Cartagena Food Tour: 10 Dishes, Street Food in Getsemaní & Sit-Down Stops in Walled City
by Sherpa Food Tours
Overview
This 3.5-hour food tour in Cartagena combines street food and sit-down dining across two distinct neighborhoods. The tour starts in Getsemaní, a neighborhood known for its vibrant street art and local food stalls. You will begin at Plaza de la Trinidad, sampling a variety of street foods from vendors who have served the community for generations. The guide will lead you through colorful alleys adorned with murals as you taste fresh fruits and traditional snacks. Next, the tour moves into Cartagena’s Walled City, where the fusion of Spanish, African, and Indigenous culinary traditions is evident. You will visit plazas and cobblestone streets as you try signature Caribbean Colombian dishes at two sit-down restaurants. Between the tastings, learn about the history behind the dishes and the markets that influenced them. The final stop is Portal de los Dulces, a historic sweets arcade near Plaza de los Coches. Here, palenqueras and local sellers offer a variety of handmade Colombian candies, including coconut cocadas, tamarind balls, and bocadillo. You will sample several sweets while hearing about their cultural origins tied to Cartagena’s Afro-Caribbean and Spanish heritage. The tour includes more than 10 dishes and drinks throughout the journey.
Highlights
Itinerary
Getsemani Neighborhood
The tour starts in Getsemaní, Cartagena’s historic working-class neighborhood now known for its colorful streets and street food. You begin at Plaza de la Trinidad, a popular evening gathering spot, tasting local foods from long-established street vendors. The guide leads you past murals and alleys decorated with flags, highlighting the area’s street art and culinary traditions during this one-hour visit.
60 min
Walled City of Cartagena
Within Cartagena's UNESCO-listed colonial old town, the tour traces 500 years of culinary history across plazas and cobblestone streets. This area, known as the Walled City, is where Spanish, African, and Indigenous flavors first combined to form the Caribbean Colombian cuisine sampled today. The guide shares stories behind iconic dishes, the markets that influenced them, and the cultural traditions still present in kitchens, fruit stands, and corner cafés.
90 min
Portal de Los Dulces
The final 15-minute stop is Portal de los Dulces, a sweets arcade next to Plaza de los Coches that dates back over 100 years. Palenqueras and vendors sell a variety of handmade Colombian candies such as coconut cocadas, tamarind balls, bocadillo, and fig preserves. You sample a selection of sweets while learning about their Afro-Caribbean and Spanish cultural roots.
15 min
Meeting point
We meet in front of Tenderete in Plaza de la trinidad!
Cancellation policy
- Cancellation terms shown at checkout.
Additional info
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