Villa de Leyva Colombia Travel Guide

Villa de Leyva is a sweet colonial city in the department of Boyaca in Colombia. The whitewashed colonial architecture, surrounding mountains and unique attractions draw visitors from Bogota during the weekend but it is a fairly quiet city during the week. It is easily reached from Tunja, with minibuses (6,000 Clombian Pesos) departing every 15 minutes from next to the main bus terminal.

Places to Stay

Hotel La Villa: Calle 12 No 10-11 on the southwest corner of the main plaza. This family hotel is just off the central park. The private rooms are clean and well kept, and come with a private bathroom and cable tv. There is plenty of space and a small kitchen and pila guests can use for their laundry.

Where to Eat

Villa de Leyva definitely has pricier restaurants due to its status as a tourist town. There is a sandwich shop just across from the bus station that serves large and delicious baguettes. If you are cooking for yourself, there is a large vegetable and fruit shop continuing on the same street as Hotel La Villa, walking away from the plaza. There are also a couple supermarkets located on Carrera 9.

Villa de Leyva

Attractions

Paleontology Museum: This small museum contains a collection of marine dinosaur fossils from when this area was all underwater, as well as shells and rocks. The entrance fee is 2,000 Colombian Pesos.
Hiking: There are some nice hikes in the hills around Villa de Leyva including a path that leads up to a mirador or cross over looking the city.
Ostrich Farm: See Villa de Leyva for kids.
El Fosil: There is an fossil of a chronosaur located 5.5 km outside of town on the road to Santa Sofia. You can walk or take a minibus from town.