Colombia · SHOPPING TOURS
The good shopping tours fill up weeks ahead and the best ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes, and how they differ once you read past the title.
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!”
A 2.5-hour Cartagena sightseeing loop with walled city walking time, Las Bóvedas views, and major landmarks, plus a brief shopping stop.
“They were supposed to arrive at my hotel at 1:30. Then they said 2. I was waiting outside my hotel at 1:55. At 2:10, they sent me a message saying they were waiting at another hotel. Then they called me at 2:14 and said they'd come pick me up up 10 minutes. At 2:30, when they still hadn't arrived, I'd had enough of the unprofessionalism and got a taxi. I've asked for a refund, as they failed to arrive as agreed.”
Bike Bogotá in 4 to 5 hours with a bilingual guide, Bolívar Square, street art, Paloquemao fruit market, coffee processing, and tejo.
“Yander took me around the city and was super pleasant and informative throughout. We rode by some local neighborhoods that i would otherwise never get to visit on my own. The small coffee factory is also the highlight of the tour!”
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!”
Taste 15 to 20 exotic Colombian fruits at Medellín’s Plaza Minorista, with local-market stories and a small group guided walk.
“This was an excellent tour! Sergio was amazing and we had a chance to try and learn about 20ish different fruits. Definitely recommend!”
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.”
3-hour Paloquemao market food tour in Bogotá with exotic fruit tastings, local snacks, bottled water, and coffee, led by a guide.
“Juana was an incredible guide. We had an amazing time exploring the market and trying new fruits. Highly recommend for families.”
Taste 25-plus Colombian fruits at Paloquemao in a small group, with juices and classic snacks, plus guide tips for the rest of Bogotá.
“Phenomal. Victor was a great guide. We had 26 different fruits, hot and cold drinks, and a few snacks as well. He explained different varieties of native fruits as well as those from abroad now grown in Colombia. Strongly recommend this tour- you essentially get two meals included!”
Private 9 hour Bogota tour with markets, Gold Museum, La Candelaria, Monserrate views, and multiple food tastings with hotel pickup.
“My husband and I arrived to Bogota for a wedding late in the afternoon. By chance, this company had an opening for the next day for a full day tour of Bogota. What I enjoyed the most was how personalized everything. Very professional and detailed. Communication was perfect, and I love how much they love their city.”
Shared Cali food walking tour from Alameda Market with pandebono, coffee tastings, fruit and sancocho, ending with viche, guided locally.
“The tour was very fun and had a lot of different options and things to try with a lot of helpful insights and lots of insider information. Juliana is very competent and taught us many things and is very friendly and charming.”
Private Medellín tour with Plaza La América fruit tastings, Comuna 13 graffiti, and a Metro cable car ride to San Javier.
“Esteban showed us a great local market and shared some unique fruits. The cable car ride was easy and really showed the area. Hiking up and down the stairs in Comuna got our steps in for the day! He graciously answered so many questions and we learned tons about local culture.”
Taste 13+ Colombian exotic fruits at Bogota’s Paloquemao Market with a small-group guide, plus juice of your choice.
“We were served very small amounts of fruit and only a tiny portion of what is available on the market. The fruits were cut in many tiny pieces and each tour member recieved only one small bite. We paid 170000 cop per person for three hours but the entire tour lasted less then 2 hours. What you can see on youtube videos about such tours, namely that you recieve entire fruits doesn't apply here. The entire "fruit tour business" must have become quite scammy. The tour guide seemed to be nice though.”
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.”
Taste Cali at Mercado de la Alameda, learn Valle del Cauca food history, try champús, cucas, and viche with an English guide.
“Fernando un gran guía turístico. Me encantó el Tour 👍🏽”
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.”
Pick a base, pick a kind of day, read the reviews.
