Popayán: Tourism, Top Sights & Things to Do in the White City
Popayán is the capital of the Cauca department and is known as the White City for its beautifully preserved colonial buildings.
Popayán is a city of great historic and cultural value, and its Holy Week is the most important in Colombia.
Popayán invites visitors to discover its sights and explore its surroundings. It lies in central Colombia, in the Pubenza valley between the Western and Central Andes, at 1,750 m above sea level. The climate is pleasant all year, with mild, sunny days.
How to get to Popayán
Popayán is very well connected by road to Colombia's cities and is an essential stop for those traveling to the south of the country. Buses from Bogotá, Cali, Pasto, Medellín and the main cities arrive at its bus terminal.
The distances from Popayán are: Bogotá 645 km, Medellín 590 km, Cali 120 km, Pereira 369 km and Pasto 270 km.
Popayán has the Guillermo León Valencia Airport, with flights to Colombia's major cities.
Travel information
Popayán has beautifully preserved architectural heritage, with history on display in its streets and squares. A tour of the city is a journey into the past. It has a complete range of hotels, very good dining, interesting museums, historic churches and temples, and plenty of nightlife and entertainment.
A walk through the city should begin at Parque Caldas, the main square that has witnessed many historic events. Nearby you can visit the Clock Tower, a symbol of the city; the Francisco José de Caldas Paraninfo, part of the University of Cauca; the Pantheon of the Heroes, which holds the remains of historic figures; and the Humilladero Bridge.
Places to visit in Popayán
Churches
The city has a great heritage of churches and temples; some of them are:
San Francisco Church: the largest church in the city and, for many, the finest example of colonial Baroque in all of Colombia.
Santo Domingo Church: notable inside for its fine woodwork and goldwork and some examples of the old Quito school.
La Ermita: the oldest church in the city, built in 1546, preserving valuable works of sacred art inside.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption: rebuilt several times, most recently after the 1983 earthquake. Its dome is more than 40 meters in diameter.
Museums in Popayán
Mosquera House Museum (History)
Address: Calle 3 #5-14
Phone: 8201129 / 8209800
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm.
Archdiocesan Museum of Religious Art
Address: Calle 4 #4-56
Phone: 8242759
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 12:30 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm; Saturdays, 9 am to 2 pm.
Negret House Museum & MIAMP (Ibero-American Museum of Modern Art of Popayán)
Address: Calle 5a #10-23 (historic center)
Phone: 8244546
Hours: every day and holidays, 8 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm. Closed Tuesdays.
Guillermo León Valencia House Museum
Address: Calle 5 #9-82
Phone: 8241555
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 8 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 10 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm.
Free admission.
Guillermo Valencia National Museum
Address: Carrera 6 #2-69
Phone: 8206160
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday and holidays, 10 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm.
Free admission.
Natural History Museum of the University of Cauca
Address: Carrera 2 #1A-25, Urbanización Caldas.
Phone: 8 209800 ext. 2626, 2640 or 2620
Website: unicauca.edu.co/museonatural
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 9 am to 1 pm.
Paid admission. Free for under-4s and over-60s.
Pantheon of the Heroes
Address: Carrera 7 No 3-42
Phone: 8209800
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm.
Free admission.
Puracé National Natural Park
From Popayán you can visit this nature reserve of 83,000 hectares, set in the Andes, crowned by the Puracé volcano. In the park you can hike various trails that reveal the local flora and fauna, amid high peaks, volcanoes, lagoons and forests.
Puracé National Natural Park lies between the Cauca and Huila departments.
Carnivals of Pubenza
Every January the Carnivals of Pubenza take place. This seven-day celebration is, after Holy Week, the city's biggest draw, influenced by the Blacks and Whites' Carnival held in Pasto.
Holy Week
Each year Popayán hosts the most important Holy Week celebration in Colombia and one of the most renowned on the continent. During those days, thousands of people come to the city to take part in the various activities, with faith at the center. The Holy Week processions are a true spectacle, with thousands of the faithful marching through the city streets carrying the figures from the churches.
Popayán's Holy Week was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Frequently asked questions about Popayán
For its whitewashed colonial buildings, beautifully preserved. It is the capital of Cauca and one of the most historic cities in Colombia.
By road it is an essential stop toward the south of the country; buses from Cali (120 km), Pasto (270 km), Bogotá and Medellín reach its terminal. It has the Guillermo León Valencia Airport (domestic flights).
Explore the historic center: Parque Caldas, the Clock Tower, colonial churches and temples, and its museums. It is a city for walking and enjoying Cauca cuisine.
It is the most important Holy Week celebration in Colombia, with traditional processions recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Puracé National Park with its volcano and hot springs, Silvia and its Guambiano Indigenous market, and the road toward San Agustín and the south.
A mild climate all year. Holy Week (March or April) is the busiest time; book well in advance for those dates.