Colombia · MARKETS IN CARTAGENA
The 12 best markets in Cartagena you can book right now, with what each costs, how long it runs and who it suits. Number one is first for a reason; start there.
Private Bazurto Market tour in Cartagena with Champeta music, herbal tastings, artisan demos, and optional Cecilia’s lunch.
“Alvaro was a wonderful tour guide. Really immersed us into the real culture of Cartagena! His knowledge and professionalism was outstanding. Thank you!”
Shop Bazurto Market, cook Cartagena classics with a local family, and enjoy lunch near Centro Historico for $130 in 4.5 hours.
“Just go!!! It was one of the best experiences I have ever had, shopping at the market and then cooking with Duran and Maria in their home. Great hosts, amazing food, loved every minute!”
Small-group food tour of Cartagena’s Bazurto Market by public transit, with native fruit tastings and lunch at a local home.
“Our guide Daniella was enthusiastic, friendly, and well prepared. This tour was truely immersive: using a public transportation, tasting local fruits, meeting local vendors in the market. Bazuro market is so huge that unless you have a guide or speak Spanish you may get lost. It was a very unique cultural experience.”
5-hour Cartagena cooking class: Bazurto Market tour, a dozen fruit tasting, then hands-on cooking with a chef.
“I enjoyed this experience! I went to the market alone with the tour guide and we picked up a few things. I was able to taste a few things being cooked in the market & see where locals come to shop. During the cooking portion, it was 3 of us. We made boronia, hogao, empanadas, posta, arroz con coco, & enyucada. Everything was amazing & Romario was very kind. Please make time for this experience!!!🇨🇴”
Shop Cartagena’s local market, learn Colombian cooking by the beach, and eat a family-style lunch on this 5.5-hour private class with pickup.
“Kevin is AMAZING truly Picked us up from our hotel and we took a yellow cab to the market!! Wow talk about richness in culture. The market is the real deal cultural experience. Kevin is a wiz working through knowing exactly what to get and how much. It was amazing to see him work with the local vendors. He asks for our input to enjoy that we made what we wanted After the market we were driven to the most beautiful beach house and greeted. We ate the fruit we shopped for earlier which the cooking stations were set up. After we joined Kevin and Andris and cooked The lunch…”
Cartagena Bazurto Market tour with a bilingual guide. Taste tropical fruit and guarapo, learn Afro-Caribbean culture, and shop crafts.
“The guide never turned up. The whole service was dodgy.”
3-hour Bazurto Market tour in Cartagena with guide Kerbie, sampling local snacks and drinks, including soda, plus real market energy.
“We enjoyed our tour to the Bazurto Market! It was absolutely essential to have a local guide for this experience. Kerbie was knowledgeable and helped us sample local pastries, fruit, smoothies and beer. My one piece of feedback is that, at times, he walked ahead of us and did not turn around to make sure we were still following. The market is crowded and easy to get separated!”
Half-day Cartagena tour to La Popa Convent and Mercado de Bazurto, plus fruit market, viewpoints, lunch, and hotel pickup. Private group.
“We took a private tour. There were 2 of us. We enjoyed the tour, but it was supposed to take 4 hours and only took 2. It was very expensive for a 2 hour tour.”
3-hour Cartagena Bazurto Market tour with a bilingual guide, guarapo, fruit tastings, and a real costeño lunch for $92.
“This place smelled horrible, I could barely breathe because the stench was so potent. The area was congested and it was filthy all around. Of course the people were friendly but I would not recommend someone to eat from this area.”
Half-day Cartagena tour with La Popa monastery views, Bazurto Market tastings, and lunch, plus hotel pickup and a private guide.
“We had to cancel our tour because our tour guide, Carlos was late. Also, the tour just dragged on and felt unorganized. The pickup location for transportation was on the main road, not at the hotel. Then we had to wait 20 minutes for our ride to La Popa. At that point we decided to just cancel the tour.”
Cartagena’s Bazurto market plus a hands-on Caribbean cooking class, shopping for ingredients or skipping the market, and eating your lunch.
“This was a great experience. The open air market may not be for everyone but it really showed the diversity of fish, meat and produce available in the area. Our guide, Andres, was knowledgeable and entertaining.”
Taste Cartagena at Bazurto with Champeta dance, coastal juices, and lunch included, plus a quick history stop about indigenous, Black, and Spain roots.
“The instructions for where to meet for the tour are very vague. I waited around in the vicinity of the Exito store and bus station for 25 minutes waiting for somebody with the tour to meet me, but no one showed up. I should have suspected that this tour wouldn't happen after I messaged the tour operator to clarify the meeting place and they never responded. I was very disappointed in not getting to go to Bazurto market. I got a refund within a few days. The desk clerk at my hotel told me to book locally, but I didn't have enough time left to squeeze it in on this…”
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