Sights in Colombia
-
A
Iglesia de San Antonio
The small 1757 Iglesia de San Antonio is set atop a hill, the Colina de San Antonio, west of the old center. It shelters valuable tallas quiteñas, 17th-century carved-wood statues of the saints, representing the style known as the Quito School. The church also affords a good view of the city; it's just a 10-minute walk west of the Torre Mudéjar.
reviewed
-
B
Parque de las Esculturas
On the slopes of the 80m-tall hill known as Cerro Nutibara is the Parque de las Esculturas, which contains modern abstract sculptures by South American artists, including such prominent names as Edgar Negret, Jesús Soto and Carlos Cruz Díez. The Guayabal bus from Av Oriental in the city center passes by the foot of Cerro Nutibara, or go by taxi.
reviewed
-
Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) El Tuparro
Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) El Tuparro is a 548,000-hectare nature reserve on the Venezuelan border, and the only national park in Los Llanos. This biosphere of sandy river beaches and green grasslands is home to some 320 species of birds plus jaguars, tapirs and otters. Getting here won’t be easy, but it could be very rewarding.
reviewed
-
C
Capilla del Sagrario
The Sagrario Chapel, on the same side of the plaza as the Catedral Primada, was built in the second half of the 17th century and has preserved its mannerist-baroque facade, which is considered to be one of the best examples of arquitectura santafereña. The chapel boasts a Mudejar vault and six large paintings by Gregorio Vásquez.
reviewed
-
D
Iglesia de San Pedro Claver
Iglesia de San Pedro Claver was completed in the first half of the 18th century. The church has an imposing stone facade and inside, there are fine stained-glass windows and a high altar made of Italian marble. The remains of San Pedro Claver are kept in a glass coffin in the altar. His skull is visible, making this an altar with a difference.
reviewed
-
Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral
The hauntingly beautiful underground salt cathedral at Zipaquirá is one of Colombia's most fascinating attractions. The cathedral was born from an old salt mine, dug straight into a mountainside. Opened in 1995, it is 75m (246ft) long and 18m (59ft) high, and can accommodate a staggering 8400 people. Visits are by one-hour guided tours.
reviewed
-
E
Parque Explora
With exhibits on physics, biology and technology as well as a 3D cinema and an excellent aquarium full of species from the Amazon and other Colombian waterways, this is a science museum kids will love, and it may tickle the adult's inner child as well.
reviewed
-
Casa de Aquileo Parra
The Casa de Aquileo Parra is a small, humble home of Alquileo Parrera, who served as Colombia’s 11th president (1876–78). There’s a small museum but most of the building is now a cooperative for elderly weavers where you can watch them at work. The woman who runs the co-op can give you a tour, though there is little to see.
reviewed
-
Casa Colonial
One of the oldest buildings in town, Casa Colonial dates from the early Spanish days. The collection includes some pre-Columbian pottery, colonial sacred art, artifacts of several indigenous communities including the Motilones and Tunebos (the two indigenous groups living in Norte de Santander department), plus antiques.
reviewed
-
F
Capitolio Nacional
On the southern side of the plaza stands this neoclassical seat of Congress. It was begun in 1847 (its square-facing facade was built by English architect Thomas Reed), but due to numerous political uprisings was not completed until 1926. To visit, call Citizen Services.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Museo de Arte Moderno Ramírez Villamizar
In a 450-year-old mansion, this museum has about 40 works by Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, one of Colombia’s most outstanding artists, born in Pamplona in 1923. The collection gives an insight into his artistic development from expressionist painting of the 1940s to geometric abstract sculpture in recent decades.
reviewed
-
Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Puracé
Forty-five kilometers east of Popayán along the unpaved road to La Plata lies this 83,000- hectare national park. It’s the only place in Colombia you can see condors. Three of the great vultures have been reintroduced to the park, and the park wardens will tempt them down with food so you can see them up close.
reviewed
-
Casa del Primer Congreso
On October 4, 1812, legislators met here to install the First Congress of the short-lived United Provinces of New Granada and elect its first president, Camilo Torres Tenorio. The 2nd floor of the Casa del Primer Congreso houses a small museum that contains the congressional desk, documents and other artifacts.
reviewed
-
Museo Casa de Bolívar
The Museo Casa de Bolívar is housed in a colonial mansion where Bolívar stayed for two months in 1828. The museum displays various historic and archeological exhibits, including weapons, documents, paintings, and mummies and artifacts of the Guane people who inhabited the region before the Spaniards arrived.
reviewed
-
G
Colpatria Tower
Monserrate offers superb views, but only from the 46th-floor outside deck of the Colpatria Tower can you catch a superb view of the bullring, backed by office buildings and the mountains – there are also fine 360° vistas across the city. The 162m-high skyscraper – Colombia’s tallest – was finished in 1979.
reviewed
-
H
Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino
This hacienda on the outskirts of town is where Simón Bolívar spent his last days and died. The hacienda was established at the beginning of the 17th century and was engaged in cultivating and processing sugarcane. It had its own trapiche (sugarcane mill) and a destilería (distillery).
During the Bolívar era, the hacienda was owned by a Spaniard, Joaquín de Mier, a devoted supporter of Colombia's independence cause. He invited Bolívar to stay and take a rest at his home before his intended journey to Europe. Since its inauguration, ownership has changed more than 15 times. Highlights among the wares in the hacienda include an absolutely decadent marble bathtub.
…
reviewed
-
I
Casa de Nariño
Beyond the Capitolio Nacional, reached via Carreras 8 or 7, on the south side of Plaza de Bolívar, is Colombia's neoclassical presidential building erected at the beginning of the 20th century. President Santos lives and works here. It's named for Antonio Nariño, a colonial figure with ideas of independence and who secretly translated France's human rights laws into Spanish – and went to jail for it, a couple of times. In 1948 the building was damaged during El Bogotazo riots and only restored in 1979. To visit, you'll need to log on www.presidencia.gov.co and scroll down to the link 'Visitas guiadas a la Casa de Nariño,' under Servicios al Ciudadano, or contact…
reviewed
-
J
Plaza de la Aduana
This is the largest and oldest square in the old town and was used as a parade ground. In colonial times, all the important governmental and administrative buildings were here. The old Royal Customs House was restored and is now the City Hall. A statue of Christopher Columbus stands in the center of the square.
reviewed
-
Catedral de la Sagrada Familia
Of the city churches, the Catedral de la Sagrada Familia, facing Parque Santander, is the most substantial piece of religious architecture. Constructed over nearly a century (1770–1865), it’s a massive, eclectic edifice with fine stained-glass windows and a ceramic cupola brought from Mexico.
reviewed
-
Gold Museum
Bogotá’s most famous museum is this recently renovated Gold Museum, which contains more than 55,000 pieces of gold and other materials from all the major pre-Hispanic cultures in Colombia. All is laid out in logical, thematic rooms over three floors – with descriptions in Spanish and English.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Casa Museo de Antonio Ricaurte
Casa Museo de Antonio Ricaurte is the house where Antonio Ricaurte was born in 1786. He is remembered for his act of self-sacrifice in the battle of San Mateo (near Caracas in Venezuela) in 1814. It’s now a museum, which displays period furniture and weapons as well as some related documents.
reviewed
-
Jardín Botánico Eloy Valenzuela
The verdant Jardín Botánico Eloy Valenzuela has 7.5 hectares of gardens, a small pond and a Japanese tea garden. The gardens are on the banks of the Río Frío on the old road to Floridablanca, in the suburb of Bucarica. To get there, take the Bucarica bus from Carrera 15 in the city center.
reviewed
-
Hoyo Soplador
At the southern tip of the island, the Hoyo Soplador is a small geyser where sea water spouts into the air (up to 20m at times) through a natural hole in the coral rock. This phenomenon occurs only at certain times, when the winds and tide are right. An international surf contest is held nearby in January.
reviewed
-
L
Cementerio de San Pedro
The Cementerio de San Pedro, established in 1842, has a collection of ornate tombstones, sepulchral chapels and mausoleums. Many recent graves are decked out with paraphernalia related to passions of the deceased, from cars to football to tango music. Take the metro to Estación Hospital.
reviewed
-
El Fósil
This impressive 120-million-year-old baby kronosaurus fossil is the world’s most complete specimen of this prehistoric marine reptile. The fossil is 7m long; the creature was about 12m in size but the tail did not survive. The fossil remains in place exactly where it was found in 1977.
reviewed