Quick Popayan Travel Guide (+ Map)
TL;DR
Planning a trip through southern Colombia? Our Popayan Travel Guide has everything you need to decide if this charming whitewashed city deserves a spot on your route – and how to make the most of your visit if it does.
Thinking of visiting Popayán, Colombia? You’re probably asking yourself the same thing we did: Is Popayán really worth a visit? The short answer – yes, but with context.
Popayán, known as La Ciudad Blanca (The White City), charms visitors with its whitewashed colonial buildings, rich history, and walkable old town. It's not a bucket list showstopper like Cartagena or Medellín, but it makes a great stopover if you're already travelling through southern Colombia – especially between Cali, San Agustín, and the Ecuadorian border.
This guide is for anyone planning a southern Colombia route. If you're tight on time, we’ll help you decide if Popayán fits your itinerary. And if you do go, we’ve got you covered – from how to get there to things to do, local eats, museums, and even hidden gems like the quirky Negret Museum.
To make trip planning easier, we’ve included an interactive Popayán map with all key spots pinned.
Let’s help you decide whether Popayán deserves a day on your Colombia itinerary – and if so, how to make the most of it.
Popayan Travel Guide
Popayan Colombia Map
Is Popayan Worth Visiting?
Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is also called La Ciudad Blanca or the White City because of its many white colonial buildings. It’s a cute town to visit and definitely worth a stop if you’re travelling around southern Colombia anyway.
We wouldn’t go out of our way to visit Popayan though as there are other cute colonial towns scattered around Colombia like Giron and Barichara close to Bucaramanga or Salento in the coffee region and many many more.
Here’s our full Bucaramanga travel guide as well as our full Salento travel guide:
How to Get to Popayan
Popayan is a convenient and cute place for a stopover in southern Colombia in between places like Cali, San Agustin, or the Ecuadorian border.
- The bus from Cali to Popayan takes around 3 hours on the Pan-American Highway.
- The bus from San Agustin to Popayan takes around 4.5 hours on a very windy mountain road (take medication if you’re prone to motion sickness, trust us).
- The bus from the Ecuadorian border at Ipiales to Poayan takes around 8 hours.
How to Get Around Popayan
The centre of Popayan is walkable.
For longer distances or in the evening, Uber is available.
Where We Stayed in Popayan
We stayed at Hotel Don Blas. The room is functional and the location is super central.
11. Things to Do in Popayan
1. El Morro de Tulcán
Our favourite thing to do in Popayan was climbing up El Morro de Tulcán and soaking in the views. But don’t think that it’s only about the views. The pyramid is also the main archaeological site in Popayán. The small mound in the shape of a truncated pyramid is not natural but human-made. Artefacts from the pre-Columbian period, approximately between 500 and 1600 BC, were found here.
2. El Pueblito Patojo
El Pueblito Patojo is a miniature replica of Popayán. It features small copies of the most representative monuments of the capital of Cauca, including the Humilladero Bridge, the Clock Tower, the Chapel of La Ermita, and the Little Bridge. You can also buy handicrafts.
It’s located at the foot of El Morro de Tulcán so it’s a nice pit stop on the way.
3. Free Walking Tour
A free walking tour of Popayan is offered by Get Up and Go. It’s a non-profit organisation that promotes tourism in the Department of Cauca, particularly in areas that have been affected by previous armed conflict.
4. Parque Caldas
Caldas Park is the main square of Popayán. It is located in the historic centre of the city and houses many of the most important buildings like
- Popayan Cathedral
- Torre del Reloj or Clock Tower
- City Hall
4. Puente del Humilladero
Puente del Humilladero is a 12-arch bridge in the 19th-century Neoclassical style. It connects the Historical Centre with the Bolívar neighbourhood by crossing the Molino River, which long served as the city's northern border.
Nowadays, it’s a popular meeting point as well as the location of the Popayan sign, a busy picture spot.
5. Churches of Popayan
Walking around Popayan, you will encounter many beautiful churches. Some of our favourites are
- Iglesia de San Francisco, the largest and most beautiful church.
- Ermita de Jesús de Nazareno, the oldest church in Popayan.
- Iglesia de Belen with it’s nice view.
- Claustro De Santo Domingo.
6. University of Poayan
The University of Popayan, Universidad del Cauca, was founded in 1827 and is one of the oldest in the country.
Some of the buildings are open to visitors. The highlight is probably the law faculty right next to the Claustro De Santo Domingo.
7. Street Art
Like in all Colombian cities, you can find a lot of street art walking around.
8. El Panteón de Los Proceres
El Panteón de Los Proceres or the Pantheon of the Heroes of Popayán is a funerary monument. It features urns of important Colombian figures, including former presidents of the country, leaders of the Independence, and famous poets.
If you speak Spanish, you can listen to an audioguide, otherwise, you’re mostly restricted to admiring the architecture.
9. Museums Included in the Museum Ticket
The museum ticket for 10000 COP which is linked to the Universidad de Cuaca grants access to
- the Pantheon of the Proceres
- the Guillermo Valencia National Museum
- the Guillermo Valencia House Museum
- the Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera House Museum
- Natural History Museum
10. Casa Museo Negret y Museo Iberoamericano de Arte Moderno de Popayán
The Casa Museo Negret y Museo Iberoamericano de Arte Moderno de Popayán is located in a colonial building where the Colombian modern artist Edgar Negret used to live. It is a bit of a weird combination of modern art and possessions as well as historical information of the artist himself but it’s an interesting place and free to visit.
11. Purace National Park
The Puracé National Natural Park is located in the Andean region of Colombia. Its main feature is the active stratovolcano Puracé, one of Colombia's most active volcanoes. On a day trip, you can spot condors, see the unique frailejones plants, and visit waterfalls and hot springs.
Where to Eat in Popayan
We found a nice selection of Colombian and Western cuisine in Poapayan.
- For cheap local food, we can recommend Restaurante Palermo. The owner even speaks English which is a rare occurrence.
- For breakfast, we loved Latte Chocolatte.
- You might find the best pizza in town at La Pizarra 100% Masa Madre. It’s a bit hidden in the Hotel La Plazuela but worth the search.
How Many Days in Popayan Do You Need
Personally, we recommend to spend 1 day in Popayan. We spent two days in Popayan and feel like we had the time to explore every nook and cranny.
Popayan Tips
ATMs in Popayan
You can find a variety of ATMs from different banks in Popayan.
Supermarkets in Popayan
There was a huge Exito just around the corner from our accommodation.
Internet in Popayan
We had no problems with the WiFi in our accommodation and our local SIM card,
Is Popayan Safe
Popayan is about as safe as other Colombian towns. We felt perfectly safe during the day, and in the evening we opted to take an Uber.
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