85 Best Sights in Colombia

The Hill of the Crystals affords a spectacular view of the city. The monumental statue of Christ at the top is visible for miles. A taxi from downtown should cost about 50,000 pesos round-trip. Be sure to ask the driver to wait for you.

Although dense smog often obscures the skyline, the view of chaotic Bogotá from Monserrate Hill is still breathtaking, and the sunsets are spectacular. The panorama extends from the Río Bogotá to La Candelaria, whose red Spanish tiles make it easy to spot, especially in the early morning. The church on top of Monserrate houses an image of the Fallen Christ that dates from the 1650s and is a beacon for pilgrims. Transport to the top is via teleférico (cable car) or a clear-roofed tram leaving every half hour from Monserrate Station near Quinta de Bolívar for the 15-minute journey to the peak. Both restaurants on Monserrate are good, if a little pricey; only Casa San Isidro offers dinner, so reserve in advance. Be attentive on the walk between Quinta de Bolívar and the station at night as robberies have become more common; Sundays are busiest but safest. In December 2015, the footpath to the top was closed indefinitely for safety reasons, due to structural and maintenance issues. As of publication, work continues, with no reopening date available.

A former Augustinian cloister dating from 1583, this is one of Bogotá's oldest surviving buildings. This stunning building, previously known as the Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares, is most notable for its courtyard surrounded by arched terraces and has been run by the National University's excellent museum program. There are six galleries with constantly changing exhibits and events that include Saturday-morning yoga classes.

This large collection, in the same complex as the Museo Botero, is an overview of Colombian art from the colonial period to the present, including works by such noted artists as Alejandro Obregón, Luis Caballero, and Débora Arango.

Cartagena's most impressive religious building, the church's yellow dome is an icon of the city skyline, and the carved stone facade dominates the small plaza below that is surrounded by restaurants and often filled with street vendors and musicians. Constructed at the beginning of the 17th century, the cool, peaceful interior centers around the lush green courtyard of the cloister, most of which is open to visitors, including a small museum that displays African and Haitian art and a variety of religious relics. To the right is the rather austere church, dominated by an ornate altar, which also holds the bones of San Pedro Claver, for whom the building and plaza are named. Claver was a Spanish Jesuit monk who spent 40 years in Cartagena—visitors can also enter the cell where he lived—dedicated to healing and ministering to the tens of thousands of slaves who passed through the port annually. Known as the "Slave of the Slaves," he was canonized in 1888, the first in the new world to receive this honor. There is some information in English, but we recommend hiring an English-speaking guide at the ticket office.

A neo-Gothic church built between 1930 and 1948, the white-and-blue Hermitage Church has become such an enduring symbol of Cali that it is one of the most common images on postcards.

The intricate carvings on the mahogany altar at the 1761 Church of the Third Order are the most beautiful in Bogotá. A local myth claims that the completion of the altar so exhausted sculptor Pablo Caballero that he died a madman.

Distinguishing the interior of the 1803 baroque Veracruz Hermitage are its white walls and columns with gilded capitals. Just off a picturesque plaza, it's a quiet escape from Medellín's noisy streets.

This large brick church and the adjacent Franciscan monastery date from the early 19th century. The church's brick Torre Mudéjar (Moorish Tower) is considered one of the finest examples of Spanish-Moorish architecture in South America. The church's impressive frescoes, painted by Mauricio Ramelli, depict the life of St. Francis.

The 16th-century Church of St. Francis is famous for its fabulous Mudéjar interior, carved with geometric designs borrowed from Islamic tradition. Its huge gilded altar is shaped like an amphitheater and has shell-top niches.

Popayán's most important colonial church is in remarkable condition, thanks to extensive renovation following the 1983 earthquake. The baroque church's bright interior has gilded wooden altars, and its tower holds a 3-ton bell.

This 18th-century Jesuit church, painted a bright yellow, is one of Popayán's most distinctive structures. Unfortunately, it's open only for masses.

After an earthquake destroyed the original chapel, the Dominicans built this baroque-style church in 1741. It's notable for the stonework around its doorway, which depicts exotic flowers and animals, and for the silver Virgin Mary behind its altar, brought from Spain in 1588. A former monastery next door now houses the regional university.

The simple, unadorned facade of the 17th-century Church of St. Clara gives no hint of the dazzling frescoes—the work of nuns once cloistered here—that bathe the interior walls. The small museum has paintings and sculpture by various 17th-century artists. Guided tours are offered in English and Spanish.

This simple two-aisle church built by Franciscan monks in the early 17th century once stood on a quiet hacienda on the outskirts of colonial Bogotá. Trees and pastures have been replaced by the towering offices of Bogotá's "Little Manhattan." Both the church and its beautiful statue of the Virgin of the Fields, with her crown of intricate gold and silver filigree work, are homages to the city's bucolic past.

Perhaps the architectural icon of Mompox itself, this imposing baroque structure towers over the Magdalena River and dates back to the 17th century. Molds of palms, flowers, and lions adorn its wedding-cake-like tower.

The Church of Grace, Cali's oldest house of worship, was completed in 1680. It stands on the site where the city's founders celebrated their first religious service in 1536. The museum, which shares the space, has a collection of pre-Columbian ceramics from the region's major cultures, including the Quimbaya, Teirradentro, San Agustín, and Nariño. The garden houses a replica of a funerary mound found in Tierradentro.

As if lifted from a soft-drink commercial, Johnny Cay is a small, palm-fringed island surrounded by transparent aquamarine waters some 20 minutes by boat from San Andrés. (Any tour operator can fix you up with transport.) It's essential to escape to this deserted Caribbean island on an out-of-season weekday—on weekends the hordes descend upon the island's white sandy beaches and lather themselves in coconut oil. Meals and drinks are available at any one of the shacks set up along the beach, or they can be arranged by your operator. Be sure to bring extra cash to rent shade and loungers. Basic transport with a tour operator will cost around 25,000 pesos, and you can often combine this trip with visits to nearby Acuario and Haynes Key.

Cartagena survived only because of its walls, and its murallas remain today the city's most distinctive feature, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws visitors to the historic and well-preserved city center full of plazas, shops, and diversions. Repeated sacking by pirates and foreign invaders convinced the Spaniards of the need to enclose the region's most important port. Construction began in 1600 and finished in 1796. The Puerta del Reloj is the principal gate to the innermost sector of the walled city. Its four-sided clock tower was a relatively late addition (1888), and has become the symbol of the city. Walking along the thick walls (you can enter at many points, and there are overpriced bars in some parts) is one of Cartagena's time-honored pastimes, especially late in the afternoon when you can watch the setting sun redden the Caribbean. (Depending on time of year, the sun sets here between 5:30 and 6:30 pm.)

Leading to the ocean, Morgan's Cave is yet another spot where famed privateer Henry Morgan was supposed to have buried some treasure—a possibility that present-day islanders have seized upon in order to tap into the vibrant tourism market. (Don't count on getting rich here.) It's an obligatory stop on most island tours, but unfortunately, demands much of the imagination to see the beyond the rather lackluster presentation. It can be great for kids, but don't go out of your way to visit.

The magnificent mansion that houses the Museum of Archaeology—the facility is colloquially known around town as the MUSA—once belonged to the Marquís de San Jorge, a colonial viceroy infamous for his cruelty. Today it displays a large collection of pre-Columbian ceramics.

Housed in a lovely colonial mansion, the Archdiocesan Museum of Religious Art has a collection made up predominately of paintings, but it also has some valuable gold and silver artifacts. The works here exemplify the so-called Quito School of colonial-era art: Old World religious subjects were overlaid with Andean motifs.

One of Popayán's founding families once owned this now-restored colonial house and the religious art displayed inside. Among the family's various famous sons, most notable was General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, president of Colombia in the 1800s. Across the street is the Casa Caldas, the local tourist office, where you can pick up a city map and get the lay of the land from the friendly folks here.

The huge windows in the Museum of Modern Art create a sense of spaciousness, the redbrick exterior marking it as another of famous Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona's striking local works. Peruse the changing exhibits of works by national and international artists. The bookstore stocks (rather pricey) English-language titles on Colombian and international painters.

A stop at the Cartagena Museum of Modern Art provides a colorful overview of regional modern art, including a gallery dedicated to local painter and sculptor Enrique Grau (1920–2004). The building itself is fascinating, creatively combining a 17th-century customs house and a 19th-century warehouse for a modern look. Besides rotating displays of Latin American art from its permanent collection, the museum presents changing shows by new artists. Outside the museum, on Plaza de San Pedro Claver, the charming wrought-iron works by Eduardo Carmona showing daily local activities are also part of the museum. Allow 45 minutes for a visit. Admission is free on Wednesday.

Housed in a traditional island dwelling, this little museum goes some way toward detailing the checkered history of San André and Providencia. Tales of pirates, slaves, and missionaries abound, creating the blend of cultures found here today. The stories make this quick visit worthwhile if you're passing by.

The small Zenú Gold Museum, an institution funded and operated by Colombia's Central Bank, displays an interesting assortment of artifacts culled from the Zenú, an indigenous group that lived in this region some 2,000 years ago. Golden breastplates and intricately wrought jewelry are intriguing, and labels are in English and Spanish. The museum is off popular Plaza de Bolívar and worth a stop, particularly if you won't make it to the magnificent Gold Museum in Bogotá.