After Gibraltar, Cartagena was next — our second time in this port of call.

An Easy Port Day in the Center of Town

This port of call is always nice, since the cruise pier sits right in the center of town — a nice, easy day without any of the headaches of transportation if you’d rather avoid that.

Booking the Tapas Tour Again

We booked a tapas tour through Princess Cruises, having taken a similar one on our last visit and enjoyed it enough to do it again.

The Roman Theatre

The tour started with a stop at the Roman Theatre, right in the center of town. It was far more interesting than it sounded on paper and turned out to be a worthwhile stop — not sure we would have found it as interesting without a guide explaining the history along the way.

Stop After Stop of Tapas and Wine

Now onto the food. The tour moved through multiple stops, and at each one we were served a tapas and a glass of wine:

Patatas bravas

Spanish tortilla

Pork stewed in sauce

A crispy fried croquette

Egg salad on torralli bread with a fresh anchovy

Lots of fun walking all throughout the city from stop to stop. You just have to love Spain, tapas, and wine!

Quick Tips for a Cartagena Port Day

• Walk right into town from the pier — Cartagena’s cruise pier drops you in the city center, so you can easily skip arranging transportation if you’d rather not bother.
• Book a tapas tour if you want a mix of history and food in one outing — this was our second time taking one and it held up.
• Don’t skip the Roman Theatre even if it sounds skippable on paper — a guide explaining the history made all the difference.
• Go in a little hungry — the tour moves stop to stop with a tapas and a glass of wine at each one.