Cruise Excursion in Cartagena: Explore the Best in Just One Day
Discover the magic of Cartagena with our most complete and recommended tour for cruise ship visitors.
If you’re arriving in Cartagena on a cruise and want to make the most of your short visit, our Cruise Excursion is your best choice. This guided experience is designed to show you the highlights of the city in just a few hours, with the comfort, safety, and attention to detail that travelers like you deserve.
🚐 What’s Included?
✅ Air-conditioned private transportation
Pick-up and drop-off at the cruise port. Travel comfortably and worry-free.
✅ Professional bilingual tour guide (English & Spanish)
Learn the history and culture of Cartagena from certified local experts who love what they do.
✅ Skip-the-line tickets to top attractions
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La Popa Monastery: Located on the highest hill in the city, enjoy stunning panoramic views of Cartagena.
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San Felipe de Barajas Fortress: The most iconic colonial military structure in South America.
✅ Walking tour of the Historic Center and Getsemaní
Explore cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, colorful murals, and lively local life.
✅ Panoramic drive through Bocagrande, Manga & San Diego
See the modern and historic faces of Cartagena in one unforgettable route.
📍 Perfect for Cruise Travelers
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Tour designed to fit your cruise schedule
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Guaranteed return to the port with time to spare
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Small groups for a personalized experience
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Time for photos, shopping, or a short coffee stop
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Flexible itinerary tailored to your preferences
💬 Why Choose Cartagena Tour Guides?
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10+ years of experience with cruise ship visitors
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Top-rated for punctuality, safety, and storytelling
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Local, passionate team that knows Cartagena inside and out
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Fast and friendly customer support
AJKMissionViejo_CA –
We were on the Celebrity Infinity, and I decided to book a private tour with Martin instead of doing the “cattle call” ships tour. While we saw many of the same sights as the ship tours, our tour was customized to our preferences. We always arrived before the big buses on the ship tours and we left as the masses were arriving. We wanted to buy Columbian coffee, so Martin took us to a great coffee vendor. My wife ran across a cute boutique and ended up buying several dresses made in Columbia — no problem. In a city like Catagena where you are not traveling any distance from the ship, a private tour is the way to go — and Martin did a great job, for a price slightly higher than the ship charged. Well worth the minor extra cost.
ccrosner –
“We spent a day in Cartagena off the Celebrity Equinox. Some friends from CruiseCritic arranged a small group tour of Cartagena using Cartagena Tour Guides. I highly recommend this company.
Although I did not make the arrangements, I know that our friend felt that Cartagena Tour Guides were very responsive to his requests including adding quite a few people close to our sail date. Our guide, Jose Villa, met us as described and walked us to our brand new charter bus with lovely leather seats and great air conditioning.
We made stops at La Popa, San Filipe fort, the walled city, the shopping bazaar and then a driving tour of the residential/hotel area along the beach. All of the stops were interesting though I much preferred the walled city over anything else as it is completely charming. Jose was an excellent guide with thorough knowledge of all we were seeing and the bus driver was very courteous and safe.
While walking through the walled city, one of the guests began to have pain in his hip and was having trouble walking. Jose immediately figured out a plan to get him back to the bus while we continued to tour. The bus driver (sorry that I don’t remember his name) showed great compassion towards the guest. The company and their staff deserve high praise for keeping their guests’ safety and comfort always at the forefront of their service.
Jose was very attuned to the group’s interest and listened to our requests (e.g. no one really wanted to shop so that stop was kept to a very quick minimum with no pressure to buy anything).
A great day in a HOT city. Thank you Jose and Cartagena Tour guides.”
LBS48 –
We were a group of Celebrity Equinox cruisers who were visiting Cartagena for two days in January, 2016. We decided to use a private tour company rather than the ship’s shore excursions. Martin Rosalies was our tour guide and we were completely satisfied with his services throughout the two days. From our very first communications via email, he was prompt in his replies, thorough in his explanations/directions, totally professional and spoke good English. Martin provided a fantastic tour of the city in a clean and comfortable, air-conditioned van and brought us to an excellent, five-star restaurant for lunch. He was very informative and knowledgeable, providing us with the rich history of this beautiful city. After talking to others on the ship, we realized that our private tour was much more resourceful than those offered through Celebrity. We would highly recommend Martin Rosalies, from Cartagena Tour Guides, to all who travel to Cartagena.
MJMadisonwi –
We had 2 days with Martin in Cartagena and we saw so much and learned so much. What a great resource! He was very organized, did everything and more on the schedule that he and we had decided on. Once he knew we love great food he picked restaurants that we loved. He REALLY knows everything and everybody so we never had to experience lines or waits. That is so important when you don’t have a lot of time in a port. We saw and did so much more than people who took excursions through the ship or on their own.
Tracyken2014 –
“I organised a trip with Martin after reading all the good reviews on Trip adviser.
We were on a cruise back in February and Martin was there on time to greet us in his lovely air conditioned van.
The trip was for about 4/ 5 hours and We all felt (6 of us) that it was a Fantastic trip…extremely knowledgeable and in all we could not fault it.
He also has a driver which was equally as good so Martin is free to come with you asap up to the castle and different parts of town and explain to you all that needs to be known about the place.
We loved Cartagena and if you are ever in this lovely City please don’t hesitate to give Martin a call or email or book him ahead if there are cruiships in as he is a very popular guide.
Keep the good work up Martin y Saludos desde Espana.
Un abrazo Teresa (tracy)”