5 Day Cartagena Itinerary Suggestions

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Are you wondering how to spend 5 days in Cartagena, Colombia?

Well, you’re in luck. I lived in Cartagena for over a decade.

In this post, I’m going to share my suggestions for how to plan a 5 day Cartagena itinerary.

With a 5 day itinerary in Cartagena, you’ll be able to see the highlights in town plus consider spending the night in the islands or doing some other fun day trips or activities in town.

In this suggested Cartagena 5 day itinerary, I’ll go over those options so you can make the most of your 5 days in Cartagena!

Some Considerations for Your 5 Day Cartagena Itinerary

The first thing that you might ask yourself if you’re planning a 5 day Cartagena itinerary is whether 5 days in Cartagena is too much, too little, or just right.

If you read my more detailed guide to how many days to spend in Cartagena, you’ll see that 5 days in Cartagena falls into what I consider the sweet spot of 4-7 days.

Whether it’s just right depends on a few things though.

The first thing is whether you want to spend a night in the Rosario Islands near Cartagena.

However, due to the logistics of getting out there and back, you’ll have to balance that with doing a day trip to other places outside Cartagena or doing less frequently visited things in town.

Or, maybe you just want a day to bum around the hotel pool, perhaps after a night out on the town.

I’m going to give you my recommendation on what I’d suggest doing if you don’t spend the night in the islands but also share some possible alternatives in this Cartagena 5 day itinerary.

My Suggested 5 Day Itinerary for Cartagena

I should point out that this suggested itinerary is based on the idea of 5 days, 4 nights in Cartagena.

So, that’s really more like 3 full days and 2 possible half days since arrival and departure times can vary.

I’ve kept the first and last day pretty light for that reason, but I’ll also include some suggestions for things to do those days if you happen to arrive early or depart later in the day.

Day 1: Arrive and Immerse Yourself in Cartagena

Due to common afternoon arrivals and an often unpredictable wait time in immigration (see this post on what to expect at the Cartagena airport, by the way), I like to keep arrival days pretty light.

I think for most people, the best way to spend a first afternoon or evening in Cartagena, is simply to spend some time strolling and taking in the charm of the historic Walled City.

You can also pop over to neighboring Getsemaní.

If you read my guide to where to stay in Cartagena, you’ll see those are my top two recommended areas to stay too.

If you follow that advice, you can walk around easily from your hotel.

If you have an earlier arrival, you could also do an afternoon walking tour of these areas and go ahead and knock out one of my top suggestions for your second day to have more time for something else (see some options for that in Day 2 below).

If you arrive by lunch time or shortly after, I also love doing a sunset cruise as a first night activity.

Our favorite sunset cruise is on this catamaran, but we’ve also enjoyed this open bar sunset cruise and this pirate ship sunset cruise looks like a lot of fun.

If you arrive after around 2 pm, though, I’d probably wouldn’t risk booking something organized in case you get a long immigration line.

For dinner, my top recommendations for a first night are Buena Vida Marisquería and La Cevichería, both of which are fairly casual. If you’ve got time to freshen up at the hotel, Candé is also a great option, but you can save it for another night if you’d rather not get fancy.

By the way, do take a look at my Cartagena packing list for ideas for outfits and other things to pack, and you can take a look at my picks for the best Cartagena restaurants for more ideas on where to eat tonight and other nights of your 5 days in Cartagena.

Day 2: See the City’s Historic Highlights

I always encourage people to use their first full day in town to do the highlights of the historic city and the main historic site of the Castillo San Felipe Fort.

I would recommend starting with the fort to beat both the crowds and the heat.

You can just taxi there and do it on your own, or you could do a shared Cartagena city tour that includes it, the Popa Monastery atop a hill overlooking the city, and a walking tour of the Walled City.

If you prefer going at your own pace but want a guided experience, you can get 20% off with the code ExploreColombia20 if you book a private city tour here.

You could also opt to buy a ticket for the Hop On Hop Off Tourist Bus, which stops here. Tickets include a walking tour of the Walled City, and the 2 day ticket can be a pretty good value if you use it to transit between a handful of places in lieu of taxis too.

If you didn’t do one of those options that included a walking tour, I definitely recommend doing this walking tour of the Walled City and Getsemaní (you can read my review of it here).

If you get an early enough start, I think you can do the fort first thing and make the AM walking tour, or you can do it in the afternoon.

If you’re not that crazy about history, this street food tour would also be a great option to get a little bit of background on Cartagena’s history and culture while getting a guided experience in the historic areas with lots of tasty treats along the way.

If you prefer to sample on your own, do check out my guide to the best Cartagena street foods.

Speaking of food, for lunch today, I’d definitely recommend whichever of Buena Vida or La Cevichería you didn’t do last night. Candé is also a bit more casual for lunch.

Or, if you want something a bit on the cheaper side, check out La Mulata, which serves really good traditional Cartagena food at some of the most reasonable prices in the Walled City.

If you’d like to fill any gaps or free time you have, the Museo Naval is the best history museum in Cartagena and gives some good additional context to the fort.

The Gold Museum has a small, but nice, collection of indigenous gold craft and is free to enter.

The San Pedro Claver Church is the prettiest church in Cartagena and has a few nice art galleries, and the Palacio de la Inquisición doubles as a history museum and museum of the Inquisition.

I’d prioritize them in that order or based on your personal preference.

If you managed to squeeze the walking tour in before lunch or decided to explore on your own, planning on the sunset cruise if you didn’t arrive in time to do it last night is a great end of the day.

If you already did that, sunset drinks at Hotel Movich’s rooftop or sunset drinks and dinner at Casa Pura would also make great endings to the day.

For something more budget friendly, consider the food trucks at Terreza Municipal with it’s gorgeous view of the bay.

I recommend doing Candé tonight for dinner if you haven’t been there yet and don’t do dinner wherever you see sunset.

Then, I’d check out the fun and very Cartagena atmosphere at Bazurto Social Club, where they do mini dance lessons throughout the night, showing how to dance to locally created Champeta music as well as salsa.

If you want just salsa, you could check out Havana Club in Getsemaní, or check out my Cartagena nightlife guide for more ideas on where to go out dancing.

I have a day in the sun recommended for day 3 of this Cartagena 5 day itinerary. So, if you’d rather keep it low key, you could opt for a drink at the more relaxed Al Quimico, the outdoor tables by the Clocktower at Donde Fidel, or the tasty drinks at Townhouse’s rooftop bar.

Day 3: Soak in the Sun of the Rosario Islands

I consider the Rosario Islands a must do in Cartagena.

With 5 days, you’ve got the option to stick to a day trip or choose to spend the night. I’ll discuss options for both below.

If you spend the night, you’ll need to plan this for your third night, since the logistics of getting out here and back require more or less two full days.

If just doing a day trip, you could switch Day 3 and Day 4 here if you prefer to make your final full day the islands or to avoid busier days like weekends or Monday holidays.

Option 1: Day Trip to the Islands

If you want to stick to a day trip, I can’t recommend doing a private boat rental enough.

It’s more affordable than you might guess, especially if you’re traveling as a family or group, and you get so much freedom and flexibility to plan the day however you like.

You can get a quote for a private boat rental from my partner provider here or you can read my tips for finding a Cartagena boat rental here.

For shared tours, I’d recommend the islands catamaran trip or doing a multi-island tour if you’d like to see several spots in the islands.

You could also do a day pass at IslaBela, our favorite relaxed hotel and beach club, or at the popular Bora Bora Beach Club if you want a livelier atmosphere.

See more options in my post on the best Rosario Islands day trips.

After a day out in the sun, I’d recommend checking out either the food trucks at Terreza Municipal or the street food around the Plaza de la Trinidad in Getsemaní for a relaxed evening.

You can keep the party going as well with some road beers from the corner store by the Plaza de la Trinidad or drinks at the tables set up on the Calle Ancho or Callejón Angosto under the pretty umbrellas and decorations overhead.

If you’ve got the energy for it, you could also freshen up in the hotel and do a nicer dinner and/or go out dancing.

Option 2: Spend the Night in the Islands

As I mentioned above, with 5 days in Cartagena, doing a night out in the islands works well.

Just keep in mind, unless you’re willing to pay for a private transfer, shared transportation from hotels generally comes back late in the afternoon, so you’ll be devoting most of your last full day in town to the beach.

I think that’s perfectly acceptable, but you might want to read over my other alternatives for tomorrow to decide if it’s the best fit for you or not.

Again, our favorite relaxed place out in the islands is IslaBela, which I think is one of the better values too. Bora Bora also offers overnight stays if you wanted a more party style atmosphere during the day.

For something nicer, it’s tough to beat the luxury bungalows at Las Islas. The Isla del Encanto is also lovely and is a bit more family friendly while remaining good for couples too.

The most modern resort is the Sofitel Calablanca though. I’d especially recommend it for families or those looking to have a bit more to do than just enjoy the beach since they offer some fun activities.

It is also located on Barú and is reachable by land. So, if you decided you wanted to do one or more of the activities I mention below and your departure isn’t too early on your last day, you could also make staying at the Sofitel work for your last night.

You can see more options for where to stay in the islands in my post on the best Rosario Islands hotels.

If you’re not totally sold on the Rosarios, you can also check out my comparative guide to the Cartagena islands or my post on the best beaches in Cartagena for more beach options.

Day 4: Visit the Historic Free Slave Town of San Basilio de Palenque

Now, obviously if you chose to spend 3rd night out in the islands, your day is just going to be enjoying them, and you can see my recommendations for the evening above.

If you didn’t stay in the islands, my top recommendation for you last full day is to visit San Basilio de Palenque, often just called Palenque.

For those interested in history and culture or just seeing the less touristy side of Colombia, doing the trip out here is absolutely worth it.

The town is a UNESCO site and many traditional African practices survived here, including the only known remaining Spanish based creole language.

It’s increasingly on the tourist map, and there are a good number of tours here now. They generally include your transportation from Cartagena, a walking tour of the town, a dance and/or music performance, and lunch.

I did this tour to Palenque in the summer of 2024, thought it was well done, and I recommend it (see my full review here).

If you’d prefer to go at your own pace, take 20% off this private Palenque tour with code ExploreColombia20.

Most Palenque tours get back in the mid-afternoon, so you can also make plans for the late afternoon or evening too, maybe catching sunset somewhere or doing the sunset cruise if you haven’t done it yet.

Alternatives to Palenque

If Palenque doesn’t really interest you very much, you could opt to skip it and do something else.

Of course, you could just take it easy and bum around the hotel pool, enjoy some more food and drinks, or doing things like hitting any of the museums or other things I’ve mentioned above that you’ve missed.

Here are some other ideas for ways to fill your 4th day:

• Do a fun ATV tour, a great way to do something different with a taste of the extreme.
• Do the great cooking class at Lunático (you can see my review here). The menu does rotate based on the day, so if there’s one that stands out you might adjust this itinerary as necessary to make it work.
• Do a tour of the Bazurto Market. If you click the link to the cooking class above, you’ll see an option to combine it with the market too.
• Do the rum tasting offered by Lunático (learn more in my review).
• Do a tour to the mud volcano, an interesting if a bit odd attraction (for more info read my guide)
• Do the neat coffee tasting and workshop at Café del Mural (for more info see my review here)
• Do the Howling Trail nature hike and look for monkeys, a hidden gem for nature lovers.
• Visit the Colombian National Aviary.
• Do a canoe tour in the mangroves of La Boquilla.

Some of those things can be combined, and you could probably manage to even do Palenque together with something like the rum tasting in the evening.

Hopefully, that gives you more than enough options to spend your final full day.

You might even have to think about extending your stay!

Day 5: Say Goodbye to Cartagena

Depending on your departure time, you might be able to get an activity or two in on this last day. Perhaps one of the alternative options I discussed for Day 4 would work.

I tend to suggest using your last day to get a good, relaxed breakfast (and lunch if you leave later), some relax or maybe hotel pool time, and picking up souvenirs though.

Speaking of souvenirs, some of my favorite things to take home as gifts include coffee from a place like San Alberto Café or Libertario Coffe Roasters and the gift wrapped cocadas (coconut patties) sold at the Portal de los Dulces across from the Clocktower.

You can also find great art on the street across from the entrance to the Cartagena cathedral as well as on the street where Café del Mural in located in Getsemaní.

For more traditional souvenirs, the shops in Las Bovedas are pretty good, and there is a decent souvenir shop diagonal the back of the cathedral too.

How Will You Spend Your 5 Days in Cartagena?

Well, those are my suggestions for how to spend 5 days in Cartagena!

I really think you need to spend a full day to see the historic highlights and a full day to explore the Rosario Islands, but then you have some options for how to fill out the rest of your itinerary for 5 days in Cartagena based on personal preference and your exact arrival and departure time.

I hope this post helped you figure out how best to fill out your 5 day Cartagena itinerary. I’d love to hear what you decided, what you thought, and if you have any other tips for fellow travelers in the comments below.

Please do check out all the other content on the site to help you plan too!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!