Santa Fe De Antioquia, Colombia

Write a review | Edit place information | Add a hostel

Santa Fe de Antioquia is a beautiful colonial town next to the Cauca river, at less than 2 hours from Medellin on the road to Turbo. In 2006 a tunnel was opened on this road, increasing the amount of weekend tourists.

The region around it is very pretty too, and the climate is warmer than Medellin itself. In the historic center, streets are cobblestoned, the colonial houses are painted in pretty colors. It's perhaps not as picture-perfect as Villa De Leyva, but close.

It is the oldest town in the region, founded in 1541. In 1548 it became the capital of Antioquia, in 1826 Medellin took over as capital. Originally a gold mining town, the local economy is now based on agriculture and tourism. In 1960 it was declared a national monument.

In Santa Fe, you can rent horses to explore the area around it, or just go for walks. There are a bunch of churches and museums to visit too, including the Iglesia de Santa Barbara, the Museo del Corral and the Museo de Arte Religioso. The church on the main square is a cathedral.

| Editing history.

Places to stay:

There are a lot of upscale places to stay in and around the town, and some cheapies mostly on the main square. During some holidays (specially early January) prices may go up.

Hostal Plaza Mayor (0 comments) Parque principal / central square Tel: 853 34 48 Tel: 316 281 67 99 Cheapest night: 8 US$/night. Private rooms available.
This hostel is on the main square and a great place to stay. It has a cute patio and friendly service. The rooms are small but clean and have a private bathroom. They are 20,000 pesos (US$ 8) per person. They have a small pool in the back to refresh.

Hospedaje Franco (0 comments) Carrera 10 No 8A - 14, 1 block from the main square Tel: 853 16 54 Cheapest night: 12 US$/night. Private rooms available.
Similar to Plaza Mayor, rooms are around a patio and cost 30,000 pesos (US$ 12) for 1 or 2 people. On January 5 to January 8 ("festivo"), rooms are 75000 pesos.

Hotel Espana Colonial (0 comments) Calle 10 No 7 - 60 Tel: 311 641 42 63 Cheapest night: 10 US$/night. Private rooms available.
At 2 blocks from the main square it's a decent option. Rooms are 20,000 pesos per person.

Donde Mario (0 comments) Tel: 3136605515 Tel: 3174007768 Email: makopp at yahoo dot com Cheapest night: 15 US$/night. Dorm beds available. Private rooms available.
Nice finca with great pool and beautiful view over the village. Mario speaks english. Small kitchen and fridge. Something special in Santa Fe de Antioquia. Rent per bed or cabaña. Mario Phone:3136605515 Here a page where you can see some fotos: http://www.alquilesufinca.com/index.php?opcion=finca&fid=5 Cra. 12 No. 13B-47

Mariscal Robledo (1 comments) Cr 12 No 9 Tel: 583 11 11 Cheapest night: 80 US$/night. Private rooms available.
Good for a splurge, this beautiful upscale hotel has a big outdoor swimming pool with great views, beautiful rooms. Rooms are 180,000 pesos (US$ 80) per night, including 3 meals and free drinks from 3pm to 7pm. Sometimes they have a special where non-guests can use the pool and facilities (sauna, ...) for a fixed price.

Things to do:

The area around Santa Fe de Antioquia is quite beautiful, rolling hills, lots of towns. It's a good place for bicycling, or you can rent horses to explore the area. There are plenty of hotels and camping grounds.

Six km east is the Puento de Occidente, one of the first suspension bridges in the world. It's made of metal and wood and cars can only pass it one way at the time. It was built by famous architect Jose Maria Villa, born in 1850, who studied in Hoboken, New Jersey (USA) and helped build the famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. He returned to Colombia to build 4 bridges on the Cauca river, and was famous for drinking a lot. There's a camping/hotel at the bridge.

From the bridge, you could continue on the small road towards San Jeronimo, 2 hours in car or a day on a bicycle, which is very beautiful - lots of flowers, trees and great views.

Getting around & transportation:

The town lies at less than 2 hours from Medellin on the road to Turbo. You can take a bus or go by car, or even by bycicle, this is a good bicycling area.

Santa Fe de Antioquia

 

Reviews

Write a review

---

Comments

What's this? A free and open travel guide, written by all of us together. Feel free to print it out, photocopy it and share it with your friends. If you're travelling while you're reading this, don't forget to make notes on these pages and add them to the site when you're online. This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.