Convento de la Popa de la Galera

Convento de la Popa’s prime location means that it features on many Cartagena sightseeing tours. Explore the city by vintage trolley, or see Cartagena from a different perspective during a cruise along the Caribbean coastline. If you’re pressed for time and want to beat the heat, choose a tour that zips you around in an air-conditioned vehicle to popular attractions such as Plaza Bolivar and the Cathedral of San Pedro Claver.

• Convento de la Popa is a must-do for history buffs, and one of the best viewpoints from which to see Cartagena.

• Tourist crimes have been reported in the neighborhood at the bottom of the hill. If you’re visiting independently, ask your taxi driver to wait for you outside the convent.

• The convent is active and inhabited by nuns. Remain quiet, and wear modest clothing.

• Stairs make wheelchair and stroller access challenging.

• There is a small admission fee to enter the convent.

Convento de la Popa is about a 10-minute drive from Cartagena’s old town. If visiting on your own, take a taxi to avoid walking through an unsafe neighborhood. Many travelers opt to visit Convento de la Popa as part of a guided city tour.

The convent is open daily, morning through late afternoon. Arrive early to enjoy the quiet and savor the scenery before the crowds descend.

Once you’ve finished drinking in the views of the city, wander around the convent itself, which started as a small wooden chapel. Inside, you’ll find an arresting image of La Virgen de la Candelaria, the patron saint of Cartagena. Outside is a statue of a speared priest, Padre Alonso García de Paredes, who was killed along with five Spanish soldiers while trying to convert indigenous people to Christianity.