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Martin St-Amant (S23678), CC BY-SA 3.0

Cartagena

Cartagena is Colombia's walled colonial port on the Caribbean, with the San Felipe fortress and the Rosario Islands offshore.

Best things to do in Cartagena

The one thing not to miss

Climb the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the 17th-century fortress on San Lázaro hill that guarded the city's approaches.

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
  1. 62 - Carthagène - Décembre 2008
    Martin St-Amant (S23678), CC BY-SA 3.0

    Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

    • 1 to 2 hours
    • Tickets needed
    • Families
    • Couples

    A fortress built in 1639 on San Lázaro hill, commanding the approaches to the city by land and sea.

    1,678 readers a month

    Sources
  2. Karibiska havet i Colombia
    Segab, Public domain

    The Rosario Islands (boat trip)

    • A full day
    • Tickets needed
    • Couples
    • Families

    An archipelago about 20 km from Cartagena, one of Colombia's 46 national natural parks.

    1,040 readers a month

    Sources
  3. Volcán del Totumo
    Dasha Shishkova, CC BY-SA 4.0

    El Totumo mud volcano (day trip)

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Families
    • Active

    An active mud volcano near sea level in Santa Catalina, popular for its mud bath.

    530 readers a month

    Sources
  4. Cartagena skyline, Colombia
    poirpom, CC BY 2.0

    Bocagrande

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Families

    A modern neighbourhood on a peninsula in Cartagena.

    421 readers a month

    Sources
  5. Casa Inquisicion CTG 11 2019 1674
    Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), CC BY-SA 4.0

    Palace of the Inquisition

    • 1 hour
    • Tickets needed
    • Couples
    • Rainy day

    The 18th-century seat of the Inquisition, completed in 1770, now home to the Cartagena History Museum.

    412 readers a month

    Sources
  6. Catedral de Cartagena-Fachada
    Ryan, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Cartagena Cathedral

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    The cathedral basilica of St Catherine of Alexandria in the historic centre.

    346 readers a month

    Sources
  7. Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, Cartagena 01
    Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Church of San Pedro Claver

    • Under an hour
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    A church in Cartagena's historic centre.

    275 readers a month

    Sources
  8. Puerta del Reloj, Cartagena 02
    Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The Clock Tower Gate (Puerta del Reloj)

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    The main gate and original entrance of the walled city.

    235 readers a month

    Sources
  9. Convento de La Popa
    Petruss, CC BY-SA 3.0

    La Popa convent

    • 1 to 2 hours
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Couples

    The convent and chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria on top of Mount La Popa.

    215 readers a month

    Sources
  10. LAS BOVEDAS, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA
    JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Las Bóvedas

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    Old vaulted dungeons built into the city walls, with a view of the Caribbean from the top.

    119 readers a month

    Sources

Just missed the list: Barú (11th by readers)

How we ranked these

By how many people read about each place on English Wikipedia in a typical month, measured October 2026. It is a popularity measure, not our opinion. Castillo San Felipe de Barajas leads with about 1,678 readers a month. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are on each photo.

Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you book through links on this site. It costs you nothing extra and does not change what we recommend. How this works.