*Prices shown above are representative. Dates, times and prices are subject to change and may not be available for your sailing. To purchase a Shore & Land Excursion, you must already have a reservation number for a cruise or Alaska Cruisetour and have made a payment towards that reservation. Shore & Land Excursions must be purchased in the same currency as your cruise or Alaska Cruisetour reservation. Exchange rates are determined by a competitive pricing program and may be subject to change without notice. All monetary exchanges onboard are processed in U.S. Dollars directly to your SeaPass onboard charge account unless otherwise specified.
La Popa Monastery and Gold Museum - CA55
Depart from pier to La Popa, the ancient monastery located on top of a hill that can be seen from any point in Cartagena and offers an overview of the city. After this, a photo-stop at will be made at San Felipe Fortress, the largest Spanish fort in the New World. Then you will be taken into the Walled City, for a walk that includes Bolivar Plaza, the main square of the city, where you will visit the Precolumbian Gold Museum with its exhibits of valuable pre-Columbian gold artifacts, and some of the oldest ceramics in the Americas. Finally, a Drink & Shopping stop before you return to the ship.
Depart from pier to La Popa, the ancient monastery located on top of a hill can be seen from any point in Cartagena and offers an overview of the city. Built at the beginning of the 17th century and still inhabited by monks, it houses a chapel dedicated to Virgen de la Candelaria, patron saint of Cartagena and a Colonial museum. From a distance, the hill upon which it stands, La Popa, resembles the stern of galleon. You will visit the monastery with its ornate, 22-karat gold-leaf altar and a lovely, flower-filled courtyard. After this, you will have a photo-stop at San Felipe Fortress, the largest Spanish fortress in the New World. This fortress defended the city from several attacks, and withstood the bloodiest attacks from British Admiral Vernon, who was finally unable to overcome it. Continue to the Old City. Saint Peter Claver Church, built in tribute to the protector of slaves, constitutes a point of interest within the walled city.
In the silence of this Baroque space you will find the remains of Saint Peter Claver encased upon the High Alter. You will walk approximately 5 blocks in the Colonial part of the city. There will be places where you can rest and contemplate the many years of Spanish Colonial history. This walk includes the Inquisition Plaza (Bolivar Plaza), the main square of the city where you will visit the Precolumbian Gold Museum that exhibits valuable pre-Columbian gold artifacts, some of the oldest ceramics in the Americas, and a presentation of the Zenú Nation's amazing hydraulic engineering achievements. With the Cathedral on one of the sides and the Inquisition on the other, Plaza Bolivar is full of history and surrounded by beautiful colonial buildings.
A final stop will be made at Pierino Gallo in the Modern City, where you will have a complimentary beverage and time to shop for handcrafts, coffee, and the world-famous emeralds of Colombia.
