Popayan
National Monument Historic Centre. Known As The White City, A UNESCO City Of Gastronomy (2005) And Home Of The Holy Week Processions, Inscribed On UNESCO'S Intangible Heritage List (2009), With A Colonial Centre Rebuilt After The 1983 Earthquake. · Popayan, Cauca
Popayan is the White City of southern Colombia, founded in 1537 and one of the best-kept colonial centres in the country. Its whitewashed walls, tiled roofs, cloisters and quiet churches sit around Parque Caldas at about 1,700 metres, so evenings are cool and the pace is slow. A strong earthquake in 1983 damaged much of the centre, and the careful rebuilding is part of the story. The city is known for two things beyond its streets. Its Holy Week processions, held at night with carved figures carried through the dark, are on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. And its food, from empanadas de pipian to tamales and carantanta, earned it UNESCO City of Gastronomy status. It is also a base for day trips to Silvia, Purace and the hot springs of Coconuco. Go for the walking, the cafes and the churches, not for a long checklist. Rooms are easy to find outside Easter, the centre is safe to stroll by day, and a slow two days is enough to feel the place, with coffee, church bells and cool air.
White colonial city in the Cauca valley about 140 km south of Cali, with the historic centre around Parque Caldas, Popayan, Cauca, Colombia
The historic centre is open all day and free to walk. Churches usually open in the morning and late afternoon, close around midday, and fill for Mass on Sundays. Museums such as Casa Mosquera and the Guillermo Valencia house keep shorter hours and many close Mondays, so confirm locally. Restaurants and cafes run through the evening. During Holy Week the centre stays busy well into the night and some streets are closed to traffic.