Cartagena Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

In addition to the Fort of San Felipe de Baraja and the Walled City, which is flanked by the Torre del Reloj Monument, Cartagena de Indias has many more attractions, so tour bus tours will allow you to get to know this destination at your own pace with an orderly itinerary, which will save you time. Whether you are looking for hop on-hop off or closed circuit options, you can find interesting alternatives.

The city's free bus, which you can hire for one or two days and hop on and off as many times as you like, is a very popular means of transportation for touring this destination, although you can also opt for a more indigenous experience on the night bus, where you can listen to music and it even includes disco tickets. Whichever option you choose, you will be able to discover some of the best activities in Cartagena de Indias.

As I told you, the tourist bus offer in Cartagena de Indias consists of the traditional option, which consists of a hop on-hop off tour with 14 free stops, which you can hire for one or two days, and the native alternative, in which you can tour the city in a chiva, the local name of the buses, which includes music and will also allow you to discover some of the main nightclubs in the city.

Hop on-hop off tourist bus, the traditional option

• You can hire it for one or two days
• It includes a tour of 14 free-use stops throughout the city
• Audio-guided assistance in several languages
• Offers daytime tours
• Includes a 1.5 hour walking tour of the Walled City.

Nighttime Chiva with closed tour and music, the local alternative

• Offers a closed circuit through the main points of the city.
• It lasts approximately 3 hours.
• Includes tickets to some of the city's nightclubs.
• Includes music and drinks on board.
• Includes transfer to and from the hotel and pick up at the hotel.

The hop on-hop off tourist bus in Cartagena de Indias is the typical free service that is available in other cities around the world. In this case you can choose to hire tours of one or two full days, which will begin to count from the activation with the first trip, which can start at any of the 14 stops that sets the itinerary.

The service schedule of this bus is from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day and during the tour you can visit some of the most popular places in Cartagena de Indias, such as the Fort of San Felipe de Barajas, the Bodeguita Pier, the Torre del Reloj Monument and the Esmeralda Museum, which worships Colombian geology.

The complete tour of this bus, if you want to use it as a tourist service from end to end, has a total duration of 1 hour and a half and the frequency between each of the buses is 45 minutes during all seasons of the year. Also, along with the ticket you will have access to a guided walk through the Walled City, an activity that is usually included among the best tours of Cartagena de Indias.

During the bus ride you will have the opportunity to access an audio guide in several languages, which will allow you to discover not only the secrets of the tour, but also the history and the most curious facts of the nearby buildings and monuments.

Stops included in this tour

• Muelle de la Bodeguita, entrance to the port and Bocagrande Beach.
• Convention Center, venue of the most important events in Cartagena de Indias.
• San Sebastián del Pastelillo, the ideal stop to visit the fort and the Roman Bridge.
• Torre del Reloj Monument, symbol of Cartagena and entrance to the Walled City.
• Fort of San Felipe de Barajas, the city's main attraction at the mouth of the bay
• Museo Rafael Núñez, one of the most visited museums of Cartagena de Indias
• San Francisco, site of the esplanade to discover the scenery from the Walled City
• Boquetillo, one of the most famous entrances to the Walled City
• Plaza Bocagrande, the entrance to the hotel zone of the peninsula
• Avenida San Martin, the epicenter of fun in Cartagena de Indias
• Casino Río, one of the most visited attractions in the city.
• Hotel Caribe, one of the traditional accommodations in this destination.
• Hilton Hotel, the southernmost point of Bocagrande
• Castillo Grande Church, a final stop near the Naval Club

Details of interest

• Price: from 16 euros per person, for free day tours.
• Duration: the complete bus tour lasts approximately 1 hour and a half.
• Advantages of these alternatives: You will be able to tour freely and at your own pace the main sites of Cartagena de Indias.
• Disadvantages of these alternatives: It does not include too many sites in the outskirts of the city, but it is oriented to the surroundings of the Walled City.

If you want to complement the hop on-hop off tourist bus tour, which is a daytime service, with a night tour, you can opt for the alternative of the chiva rumbera, which is a typical means of transportation of the Colombian Caribbean and will allow you to live a native experience. During the fixed route, which does not include stops and lasts approximately 3 hours, you can discover the main sites of the city and end the night in a discotheque.

From the chiva rumbera you will be able to contemplate the Fort of San Felipe de Barajas, the different entrances to the Walled City and several famous sites of the Vía Perimetral, the main artery that crosses Cartagena de Indias along the riverbank and offers wide views of La Boquilla and the Caribbean Sea.

These night tours usually include round-trip transfers with hotel pick-up, if you don't want to stay at the designated nightclub after the tour ends. Also, as these tours start around 8 p.m., you will have the whole day free to participate in some of the excursions from Cartagena de Indias, which are very popular to visit the most beautiful beaches in the area, such as Baru and Playa Blanca.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 26 euros per person, including disco tickets.
• Duration: about 3 hours.
• Advantages of these alternatives: you will be able to know the main sites of Cartagena de Indias during the night in a native experience.
• Disadvantages of these alternatives: although you will be able to listen to local music during the tour, you will not be able to choose the bar or discotheque since it is designated beforehand and is modified in each itinerary.

Both the hop on-hop off tourist bus and the chiva rumbera go through the main points of the city and do not visit too much the outskirts of Cartagena de Indias. Therefore, in these tours you will be able to visit the places that are usually part of the best excursions in the city, but if you want to visit more distant places, such as Baru or a trip to San Basilio del Palenque, you should opt for the full day tours that depart from this destination.

Also, keep in mind that although the routes are similar, the hop on-hop off bus will offer you a daytime tour, while the chiva rumbera starts once the sunset ends, so they are two perfectly combinable experiences, each of them will give you a different postcard of the city.

Cartagena de Indias is a very large city, with different tourist spots that go far beyond the Walled City and the Fort of San Felipe de Barajas, so using the tourist bus services will not only allow you to organize an itinerary, but will also save you time and money, since otherwise you will have to use cabs or public transportation. In addition, you will also have access to audio guides.

On the other hand, the tourist bus services combine other activities, as in the case of the hop on-hop off tour, which includes a one and a half hour walk through the Walled City. For its part, the chiva rumbera will take you to some of the famous nightclubs in the city with the entrance fee included in the price of the excursion.

The hop on-hop off tourist bus tour will give you the advantage of being free for the duration of the ticket, so you can hop on and off at any of the established stops and get to know the city at your own pace. However, if you choose to do the tour from end to end, the itinerary will take you approximately 1 hour and a half, a much shorter time than if you visit the same sites on your own.

Likewise, the tour in the chiva rumbera has a total duration of 3 hours, in which you can visit the main sites of the city, listen to music, have the assistance of an expert local guide as an entertainer, have drinks and finish the night in one of the typical discos of Cartagena de Indias.

Keep in mind that these experiences are compatible with the best full-day excursions from Cartagena de Indias, as they end relatively early, since the custom in this destination is that the tours that go to the outskirts of the city start with the pick-up at the hotel in the early morning, especially in the tours to the most remote sites as in the case of visits to the Totumo volcano.

From the tourist bus ride you will be able to immerse yourself in the history and culture of the city. As you walk through the cobblestone streets of the old town, you will be able to contemplate the colonial architecture that has stood the test of time. During the walking tour, the flowered balconies and colorful facades will allow you to understand why Cartagena de Indias was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

In addition, during the tour you will have access to panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea, while the audio guide takes you through the centuries, revealing stories of pirates, corsairs, conquistadors and local heroes who have left an indelible mark on this historic port that once pitted Blas de Lezo against English naval officer Edward Vernon.

The itinerary will also take you through the modern neighborhoods, where you can admire the fusion of the old and the contemporary. You will discover the freshness of the local daily life while exploring the lively markets full of colors and typical aromas.

The answer will depend on the option you choose. The hop on-hop off tourist bus offers tickets from 16 euros for full day tours and from 25 euros for two day tours. During this period you can hop on and off as many times as you want at each of the stops previously consigned in the itinerary. Also, in these two options you can access a guided walking tour of the Walled City for free.

If you opt for the chiva rumbera tour, which takes place during the night, you will have to pay around 26 euros for a 3-hour ride that will take you through the main points of the city while listening to local musical rhythms. This price also includes the entrance to a discotheque that changes according to the day and the itinerary.

In any case, with either of these two alternatives you can save money compared to the tours you can do on your own, especially if you have to resort to cab services or public transportation. In addition, the frequency of the tourist buses in Cartagena de Indias will allow you to save time during your visit.

The hop on-hop off tourist bus of Cartagena de Indias provides a daytime service, which is available from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. During that period of time you can hop on and off the bus as many times as you like and tour the city at your own pace, as well as visit some of the most famous museums along the way, such as the Historical Museum of Cartagena de Indias.

On the other hand, the chiva rumbera tour service is available every day from 8:00 pm and ends around 11:00 pm. This tourist bus includes a round trip transfer with pick up at the hotel, in case you do not want to stay at the disco included in the tour.

Note that the schedules of both buses are combinable with the best excursions from Cartagena de Indias, which are very popular in the city because the most famous paradisiacal beaches and resorts are located just outside the city and on nearby islands, such as Islas del Rosario, an archipelago with more than 20 islets.

The operation of the hop on-hop off tourist bus of Cartagena de Indias is very simple, because the first thing you have to do is choose to hire the service for one or two days. During the validity of this ticket, which will be enabled once you get on for the first time in some of the stops of the circuit, you can get on and off as many times as you want, allowing you to tour the city at your own pace, using any of the 14 stops.

On the other hand, the chiva rumbero ride consists of a closed itinerary, meaning that you will not have intermediate stops, but only one final stop where you can visit a discotheque. In advance you can tour the city in a 3-hour tour that will take you through the main sites, in a similar route to the hop on-hop off bus, but with the particularity that you can visit Cartagena de Indias during the night.