Villa de Leyva, Our Favourite Colombian Town
Villa de Leyva is paradise in Boyaca, according to one Colombian that we spoke to and we’d agree.
With white-washed buildings, a warm mountain climate, cobblestone streets and picturesque plazas, there are plenty of reasons to fall in love with this charming colonial town. It’s rightfully popular with loved-up Colombian couples who make the three-to-five hour trip from Bogota for a romantic weekend away.
We were head over heels for Villa de Leyva. After a week there, we made the 9-hour bus journey to hike in El Cocuy National Park, but we were so in love that we came back for another week right after. Might it be our favourite place in Colombia?
Things to Do in Villa de Leyva
We’re not going to pretend Villa de Leyva is packed with things to do. The reason most people come to this pretty town is for rest, relaxation and beautiful mountain views — and that’s exactly what we were doing too. We intentionally chose to skip Pozos Azules, the artificial blue pools, the terracotta house and speeding around on quad bikes, feeling all those activities were a bit tacky.
Instead, we did more local things to do in Villa de Leyva. We walked around the cobbled streets, spent evenings in the main square and filled our bellies with baked empanadas. Here’s what we think are the best things to do in Villa de Leyva:
Plaza Mayor
The town’s iconic main square is one of the largest in South America. As is often the case, many of the bars and restaurants directly on the square could be considered tourist traps, but the atmosphere is so lovely that it’s worth paying for an overpriced glass of wine one evening. On the weekends, you’ll find locals enjoying beers on plastic chairs outside little tiendas, the moon shining down on the cobbles at their feet.
Saturday Market at the Plaza Mercado
This ungentrified market takes place at the Plaza Mercado every Saturday. It’s three or so blocks southeast of the main square. Local farmers sell their produce here and Villa de Leyva locals come to buy groceries, clothes, eat lunch and exchange gossip. It won’t take you more than ten minutes in total, but it’s worth a look if you’re in town.
Vineyard Ain Karim
This vineyard, located just outside Villa de Leyva, is a beautiful place to enjoy a glass of wine. We paid COP $30,000 for entrance, which gets you a ticket that you can exchange for a couple of glasses of wine. You can also pay for tours of the vineyard, tasting sessions and a picnic. We tried both the Merlot and the Gran Reserva, and to be honest we’d say they were average at best. But the courtyard surrounded by stunning mountain views means it’s still worthwhile.
We cycled from Villa de Leyva to Vineyard Ain Karim, but it was hard work when the bikes we had weren’t the best and under the hot sun, so I’m not sure we could recommend it.
Cycling in Villa de Leyva
As many of the attractions just outside town, it might make sense to rent a bicycle to get around. Be warned though, we’re in reasonable shape and we found the cobblestones and midday sun to be a difficult combination! Bike rental costs around COP $7000-8000 per hour. Make sure you check the brakes, tyres and gears thoroughly before you set off.
Hike to the Mirador el Santo
This very steep hike leads to a glorious views of Villa de Leyva and a small white statue of Jesus. What more could you want? It took us about an hour each way from the centre of town, but beware, you’ll often need to scramble. While the statue appears on Google Maps, the route is not correct. Instead, you’ll need to head past the basketball court and the football pitch — the path is just behind the outdoor gym.
Note that if you’re using the Lonely Planet, the hike mentioned behind Hostal Renacer is closed due to the risk of forest fires.
Best Places to Eat in Villa de Leyva
Villa de Leyva has some excellent restaurants, though be aware that many places are only open Thursday to Monday.
Restaurante Savia — Excellent farm-to-table restaurant with a focus on healthy and vegetarian dishes (though chicken and fish are available). Our favourite was the house dish of rice and lentils with chopped plantain. The rice dishes are very good value for money at COP $16,000, but prepare to pay a bit more for the other items on the menu. Nice setting in an outside courtyard.
Comida Coreana — Truly mouth-watering Korean food is served up at this small but popular eatery. We were thrilled to find two of our favourite meals on the menu here: mapo tofu and kimchi-jjigae. Both could be made vegetarian on request. We paid around COP $25,000 per dish, plus COP $5000 for a ginger tea. It can be difficult to get a table on the weekends, so come early!
Happy Monkey — All the food at Happy Monkey contains plantains. But for us, the star of the show was the chef. Although she didn’t speak a word of English, her warmth and enthusiasm was clear both from the way she welcomed us into the restaurant and the way she went about preparing our food. Prices are very reasonable.
Casa Blanca — Casa Blanca is a very traditional Colombian eatery not far from the main square. It also takes a traditionally lax approach to opening hours, as is common in town, so don’t be surprised if they open later than advertised. We had a typical breakfast of eggs, tomato, onions and bread with cheese, orange juice and coffee for a price your grandpa would appreciate: only COP $10,500.
Zarina Restaurante — A Middle Eastern restaurant set back in a tiled courtyard just off the main square. We had a vegetarian plate of falafel, hummus, tahini, lentils, rice, vegetables and salad. It was very good, but prices here are high. Budget travellers should avoid Zarina as this ended up being one of our most expensive meals in Colombia at COP $36,000 per plate with service charge added on top.
Best Cafes in Villa de Leyva
Panaderia Empanadas Horneadas — The best empanadas in Colombia! And we’ve eaten a few. Empanadas are a typical South American pastry filled either with meat or vegetables. This bakery has some of the best empanadas around and this is because they are oven-baked rather than deep-fried. Grab an empanada for just COP $1,200 and add a spoonful of spicy salsa for a delicious snack. The panaderia doesn’t have opening times but it was reliably open in the mornings around 10:30AM, but closed on Sunday.
La Galleta — A cafe that’s serious about coffee and cake. La Galleta is the place to buy coffee by the pound if you’re not squeamish about higher prices. We can also confirm La Galleta has the best cakes in town. We came for the nut pie four times!
Sybarita Cafe — A more than decent cup of coffee in a classic environment. Staff could be more welcoming, but when the coffee’s that good they know they don’t have to be!
Miloja — This might be our favourite cup of coffee in town, plus friendly staff and a relaxing vibe. We tried the lemon cake, which was nice, but not quite as good as the sweet treats in La Galleta.
Pastelería Francesa — The place to go if you are craving an almond croissant or other baked goods. It’s a little expensive — with an almond croissant setting you back COP $6000 — especially compared to the empanada place on the same street. Check the opening times before you go to avoid disappointment.
Cafe Los Gallos — We stumbled across this cafe on a Wednesday morning, when both Miloja and La Galleta were closed! I had an excellent vegetarian sandwich here and a passable espresso. We later dropped by for vegetarian arepas, which were very good. This cafe is dog-friendly and the owner’s dogs will often be tied up outside the door —and sometimes found sneaking inside the cafe.
Best Bakery in Villa de Leyva
Astral – Artiasan Bread Workshop — This bakery in Villa de Leyva had some of the best bread we had in Colombia. Forget the squishy white bread of most Colombian bakeries, here you’ll be treated to wholegrain baguettes, seeded loaves and date and raisin rolls.
Where to Stay in Villa de Leyva
Apartment Tulips — We stayed in this gorgeous Airbnb both times we were in Villa de Leyva. It’s located on the loveliest flag-covered street in Villa de Leyva, just a few blocks up from the main square. The apartment shares an outside courtyard with three or four other apartments and it’s very safe.
You’ll be treated to a plush bed and bedroom (and bathroom) views of the mountains. There’s an outside balcony where we enjoyed coffee and breakfast every morning. You can get $44 off your first stay on Airbnb here.
How to Get to Villa de Leyva
Bogota to Villa de Leyva — You can take a bus from Bogota to Villa de Leyva from the Terminal de Transporte S.A. A taxi from La Candaleria in Bogota to the terminal should cost you about COP $20,000. We took a Libertadores bus out of Bogota to Tunja at 11:40AM for COP $22,000, then changed for a bus to Villa de Leyva (another COP $7000).
A direct bus goes from Bogota to Villa de Leyva at 2:40PM and is the better option. The indirect bus took us five and a half hours, while on a separate trip the direct bus took four hours. The journey supposedly takes three hours, but we’ve never done it in less than four.
Villa de Leyva to Bogota — To get from Villa de Leyva to Bogota, we took the 12:30PM bus for COP $54,000. Direct buses run regularly.
Villa de Leyva to Tunja or El Cocuy — Buses from Villa de Leyva to Tunja are frequent and run all day. We took a bus to Tunja for COP $7500 then took the 9:30AM bus from Tunja to El Cocuy National Park (COP $40,000). The bus to El Cocuy took 9 hours on the way there. On the return journey, we were in a minibus instead and the journey took only 7 hours. Bring motion sickness tablets for the leg to El Cocuy as the last 2.5 hours of the journey are very windy.
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