The Small Heritage Towns of Colombia You Should See

Not all small towns are created equally. Here we take you to the tourist network of small heritage towns we visited during our time in Colombia.

Not all small towns are created equally. Here we take you to the tourist network of small heritage towns we visited during our time in Colombia.

If you’re looking for the best places to visit in Colombia, you should seek out the Pueblos Patrimonio de Colombia. These small Heritage Towns of Colombia are not just significant historically, but have beautifully preserved colonial centres.

We discovered them by accident when we were deciding whether to visit Mongui (which we hadn’t seen), or go directly to San Gil and Barichara (which we had visited in 2008, and were keen to see again). In the process of searching online for information about Mongui, we came across the Tourism Network of Heritage Towns of Colombia.

The Ministry of Culture has declared these small heritage towns “Assets of cultural interest”, and the National Tourism Fund, which promotes tourism throughout Colombia, developed the network.

Their website is very well-organised, with lots of information about each town, and a map showing the principal sights. We discovered that there were 17 towns in the network, and by then we had unknowingly visited 4 of them. So we decided to visit Monguí, and any others we could get to during the remainder of our time in Colombia.

During our 6 month overland trip in Colombia, we visited 11 of them. We encourage you to see as many of these heritage towns as you can.


The Heritage Towns of Colombia We Saw

These historic colonial towns are in the order that we visited them, from the south to the north of Colombia. This should help you plan to include some of them in your visit to Colombia.


Jardín, Antioquia

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: El Jardín is as brightly coloured as most small towns in Colombia's coffee region, but it's located further north, closer to Medellin. This makes it a popular weekend destination for visitors from Colombia's second largest city.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: El Jardín is as brightly coloured as most small towns in Colombia’s coffee region, but it’s located further north, closer to Medellin. This makes it a popular weekend destination for visitors from Colombia’s second largest city.

We ended our post, The Small Towns of Colombia’s Coffee Region , with Jardín. Although it’s not technically in the Coffee Region, it was just too beautiful to leave out. It is full of colourful buildings, adorned with colourful flowers. There seems to be an unofficial competition in Colombia for who can squeeze the most flower pots on their balcony!

The town was settled by the Spanish in the late 1800s, and it hasn’t changed much in over 100years. Aside from the delight of wandering around this small town to see the colonial churches and other buildings; or sitting on one of the many colourfully painted chairs in the main plaza, drinking a tinto; there are many other activities in this town.

It is famous for the gallitos de las rocas – the Andean cock-of-the-rock; a beautiful red-plumed bird, which can be seen in the mornings and evenings in the Reserva Natural Gallito de la Roca, on the edge of town. Unfortunately, the path into the reserve was just a bit too difficult for us to descend, but for younger and fitter visitors it should pose no problem.

There are also caves and waterfalls and lovely green nature surrounding the town, and various activities like hiking, mountain biking, and paragliding are available. It’s close enough to Medellín to attract many weekend visitors from that city.

As we explain further down, it’s difficult to decide which Heritage Town to visit from Medellín; Jardín, or Santa Fe de Antioquia. They are on two completely different routes out of the city. We’ve only been to Jardín and loved the scenic drive to Medellín. If you have the choice, it is better not to visit Jardín on a weekend or a Colombian holiday – the town will probably be very busy.


Honda, Tolima

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: the town of Honda lays on the banks of the Magdalena. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was the main port for bringing goods from the Caribbean sea into the capital, Bogota. Since then, the once mighty river carries too much sediment to be ship-able. In the background, the large Bavaria brewery, once an important part of the local economy, now unfortunately closed (as is the port).

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: the town of Honda lays on the banks of the Magdalena. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was the main port for bringing goods from the Caribbean sea into the capital, Bogota. Since then, the once mighty river carries too much sediment to be ship-able. In the background, the large Bavaria brewery, once an important part of the local economy, now unfortunately closed (as is the port).

We passed through Honda on our way from Medellín to Bogotá. It’s situated on the River Magdalena, the longest river in Colombia. Several rivers and streams feed the great river at Honda, and it is known as the city of bridges.

Our intention had been to stay at least a night, somewhere in the old city. We arrived at the plaza, and parked Berta in a level spot, under the shade of a big, old tree. Coming from the mountain heights of Medellín, we couldn’t believe how hot it was at around 150m in altitude.

The old town was originally founded in 1539. It is very appealing to wander around in, with the Cathedral of our Lady of the Rosary dominating the plaza, and any number of narrow, cobbled streets filled with colourfully painted historic houses. Make sure you take a walk down Calle de las Trampas.

It reached its ‘heyday’ in the last half of the 19th century as an off-loading point, on the Río Magdalena, for goods shipped from the Caribbean coast along the river and then by road to Bogotá.

You could certainly spend some time in this heritage town, but the height of summer was not the time for us. We decided to drive on and try to find somewhere to sleep that was at least a few degrees cooler.


Guaduas, Cundinamarca

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Villa de San Miguel de las Guaduas in the Cundinamarca province used to be an important stop on the way to the port of Bogota in Honda. We stopped by chance in this small town and really liked it, particularly for its many cozy restaurants and drinking places around the main plaza.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Villa de San Miguel de las Guaduas in the Cundinamarca province used to be an important stop on the way to the port of Bogota in Honda. We stopped by chance in this small town and really liked it, particularly for its many cozy restaurants and drinking places around the main plaza.

The next small town we reached was Guaduas, an important stopping point historically on the road from Honda to Bogotá. It was founded in 1572, abandoned, and re-founded in 1644. At 1000m high, it was much more pleasant than the heat of Honda.

It’s not one of Colombia’s colourful towns; its buildings are all white, with tiled roofs and brown doors, balconies, and other trims. It gives a certain cohesiveness to colonial buildings. Everything looks neat and well-preserved.

Constitution Plaza is a social place that is used by many locals, particularly in the evenings. It is also dominated by a beautiful church – Catedral de San Miguel Arcángel (Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel). The weather in this part of Colombia lends itself to community gatherings in the cool of the evening. We joined them after dinner and enjoyed an evening of watching how the locals spend their time.


Villa de Leyva, Boyacá

Villa de Leyva is probably the best known historic town of Colombia. Its dry and warm climate and its vicinity to Bogota makes it a popular weekend destination. The main plaza of Villa de Leyva is said to be the largest paved square in South America.

Villa de Leyva is probably the best known historic town of Colombia. Its dry and warm climate and its vicinity to Bogota makes it a popular weekend destination. The main plaza of Villa de Leyva is said to be the largest paved square in South America.

After 2 weeks in Bogotá, we were eager to re-visit another of our favourite historic towns of Colombia, which is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia. We had been to Villa de Leyva twice in 2008.

This heritage town is supposed to have perfect weather! It also has the largest main plaza we have seen anywhere, surrounded by splendid white-washed, tile-roofed colonial buildings. In fact, the whole town follows the white-washed and dark woodwork, usually green or brown, theme. Even newer buildings keep to the same appearance. It has been designated a National Monument since 1954.

Make no mistake, Villa de Leyva is a tourist town. Both Colombian and International tourists flock there. We arrived just before Christmas and stayed until almost New Year – there were always people, everywhere. We compared it to the Easter holidays we had spent there in 2008 and are sure the tourist numbers have risen considerably.

The town centre of Villa de Leyva caters mostly to tourists. Initially visitors from Colombia, now increasingly foreign tourists as well. You can find all sorts of shops and services, among them a very good European style bakery (the best we found in Colombia!).

The town centre of Villa de Leyva caters mostly to tourists. Initially visitors from Colombia, now increasingly foreign tourists as well. You can find all sorts of shops and services, among them a very good European style bakery (the best we found in Colombia!).

Villa de Leyva was declared a National Monument of Colombia as early as 1954. Many houses in the centre of town date back to 16th or 17th century. A fairly strict building code ensures that newer buildings, like this beautiful courtyard hotel, blend in.

Villa de Leyva was declared a National Monument of Colombia as early as 1954. Many houses in the centre of town date back to 16th or 17th century. A fairly strict building code ensures that newer buildings, like this beautiful courtyard hotel, blend in.

If you ever get tired of wandering the streets of the colonial town that is often claimed as being the most beautiful in Colombia, there are two other places to visit in the surrounding area that we enjoyed seeing, and might attract your interest too:

  • Museo el Fósil: a museum that is built around the skeleton of a kronosaurus. It’s the largest fossil that has been discovered in this region.
  • Convento Ecce-Homo: although it is no longer a functioning monastery, it is open to the public as a museum. It has the most beautiful courtyard garden and its stone floors are full of fossils.

This area is rich in fossils. Have a close look at any stonework, as you wander through the town, and you will see many of them; even in the cobblestones that pave the streets. It is easy to spend time wandering the streets of this beautiful town. Unfortunately, the novelty of walking on cobblestones wears off faster than the interest in the architecture.


Monguí, Boyacá

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Monguí is said to be the most beautiful village in the Boyacá Department. Its second claim to fame is its cottage industry of producing footballs. The main square of the town is dominated by the "Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Monguí" and the adjoining Franciscan convent.

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Monguí is said to be the most beautiful village in the Boyacá Department. Its second claim to fame is its cottage industry of producing footballs. The main square of the town is dominated by the “Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Monguí” and the adjoining Franciscan convent.

This small heritage town seems to be ‘in the middle of nowhere’, but is famous for 2 things: being a heritage town and making footballs!

Monguí is more of a village than a town, but it has a large plaza with a church – Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Monguí – and the Convent of the Franciscans taking up one side of it. The Municipal Hall is also an impressive building, with its ground floor sloping downhill. It and the church are the only unpainted buildings around the plaza. The rest are white-washed and tile-roofed with an unusual trim colour – predominantly dark green on the woodwork, but with detailed brushwork in red and gold. Monguí looks like it celebrates Christmas all year round!

Even the ‘football factories’ are housed in historical buildings with the same colour scheme – a little incongruous perhaps, but it seems to work.

We spent less than 2 hours walking around the town, but it did impress us.


El Socorro, Santander

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: El Socorro is probably one everybody drives straight past, although its on a main highway south of Barichara. The main sight might be it's old Royal Tax Collection house, which dates back to 17th century. The pleasant surprise: it has a pedestrian zone!

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: El Socorro is probably one everybody drives straight past, although it’s on a main highway south of Barichara. The main sight might be its old Royal Tax Collection house, which dates back to 17th century. The pleasant surprise: it has a pedestrian zone!

Historically, Socorro is famous as the birthplace of the Comunero Revolt or Commoners’ Rebellion , against the oppression of Spanish rule, in 1781. It was also the capital of the department of Santander between 1862 and 1886.

Today it’s a small, historic town that you can walk around in an hour or two. There are a couple of statues, around the Plaza de la Independencia, of people who died as a result of the revolt: José Antonio Galán, a mestizo farmer, and María Antonia Santos Plata, a peasant, who were executed by the Spanish for the parts they played as leaders of the revolution.

The colonial features of El Socorro were what interested us, and it took us only a couple of hours to walk around and see them. They have some very old and impressive buildings. But to tourists, who love adventure sports, they offer rappelling (abseiling), paragliding, canyoning, bungee jumping and paint ball.


Barichara, Santander

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Barichara can get busy with local tourists during long weekends and holidays. At other times, it's a small, sleepy town with cobbled streets, white houses, and terracotta tiled roofs. A plus for overlanders: it's a pleasant town to camp, on top of the hill overlooking the canyon!

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Barichara can get busy with local tourists during long weekends and holidays. At other times, it’s a small, sleepy town with cobbled streets, white houses, and terracotta tiled roofs. A plus for overlanders: it’s a pleasant town to camp, on top of the hill overlooking the canyon!

After spending just a couple of hours in this delightful colonial town in 2008, this time we stayed 5 days. Barichara may even be our favourite heritage town of Colombia – of those we’ve seen.

The distinctive yellow sandstone, combined with white-washed, tile-roofed houses, and various coloured woodwork, makes it a real feast for the eyes. Watch out for the delicately carved sandstone surrounds of some of the lovely wooden doors. It’s built on the side of a hill, which makes it a bit of a workout sometimes, but also rewards you with some spectacular views over the rooftops to the mountains in the distance.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: if you stroll through Barichara, you will find many old Spanish built chapels and churches, mostly simple structures made from local sandstone. This one is Capilla Santa Barbara.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: if you stroll through Barichara, you will find many old Spanish built chapels and churches, mostly simple structures made from local sandstone. This one is Capilla Santa Barbara.

As well as wandering and enjoying the colonial architecture, we would recommend the following things to do in Barichara:

  • Go to one of the miradors overlooking the Suarez River canyon. This was also the view from our camping place.
  • Take a walk along a section of the Camino Real, down through the canyon to the small town of Guane. You can return easily by bus.
  • Check out all the churches of Barichara, built from sandstone. Capilla de Jesús, next to the cemetery; Capilla de Santa Bárbara on Plaza de Santa Bárbara; Capilla de San Antonio; and of course, the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción on the Plaza.
  • Visit the cemetery, where the yellow sandstone is also in abundance, marking the graves.
  • Spend some time sitting in the shady central plaza and watch the world go by.
  • Visit the Jorge Delgado Sierra Parque para las Artes – a beautiful garden, full of sculptures by local artists. It’s next to the Plaza de Santa Bárbara, and from the top of the garden you get an amazing view of the Suarez River canyon in one direction and the mountains in the other.

As in most places in Colombia, Barichara also offers the possibility to involve yourself in extreme sports, if that is your interest.


San Juan Girón, Santander

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: we had already visited San Juan Girón in 2008. Years later, the sleepy historic centre hasn't changed much, but the town has expanded around it's edges and nearly become one with neighbouring Floridablanca and Bucaramanga.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: we had already visited San Juan Girón in 2008. Years later, the sleepy historic centre hasn’t changed much, but the town has expanded around it’s edges and nearly become one with neighbouring Floridablanca and Bucaramanga.

The municipality of Girón is actually part of the Metropolitan area of Bucaramanga, but the place to visit is the old town, full of well-preserved white colonial houses. It’s nestled in a bend of the Río de Oro, with a feeder creek running through it. This gives rise to the many bridges that it is also famous for.

We had also visited in 2008, but were keen to return. You only need an hour to walk slowly around the old town, but there are places to sit, museums to visit – although usually only open on weekends and public holidays – restaurants and tourist shops.

It is easy to see why it is included in this tourism network, and is definitely worth the short detour if you are passing by Bucaramanga on your way through Colombia.


La Playa de Belén, Norte de Santander

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: La Playa de Belén in Norte de Santander is possibly a little out of the way for most travellers. It's a sleepy little place in an amazingly eroded landscape. This is the view over the town from the cemetery.

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: La Playa de Belén in Norte de Santander is possibly a little out of the way for most travellers. It’s a sleepy little place in an amazingly eroded landscape. This is the view over the town from the cemetery.

There is more to La Playa de Belén (literally Bethlehem Beach) than beautiful white buildings adorned with colourful terracotta flower pots, tiled roofs, and brown painted woodwork. It is also set in a quite remarkable landscape of weathered rock formations.

The town is in a relatively level valley, but it’s possible to climb to various viewpoints around it to see the settlement from above, and the surrounding landscape. We chose to climb the stair to the cemetery. It is 150m above the town, and the stair is the only access. So the dead are carried up to their final resting place.

It’s also possible to see the main sights of this village in a short time – it only has about 10 blocks! But we chose to stay 2 days. The main reason is that it is some distance from the main road, which goes to Cúcuta on the border with Venezuela. But we also stayed because the people were very friendly and helpful, especially when Berta got a flat tyre right in front of the church on the main plaza.

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: La Playa de Belén eroded landscape. Los Estoraques Unique Natural Area is just outside town. The landscape looks barren, but the valley is apparently fertile as it is full of vegetable gardens.

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: La Playa de Belén eroded landscape. Los Estoraques Unique Natural Area is just outside town. The landscape looks barren, but the valley is apparently fertile as it is full of vegetable gardens.


Santa Cruz de Mompox, Bolívar

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Mompox can be tropically hot - all year round. One of the best places to watch the world go by is sitting in the shade, near the river, with its gentle breeze, in one of the typical local rocking chairs. We came past many waiting rooms of offices and doctors' surgeries, all furnished with rocking chairs!

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Mompox can be tropically hot – all year round. One of the best places to watch the world go by is sitting in the shade, near the river, with its gentle breeze, in one of the typical local rocking chairs. We came past many waiting rooms of offices and doctors’ surgeries, all furnished with rocking chairs!

The road into Mompox (or Mompós) is one of the worst we drove in Colombia. We’d been told the road was bad – it was. We’d been told it was really hot there – it was. But this unique place is really worth the effort to go there. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1995), as well as being a national patrimonial site of Colombia (since 1959).

Time and again, we came back to the mighty Magdalena River in Colombia. And Mompox is built right on the riverbank. This helps a little in the heat of the day, because it’s usually possible to find a shady spot with some breeze coming across the huge expanse of water.

Mompox is simply stunning. It’s like walking through a museum with so many interesting, intricate details that they are uncountable. Churches, courtyards in old mansions, plazas full of flowers and people, tree-lined streets, security doors and screens that look like wrought iron lacework, and even street art in appropriate places. The list goes on.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Mompox or Mompós, officially Santa Cruz de Mompox, is one of the few UNESCO World Heritage listings in Colombia. The town on the Magdalena river was founded by the Spaniards in 1537 as a safe port. This is the photogenic Santa Barbara church, dating back to 1613.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Mompox or Mompós, officially Santa Cruz de Mompox, is one of the few UNESCO World Heritage listings in Colombia. The town on the Magdalena river was founded by the Spaniards in 1537 as a safe port. This is the photogenic Santa Barbara church, dating back to 1613.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: many of the old houses along the banks of the river speak of the former wealth of Mompox. It used to be a major inland port town along the Magdalena river, one of the two longest ship-able rivers in Colombia.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: many of the old houses along the banks of the river speak of the former wealth of Mompox. It used to be a major inland port town along the Magdalena river, one of the two longest ship-able rivers in Colombia.

Mompox is up there with Barichara as our favourites of these small heritage towns of Colombia. We don’t want to tell you what to see – just go and look. But don’t miss the cemetery!


Santa Cruz de Lorica, Córdoba

Of all the small heritage towns of Colombia, Santa Cruz de Lorica was probably the least inspiring. The few remaining historic structures are surrounded by modern buildings - all showing signs of the decay so typical of the Caribbean lowlands. This photo shows the historic open market hall on the banks of Rio Sinú.

Of all the small heritage towns of Colombia, Santa Cruz de Lorica was probably the least inspiring. The few remaining historic structures are surrounded by modern buildings – all showing signs of the decay so typical of the Caribbean lowlands. This photo shows the historic open market hall on the banks of Rio Sinú.

Lorica was the only one of the heritage towns that we could have happily skipped. It doesn’t have the historical cohesiveness of the others. True, there are some quite spectacular colonial buildings, but they are so overwhelmed by the 20th Century, that sometimes you really have to look for them.

The most impressive part of this small town is along the river – it would probably be worth taking a boat ride to see it from that aspect. Its historic development was directly related to its position next to the Río Sinú, which was an important transportation route to the coast and the port city of Cartagena.

We were grateful we had detoured to visit Lorica, only because of its proximity to the coast. It’s just 30Km to Puerto Cispatá, where we spent several days before driving on to Cartagena.


The Heritage Towns of Colombia We Didn’t See

We missed 6 of the heritage towns. In the South of Colombia this was because we didn’t know about them. If we had, we might have taken a detour to see them. But once we had discovered them, we tried to see them all. Now that you’ve found this post, you have all the info you need to experience these delightful historic highlights of Colombia.


Guadalajara de Buga, Valle del Cauca

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Guadalajara de Buga (marked on most maps simply as Buga) is north of Cali in the Cauca valley. Buga is one of the oldest cities in Colombia, founded in 1555. It's "Basilica del Señor de los Milagros" (Lord of Miracles) receives over 3 million pilgrims every year.

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Guadalajara de Buga (marked on most maps simply as Buga) is north of Cali in the Cauca valley. Buga is one of the oldest cities in Colombia, founded in 1555. It’s “Basilica del Señor de los Milagros” (Lord of Miracles) receives over 3 million pilgrims every year. [Image Credit ]

We missed Buga by less than 10Km, on our way from Cali to Armenia and Colombia’s Coffee Region. It is most famous for its Basilica, which houses the ‘Lord of Miracles’ or the ‘black Christ’. It is not only a tourist attraction, but also brings more than 3 million pilgrims a year to this important heritage town of Colombia.


Aguadas, Caldas

When we were in Colombia’s Coffee Region, we made a lot of detours to visit many small towns. Had we known about this list of heritage towns, we would probably have made a few more. Aguadas is one of those we missed. It’s famous for the Aguadeño hat, that’s been a tradition for at least 150 years.


Salamina, Caldas

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Salamina, the "city of lights", is in the coffee region, about 2 hours from Manizales.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Salamina, the “city of lights”, is in the coffee region, about 2 hours from Manizales. [Image Credit ]

Salamina is around 50Km from Aguadas. Both towns are part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This colourful town, so typical of the coffee region, is famous throughout Colombia for its poets, artists, and artisans. It’s also an alternative location (to Salento) to find the endemic wax palms.


Jericó, Antioquia

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Jericó in the Antioquia department is famous for its religious buildings. The town centre is dominated by the large Cathedral "de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes". Jericó's unique local artisan items are handbags made of cowhide called “Carrieles.”

Small Heritage Towns of Colombia: Jericó in the Antioquia department is famous for its religious buildings. The town centre is dominated by the large Cathedral “de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes”. Jericó’s unique local artisan items are handbags made of cowhide called “Carrieles.” [Image Credit ]

Another of Colombia’s colourful towns. But Jericó is more famous for being the birth place of Colombia’s saint: Santa Madre Laura Montoya.

Had we skipped visiting Jardín, we could have visited all three of these small towns on our way out of the coffee region to Medellín. But, we wouldn’t have wanted to miss Jardín. Travelling is full of choices like these.


Santa Fe de Antioquia, Antioquia

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Santa Fe de Antioquia is only 80 kms north of Medellin. We haven't visited this historic town because at the time we were in Medellin we didn't know about it. Reportedly it receives a lot of weekend visitors from nearby Medellin.

Small Historic Towns of Colombia: Santa Fe de Antioquia is only 80 kms north of Medellin. We haven’t visited this historic town because at the time we were in Medellin we didn’t know about it. Reportedly it receives a lot of weekend visitors from nearby Medellin. [Image Credit ]

Sometimes called ‘the Mother City’, Santa Fe de Antioquia was the first capital of the state of Antioquia, before it was moved to Medellín. It is one of the oldest colonial towns and it has the oldest suspension bridge in Colombia.

You can visit Santa Fe de Antioquia on a scenic day tour from Medellin , with your own private driver.


Ciénaga, Magdalena

Situated on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, next to Santa Marta, Ciénaga is a well-preserved colonial city that has experienced conflict: in the early 19th century between loyalists and those seeking independence; and in the early 20th century, the dispute between workers and the United Fruit Company, known as the Banana Massacre.


Of the small heritage towns of Colombia that we saw, some were smaller and took only a couple of hours to visit. Others were larger and we dedicated days to fully experience them. Some were easy to reach, others took us over unpaved, rough roads. They are all known for their colonial architecture, but some have maintained that more thoroughly than others. And all have their own individual histories that have impacted on Colombia’s history.

Here we have given our experiences of the colonial towns we did see, and your experience may be quite different. But, you’ll never know, if you don’t go.

Recommended Website (in Spanish) To Use:
The National Tourism Fund developed the Tourism Network of Heritage Towns of Colombia – La Red Turística de Pueblos Patrimonio de Colombia. I’m not sure if this feature still functions: If you click the individual town names a sub-page for this towns opens, where a Google map shows the location of all historic and interesting sights in this town, so you won’t miss a thing. If you use the Chrome browser with automatic translation it’s very easy to navigate.


Please share this post on Pinterest to show your friends or to remember for later:

Our PINTEREST image of the Heritage Towns of Colombia, which shows the Santa Barbara church in Mompox on top, the town square of Jardin at the bottom - with text overlay
Colombia has a “Tourism Network of Heritage Towns” worth visiting. Some small historic towns are listed in every guidebook, some unfortunately don't get mentioned. We tell you why these 17 small heritage towns are special. It often takes only a minor detour to visit these places, so bookmark the very informative website by the “National Tourism Fund” beforehand. For more, read our post “The Small Heritage Towns of Colombia You Should See”!
Our PINTEREST image, which shows a church in Barrichara on top, the riverfront of Santa Cruz de Lorica below - with text overlay.
 

Yasha

dare2go's human navigator (we're not lost because there's nowhere particular we have to be) alongside our Nexus 7 tablet, writer and editor of our blog, first cook and loving wife. Teaching English as a second language when possible.

You may also like...

25 Responses

  1. Lori Trochim says:

    Beautiful post! Yasha, I plan to visit these towns in May. Can you easily get to one from another by bus? Or should I rent a car? thanks!

    • Yasha says:

      Hi Lori,
      Thanks, I’m happy you liked the post.
      As we travel in a motorhome, we travelled easily from town to town and stayed in some of them.
      I can’t tell you about the buses, but there seem to be lots of buses in Colombia – we would meet them regularly on the road.
      However, a rental car would provide you with a lot more flexibility, I’m sure.
      I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

  2. Eduardo says:

    Thank you Yasha and Juergen for taking the time to say such nice words about my beloved Colombia. And also for spelling the names of the cities, towns, villages, places and specially Colombia so accurately. Many bloggers who have visited Colombia don’t even take the time to spell it right, what a shame.

    You guys are the best. Thanks again.

    • Yasha says:

      Thanks for commenting, Eduardo.
      Colombia is still one of our all-time favourite country we have visited. These Heritage towns are a significant part of the attraction.

  3. Ana Lopez says:

    I am from Colombia and I liked your itinerary and explanations about it.
    Some of my favorites towns are Salamina, because of its 19th century coffee zone architecture, Jerico is similar 19th century coffee zone architecture and Santa Fe de Antioquia us and Colonial Spanish architecture, very well preserved.
    I love the little towns like you and more when they have history and beautiful architecture.

    • Yasha says:

      Thanks, Ana. We really enjoyed exploring the small heritage towns in your beautiful country of Colombia. And we were sorry to have to bypass some of them – but we can never see everything.

  4. Great post and information. We moved here to Medellin after 3 years living in Panama. We are now settled and plan to see all these heritage towns and more. Your information on them and your blog is great.

    Thank you and safe travels!

    John and Susan

    • Juergen says:

      Thank you very much! When you plan your visits try to include some of the “out of the way places” – these are much quieter…

  5. Jane says:

    We only visited a few of these and absolutely loved the history and character in them. Jardin may have been our fave.

  6. Kristin says:

    Wow, what a line up and what a great journey you had. I’ve only spend about a week in Colombia, so I’ll aspire to this sort of trip next time. Also pinning.

  7. noel says:

    I love towns like this especially when doing a road trip from one big city to another to find these little gems in between – it all looks amazing.

    • Yasha says:

      This is one of the things we love about driving ourselves about in our mobile home – visiting the ‘off the beaten track’ places like these small heritage towns in Colombia.

  8. Thank you for this fabulous travelogue on the heritage towns of Colombia. I’ve only briefly touched down in Bogota and that is an entirely different experience! I’m sure I would enjoy a leisurely journey of discovery to the smaller centres.

    • Yasha says:

      If you are brave enough to drive in Latin American countries, you can find all sorts of places that you don’t get to flying in and out of cities. And there are also others who are willing to drive you to these places if you know about them.

  9. I’m happily pinning this to my Colombia Pinterest board. We have just returned from Colombia, but were unable to visit much beyond Bogota and Medellin–although we did get to a small town near the Piedra de Penol about 2 hours from Medellin. For people with some time and their own transportation, following the La Red Turística de Pueblos Patrimonio de Colombia seems like an excellent suggestion. This was my first time back to Colombia in 44 years. (I did visit Villa de Lleyva 44 years ago before it was quite so big a tourist destination.) I was happy to see the country pulling itself out of the darkest days of narcoterrorismo.

    • Yasha says:

      Thanks Suzanne. Oh, you visited Guatape. Did you climb the Piedra? I did – in November on my 63rd birthday. It was a beautiful view from the top.
      I hope you get back to Colombia soon and can enjoy some of these small heritage towns, or get to the Coffee Region, or any number of other beautiful places the country has to offer.

  10. cindy says:

    I’m saving this post! Colombia is high on my travel list and trying to figure out which small towns should go on the itinerary has been a challenge – so your reactions are greatly appreciated!!

  11. We have never traveled to Colombia, but when we do these are the types of small towns we would love to explore. There is always interesting stories to be found by chatting with the locals. Thanks for sharing your list.

    • Yasha says:

      We also love getting off the major city tracks and out into the smaller regional and often historical towns. Some of these small heritage towns are very special.

  12. Rowan Sims says:

    Colombia looks like such an interesting place. I didn’t make it there on my South American road trip unfortunately, but I have friends there who keep telling me to come visit. I guess I should take them up on that! Thanks :)

    • Yasha says:

      Colombia, along with Brazil, is one of our favourite countries in South America. We really recommend travellers going there. And if you have friends there, so much the better. The people are so friendly and hospitable.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

 
There will be more great content like this! On our Facebook Page you can also keep up with where we are and see the latest photos from our journey.
So why not follow us?
Send this to a friend