94 Best Sights in Colombia

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.

Across from the Convento de las Carmelitas is the Museo de Arte Religioso de Las Carmelitas, better known simply as El Museo del Carmen. Here you'll find a large selection of religious art from the first centuries of Spanish rule.

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.

The 1930s Gothic-inspired Castle Museum, with beautiful French-style gardens of sweeping lawns and exuberant flower beds, was once the home of a powerful Medellín family. On display are their furniture and international art collection. A fully catered picnic on the lawns can be arranged if you call ahead. A basket for two with wine will cost around 80,000 pesos.

The striking building that houses the National Museum was a prison until 1946; some parts, particularly the narrow top-floor galleries, maintain a sinister air. Designed by English architect Thomas Reed, the museum is arranged to give you a history of Colombia. Everything from ancient artifacts to contemporary art is on display, including works by Fernando Botero and Alejandro Obregón. The first-floor gallery is devoted to changing national and international exhibitions. There's also a café and bookstore. There's a free, hour-long English tour on Wednesday at 3 pm; longer tours can be arranged for a fee with advance booking.

One of Medellín's most iconic architectural works, the Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe was designed by Belgian architect Agustín Goovaerts in the early 1920s, but took over 80 years to make its grand appearance. It's striking Gothic facade and soaring dome, once home to the provincial government, is now the office of the Director of Culture of Antioquía and houses a library and a range of gallery spaces with rotating exhibits. For those who speak at least some Spanish, look out for the cycle of Cine en la Cúpula, where the interior of the dome becomes a temporary cinema. Entrance to the Palacio is free, but guided tours are only available through the website for groups of more than 10 people.

Intricately carved doors under equally ornate arches adorn the 1933 National Palace, on the east side of Plaza de Caicedo. This neoclassical government building houses a small museum that commemorates 300 years of growing and processing sugarcane, for which Cali and the surrounding Valle del Cauca are famous.

This small concrete plaza, the city's nucleus since its construction in 1680, is overwhelmed by the city's elevated train, at this writing, the only one of its kind in Colombia. Nearby is the colonial church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. To the south, the Banco de la República building stands next to a huge female torso sculpted by native son Fernando Botero. On the bank's other side, a bronze fountain and marble monument honor Atanasio Girardot, an 18th-century champion of Colombian independence.

Despite its location in the middle of crowded Medellín, this shady park has a generous amount of open space. In the evening it's popular with young people who congregate on the steps of the nearby cathedral. The small Lido theater, on the eastern side of the square, has borne witness to the growth of Medellín's theater and cinema since its construction in 1945.

This small sculpture park near the peak of Cerro Nutibara is a maze of paths dotted with modern and traditional sculptures by Latin American artists.

Tropical trees shade this large park on the Río Cali's north bank. The modern buildings to the west house municipal offices and are collectively known as the CAM, a term also used by locals to identify the park.

Shaded by tall palms, this square is often called Plaza Caldas, after Francisco José de Caldas, the independence fighter whose statue is here. The city's cathedral, completed in 1906, is to the south; to the east is the 18th-century clock tower.

Surrounded by stately structures, this square marks the spot where Bogotá was declared the seat of New Granada's colonial government. Today it's popular with photographers snapping pictures, unemployed men intermittently snoozing and chatting, street theater groups performing for a few hundred pesos, and children who never seem to grow bored with chasing pigeons. The Capitolio Nacional, Alcaldía Municipal, and Palacio de Justicia are not open to the public.

On the plaza's east side, the Catedral Primada de Colombia (officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception) was only completed three centuries after construction began in 1565 owing to a series of misfortunes—including the disastrous earthquake of 1785. Its French baroque facade is made from locally mined sandstone. The expansive windows give the immense interior a light, airy feel, even on one of Bogotá's many gray rainy-season days. The ornate altar with gold leaf over heavily carved wood sharply contrasts with the lack of ornamentation elsewhere. In one of the side chapels lies conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada's tomb. The church is open Monday through Saturday. Next door, in the Capilla del Sagrario, is an exquisite baldacchino, a smaller version of the ornate canopy structure in St. Peter's in Rome. The Sanctuary Chapel, open daily, also has a splendid collection of paintings, including works by the Taller de Figueroa and Gregorio Vasquez.

In the middle of this shady square is a statue of Joaquín Caicedo y Cuero, the 18th-century patriot who liberated Cali from the Spanish.

The eponymous church looming over the plaza is the oldest in the city and a contrast to the plaza's generally festive and bustling atmosphere. At night the area is particularly attractive as it fills up with tables from surrounding bars and restaurants. A popular, eye-catching landmark since 2000 is Colombian artist Fernando Botero's large bronze Gertrudis, a sculpture of a plump, naked woman. Don't pass by the Iglesia de Santo Domingo: built in 1539, the church has a simple whitewashed interior, bare limestone pillars, a raised choir, and an adjacent cloistered seminary. Local lore says the bell tower's twisted profile is the work of the Devil, who, dispirited at having failed to destroy it, threw himself into the plaza's well. For a fee you can take an audio tour.

Bogotá's bullring was designed by Rogelio Salmona in a traditional Andalusian style. No bullfights have taken place here since 2012, due to efforts by animal rights activists and a decree by Bogotá's mayor. However, in early 2015, the courts did find in favor of continuing the fights, calling them displays of artistic expression. As of publication, fights have yet to resume due to renovations. Meanwhile, the stadium plays host to a range of events such as musical concerts and even tennis matches.

As you enter this reproduction of an old-time Antioquian village, you'll see a traditional town square with a small church, town hall, barbershop, school, and village store. For your present-day needs, it also has a small, serviceable restaurant and several souvenir shops. The views over the city alone are worth the visit.

The long brick bridge spanning the Río Molino was built at the end of the 18th century, as was the smaller span nearby.

Simón Bolívar, the revolutionary hero who drove the Spanish from the northern half of the continent, passed the last years of his life in this rustic house with his mistress, Manuela Saenz. Built in 1800, it was donated to Bolívar in 1820 for his services to the fledgling republic. The house has a distinct Spanish flavor and a lovely garden. Gabriel García Márquez's 1989 novel, The General in His Labyrinth, portrays Bolívar's final years. Guided tours in Spanish are offered Tuesday–Sunday at 11 and 2. A weekly guided tour in English is offered each Wednesday at 11.

The town of Ráquira, 25 km (16 miles) southwest of Villa de Leyva, is famous for its ceramics, sold in shops along the main square. In contrast with the whitewashed buildings of Villa de Leyva, Ráquira is bursting with color. A taxi from Villa de Layva will cost around 70,000 pesos.

Eighty kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Medellín is the province's former capital, Santa Fe de Antioquia. Founded in 1541, the town is now a colonial showpiece, with cobbled streets and whitewashed houses. It's well known for its orfebrería (gold work). Visit the workshops on Carrera 10 between the cathedral and the river.

This national wildlife sanctuary lies 15 km (9 miles) north of Villa de Leyva. There are seven glacial lakes, scattered at altitudes ranging between 7,500 feet and 12,000 feet, but the centerpiece is the Laguna de Iguaque, which the Muiscas believed was the source of all life; it's still a commonly held belief. Hiking the 8 km (5 mile) trail, which winds its way uphill through cloud forest, isn't easy. Wear practical boots, and be prepared for cold and rainy weather, as the temperature can fall to near freezing. It's worth it when you reach the páramo, a climatic zone with a unique plant system. Here you'll find unusual flora such as the ubiquitous frailejón (literally, "big friar"), a gray felt-leaf plant from the Espletia family. At the trailhead are cabins and a cafeteria.