Hotels near Getsemani

Getsemani sits immediately outside the walls across the Puente Roman, and it is the one central barrio where the residents largely stayed put. Twenty years ago it carried a rough reputation and most visitors were told to avoid it. The lanes off Calle de la Sierpe and Callejon Angosto are now painted end to end with murals, umbrella canopies and hand-lettered slogans, and a good share of them were commissioned or made by the people living in the houses behind them.

Neighbourhood life centres on Plaza de la Trinidad, in front of the 1643 church of the same name. From around 18:00 the square fills with families, breakdancers, domino tables and carts selling arepas de huevo at 5,000 COP (1.20 EUR). A beer from a corner shop is about 4,000 COP (1 EUR), roughly a quarter of walled-city prices. Murals along Calle San Juan and Calle del Espiritu Santo get repainted often, so what you photograph in 2026 may well be gone by next season.

Pro Tip: Photograph the murals before 09:00 while the lanes are empty, then return to Plaza de la Trinidad after 19:00 for the atmosphere. If a performer or a costumed palenquera offers a photo, settle the figure first. Around 10,000 COP (2.30 EUR) is fair, and asking afterwards costs five times that.