Cartagena with kids is a fun and colourful stop on a family trip to Colombia, especially if you base yourself in Getsemaní. We didn’t have a lot of time in Cartagena, but we’re so glad we spent a good chunk of it here. It was easy to walk to Cartagena’s Old Town, but Getsemaní also had plenty to keep us happy close to our hotel, including street art, casual restaurants, small shops and a lively neighbourhood feel.
For families, Getsemaní works especially well because you can explore without a plan. We loved wandering the streets looking for murals, walking under colourful umbrellas and flags, and finding easy places to stop for food. It felt more relaxed than the busiest parts of Old Town, while still being close enough that we could walk through Parque Centenario and be inside the walled city in just a few minutes.
In this guide, I’ll share the best things we did in Cartagena with kids, how we spent two days in the city, where we stayed in Getsemaní, and the restaurants that worked well for our family. Cartagena can be hot and busy, so a little planning helps, but it’s also one of those places where simply walking around can be one of the best parts of the trip.
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Best Things to Do in Cartagena with Kids
If you are wondering what to do in Cartagena with kids, don’t worry, you have plenty of fun activities to choose from:
1. Wander Cartagena’s Old Town
Cartagena’s premier attraction is its walled Old Town. This amazingly preserved colonial town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a perfect place to put Google Maps away and simply wander the streets.
Enjoy following your eyes as you admire the beautiful colorful buildings complete with balconies draped with bougainvillea vines. There’s also great shopping and lots of dining options.
Old Town Cartagena has a couple of fun, vibrant plazas, including Plaza de Bolívar and Plaza Santo Domingo.
If you’re looking for a good laugh and an even better picture, there is a bronze sculpture of a large naked woman by famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero in Plaza Santo Domingo. Local legend has it that you’ll get good luck if you touch her left breast. Never hurts to try, right?
If you need to escape the heat for a while, two indoor highlights in the Old Town are the Palace of the Inquisition, which we thought may be too graphic for kids, and Museo del Oro Zenú, a gold museum.
Be sure to visit the far western edge of Old Town, where you can walk atop the city walls for a short stretch. The views of the Caribbean Sea are very nice and there are lots of cannons for the kids to climb on.
2. Visit Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
Since its founding in 1533, Cartagena has been a very important and desirable city. As such, it was often attacked by pirates, corsairs and foreign forces. Cartagena needed better defenses, so they built a series of defensive forts. The biggest and most impressive is Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas.
Located about a 10-minute walk from Getsemaní, Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas towers over the land around it. Because it was so close, we walked from Getsemaní, but we had a slightly uncomfortable encounter along the way. We arrived safely without incident, but just in case we’d recommend taking a taxi or the Hop-On Hop-Off bus.
After paying admission, you walk up a winding road to get to the fort. Along the way there are many places to stop and look back on the excellent views of the city.
The San Felipe de Barajas Castle is a great place to visit with kids. There’s tons of space for kids to run and explore, big ledges to jump off of, cannons to climb on, tunnels to explore, etc. Our kids had an amazing time exploring and learning about the fort’s defences.
The Castillo can get very busy, but we got there shortly after opening and it wasn’t very crowded at all. This allowed our kids to be crazy without annoying other guests.
3. Explore Getsemaní on Foot
Old Town Cartagena is not the only interesting neighborhood to wander around. Getsemaní is an incredibly interesting neighborhood to spend time exploring and discovering its wonders.
The whole Getsemaní neighbourhood feels like a work of art. The roads are lined with canopies of hanging umbrellas, flags and lights, all swaying gently in the wind.
Any available wall space between the restaurants and hotels is filled with colourful spray-painted murals.
The food in Getsemaní is varied, excellent and reasonably priced. There’s also more interesting shopping here than the standard knick-knacks you’ll find in Old Town.
4. Take a Day Trip to the Rosario Islands
We skipped visiting the Rosario Islands from Cartagena due to our family trip to Isla Múcura in the Islas de San Bernardo. If you are looking for an easy visit to a beautiful Caribbean island, be sure to check out the many day trips to the Rosario Islands.
5. Visit Playa Blanca
A hugely popular Cartagena tour is to the crystal-clear waters of Playa Blanca, which is considered by many to be one of Colombia’s most beautiful beaches. If you don’t have any beach time built into your Colombia itinerary, a day trip to Playa Blanca is worth considering.
2-Day Cartagena Itinerary with Kids
Our original plan was to stay in Cartagena for one night before our Isla Múcura trip, then two nights afterwards. We ended up arriving in Cartagena one day early, so we had one full day in the city before and after our Caribbean island getaway.
Here’s how we spent those two days in Cartagena with kids:
Day 1: Old Town Cartagena
Like many visitors, we spent most of our first day wandering the streets of Old Town and enjoying getting a little lost. We’ve spent a lot of time in South America and have seen a lot of colonial architecture, and Cartagena is simply the best. This beautiful part of town is huge and every street has a new surprise in store.
The colorful buildings are so beautiful with Bougainvillea flowers climbing walls everywhere you look. Even the door knockers are fun to look at and compare. You’ll have no trouble finding ways to spend your money here, with plentiful shopping and restaurants on offer.
Day 2: Castillo de San Felipe and Getsemaní
We spent the morning getting a little history and enjoying the city views at Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas.
Then we spent an afternoon exploring the delightful streets around our Getsemaní hotels.
Getting into Getsemaní from Cartagena Airport
A private transfer is a nice treat when you arrive in a new city. With a private transfer, your driver will usually meet you at the airport arrivals area and take you straight to your hotel.
If you’re up for it, a local taxi is much cheaper than a private transfer. Most of the licensed taxis in Cartagena are really small, compact cars. We figured we couldn’t fit ourselves, our two backpacks and four daybags into one, but our driver managed to fit all of our stuff into his dinky little car.
Where to Stay in Cartagena with Kids
Due to our earlier than planned arrival, we ended up staying at three different Cartagena hotels, all in Getsemaní.
Hotel Dorado Plaza Centro Histórico
Given that we were booking a room only a few days before Christmas, we considered ourselves lucky to grab a Family Room with three singles and a double bed at the Hotel Dorado Plaza Centro Histórico. After three very hot nights with no air conditioning in Minca, we turned that room into an icebox!
One downside is the street noise. It’s located on the corner of two rather busy streets, with a lot of honking going on. The noise lasted well into the night and none of us slept very well. The breakfast had a good selection, including pancakes and strawberries.
Hotel Galeria la Trinidad
Our second hotel in Getsemaní was Hotel Galeria la Trinidad. This small boutique hotel was on a much quieter street two blocks away. We stayed at this hotel for its Quadruple Room, with a double bed and two singles.
The room was much smaller than the previous night. We couldn’t hear any street noise from our room which was a welcome change from the night before. They offered a small selection of breakfast choices, mostly combinations of eggs, ham, cheese and toast.
Balcones de Venecia
Our final Getsemaní hotel was Balcones de Venecia. It’s located along a beautiful street with umbrellas and colorful little flags streaming in the wind. Our room was nice and quiet and the beds were comfortable. We all enjoyed a few good nights of sleep and their delicious breakfasts!
Our only complaint was a mix-up at check-in as the Family Room with a balcony we reserved was unavailable. They provided an alternate room and compensated us for the difference in value.
Many families, including us, enjoy the amenities of staying in a vacation home rental such as separate bedrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities. As luck would have it, we ended up in three different hotels this time, but there are plenty of Cartagena vacation home rentals for you to consider for your family trip.
Where to Eat in Getsemaní with Kids
Café Stepping Stone
Our first meal in Getsemaní was at Café Stepping Stone. We had arrived early afternoon from Minca and we wanted an easy, light lunch. We were thrilled to find Café Stepping Stone a block from our first hotel.
This small café, run by three Australians, gives disadvantaged youth a chance to develop their skills and confidence. The food is fantastic and affordable as well. Celine and I each ordered a Colombian açai bowl, while the kids split a large bowl of granola and yogurt, with a side of peanut butter toast.
We enjoyed this place so much, we made it our first meal again after we returned from Isla Múcura.
Pa Antojarte
Given we had a late lunch, we wanted a light dinner as well, so we stopped in Pa Antojarte for a few gourmet ham and cheese sandwiches. We also grabbed a few side orders of salchipapas, which our translator, on our Lost City trek, said was the food we must try while in Cartagena with kids.
Salchipapas are a popular Colombian snack consisting of sausage (hot dogs), French fries, cheese, ketchup and mustard. I have to admit, I expected better. Perhaps our guide oversold it? In any case, the sandwiches were really good, so if you are looking for a light lunch, swing by and try for yourself…
La Sandwicheria
We ate our second lunch at La Sandwicheria along Calle 31 in Getsemaní between Carrera 9 and 10. This cute little sandwich shop only has a few tables. The kids had ham and cheese croissants while we had larger ham and cheese sandwiches.
Getsemaní Pizzas
After returning from Isla Múcura (where we ate mostly fish), we were worried the kids hadn’t had enough. They always eat pizza until they are stuffed, so we walked down to the dynamic and colorful Plaza de la Santisima Trinidad. We grabbed an outside table at Getsemaní Pizzas.
The pizza was good, but the street atmosphere was reason enough to come here.
Beiyu
We were really tempted to go to Stepping Stone for lunch a third time, but we forced ourselves to find an alternative and we found a great one.
Beiyu is a café with a similar feel to Stepping Stone, with many amazing healthy options on the menu. The açai bowls, coffees and smoothies appear to be the most popular dishes on the menu.
The location we went to was full, so they directed us to a larger second location a few blocks away. Our açai bowls were so good, and Celine’s avocado salad was equally good.
Caminante – Cartagena Street Kitchen
We put a lot of thought into our final dinner in Colombia. We’d had so much excellent food on this trip that it was hard to decide. Ultimately we decided we hadn’t had enough arepas on our trip, so we walked a few blocks to Caminante – Cartagena Street Kitchen.
This place was perfect for our final meal. In fact, we still talk about it today. We tried a variety of arepas, including shredded pork, shredded chicken and pork belly. We also had a selection of empanadas along with some excellent coconut lemonade. The kids tried a little of everything and walked away full. We devoured the rest and walked away happy.
La Palatteria
If you are looking for a cold, sweet treat to beat the hot Colombian sun, we recommend you try a paleta, a frozen treat served on a popsicle stick. We tried La Palatteria in Old Town and were impressed by their quality and huge selection.
Follow Along on our Family Trip to Colombia
If you’d like to follow along on our family vacation to Columbia, we arrived in Cartagena after spending 3 days in Minca with kids. Minca is a small backpacker town nestled in the lush Santa Marta mountains. During our stay in Minca we enjoyed a few days of hiking, waterfalls and chocolate farms.
We left Cartagena to spend Christmas week on Isla Múcura with kids. We enjoyed all sorts of fun water-based activities on this Caribbean island, before returning to Cartagena. We spent a few more days here, until our Colombia vacation came to an end.
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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