes.

On the way into the old town you also drive past the Torre del Reloj, the yellow Clock Tower that crowns the main gate of the Walled City. The tower was added in the 19th century above the old colonial gateway and is the image on almost every postcard of Cartagena. It also marks the meeting point of the old port area and the historic centre, a good landmark to remember for exploring on your own later.

Emeralds and the Cartagena waterfront

Colombia produces some of the finest emeralds in the world, mined in the mountains of Boyacá, and Cartagena is the place where many travellers first learn about them. During a short 15-minute break the tour visits a jewellery workshop where you see how rough stones are cut, graded and set, and learn how colour and clarity decide their value. There is no obligation to buy, and the stop is also a chance for a rest and a drink.

Between stops your air-conditioned vehicle follows the coastline around Cartagena Bay, with views of the harbour, the Bocagrande peninsula with its modern towers and the old forts at the water's edge. It is an easy way to understand how the city grew from a fortified port into the busy Caribbean resort it is today, before your driver takes you back to your hotel.