Torre Colpatria
Torre Colpatria The tallest building in Colombia, and second tallest in South America, clocks in at an ear-popping 196 meters (643 feet), rising to fifty stories above the capital. Constructed in 1979 at the intersection of Calle 26 (Avenida El Dorado) and Carrera 7, it watches over one of the mos
Teatro Heredia
Teatro Heredia Built in 1911 to commemorate a century of Colombian independence, Cartagena’s Teatro Heredia was designed by Luis Felipe Jasper and based on the Italian-Caribbean design of Havana’s Tacon Theater. Restored in 1970 and again in 1988, the grand theater is famous for its Italian marble
Sebastian de Belalcázar Statue
Sebastian de Belalcázar Statue Looking down over the city from its hilltop perch, the Sebastian de Belalcázar Statue is one of Cali’s most iconic landmarks, erected in honor of the Spanish conquistador who founded the city in 1536. Built in celebration of the city’s 400th birthday, the statue depi
Santo Domingo Savio Library
Santo Domingo Savio Library Medellin has been declared one of the most innovative cities in the world, and a project that demonstrates that innovation is the Santo Domingo Savio Library.North of town, up in the hills, a neighborhood called Santo Domingo Savio experienced an amazing change from one
San Pedro Cemetery Museum
San Pedro Cemetery Museum While visiting Medellin, don’t forget to stop by this unusual museum—a living museum, in a cemetery. San Pedro Cemetery Museum is an unusual open-air museum of funeral art, filled with beautiful sculptures, monuments and mausoleums in marble and bronze. Much of the work w
San Antonio Plaza
San Antonio Plaza This immense plaza was inaugurated in 1994 as a recreational and cultural center in Medellin. The plaza has a landscaped park, is home to the beautiful San Antonio Church (located at the southwest corner of the plaza) and offers free concerts in a crescent-shaped amphitheater.&nb
San Antonio Church and Museum
San Antonio Church and Museum With its white adobe façade, single, squat tower made of red brick and an entryway fronted by a set of crumbling stone steps, the simple yet elegant San Antonio Church stands in stark contrast to the fanciful Metropolitan Cathedral just a few blocks east. Perched on a
Restaurante La Rueca
Restaurante La Rueca In Medellin, the magic and sensuality of tango comes alive on the weekends at restaurants like La Rueca that combine a mixture of tango and Argentinean grill. Located in El Poblado, one of the nicest neighborhoods of Medellin, every weekend La Rueca transports visitors to
Plaza de San Diego
Plaza de San Diego In Cartagenas Old Town, every evening the Plaza de San Diego becomes lively with street performers entertaining the crowds. Vendors sell everything from jewelry to Cuban cigars to paintings, and as the day ends, the traffic gets blocked on two sides so that more outdoor seating
Parque Lleras
Parque Lleras Medellin’s upscale entertainment district is wrapped around pleasant Parque Lleras, which gives the city’s most fashionable district a rather relaxed feel. Located in the Zona Rosa of the posh Poblado neighborhood, home to most of the city’s best hotels and youth hostels, this lively
Parque 93
Parque 93 Parque 93 is more than a grassy square in the center of Bogotá. It is one of the centerpieces of the city with great restaurants, exciting nightlife and outdoor activities. Many locals come here for a walk, for a sporty outing and a picnic with friends or decide to attend one of the nume
Palace of Inquisition (Palacio de la Inquisicion)
Palace of Inquisition (Palacio de la Inquisicion) This fun little museum on Plaza Bolivar, in an impressive 18th-century mansion, already attracts the morbidly inclined. Your tour begins with two entire rooms full of horrifying torture devices, used right here by the Cartagena chapter of the Spani
Old Town Cartagena
Old Town Cartagena A leisurely walk through the narrow streets of Old Town Cartagena, with bougainvillea spilling off second-floor balconies and brightly painted Colonial houses, invites visitors to escape into the past. The bustle of daily life mixes with the historical architecture of this walle
Old Shoes Monument (Los Zapatos Viejos)
Old Shoes Monument (Los Zapatos Viejos) At the base of the imposing San Felipe Castle, Cartagena’s Old Shoes Monument (Los Zapatos Viejos) is, you guessed it, a giant sculpture of a pair of old boots. A popular spot for a selfie or ten, the monument was created by the sculptor Hector Lombana as a
Nemocón Salt Mines
Nemocón Salt Mines Founded by Spanish settlers in 1537, the town of Nemocón in Colombia earned fame for its highly productive salt mine. Between 1816 and 1968, some 8 million tons of alt were extracted from the mine via a process of collecting water from the salt spring in clay vessels a
Naval Museum of the Caribbean
Naval Museum of the Caribbean Opened in 1992 on the 500th anniversary of Columbus discovery of the Americas, Cartagenas Naval Museum of the Caribbean tells the history of the city and its surrounding areas, as well as the story of how Panama became a separate country. Housed in what was once a Jes
National Palace
National Palace A National Monument and among the city’s most impressive buildings, the National Palace is one of Cali’s most photographed attractions, demanding attention from its perch at the head of the central Plaza de Caicedo. Built in 1928, the Palace’s French-influenced Neoclassical design
National Capitol (Capitolio Nacional)
National Capitol (Capitolio Nacional) Home to both the Columbian Congress and Senate, the grand National Capitol (Capitolio Nacional) building is the center of Colombian politics and makes a striking sight, looming over the south end of Bolivar Square. With its dramatic colonnaded frontage, c
Nabusimake
Nabusimake Deep in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Park in northern Colombia, there is a green valley surrounded by mountains that is home to descendants of the Tayrona people, the Arhuac. Nabusimake is the spiritual center for the Arhuac people, the place where they say the sun was born. Visiting
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art Plaza San Pedro Claver, in front of the museum, is itself a site to behold, studded with whimsical modern sculptures apparently made from spare parts. For more, enter the smallish Museum of Modern Art, housed in a 17th-century Royal Customs House. The pleasantly air-conditione
