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Popayán
City in Cauca, Colombia

Popayán

Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca.

Plan a trip to Popayán→From Cali

It is located in the Pubenza Valley in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. The municipality has a population of 318,059, an area of 483 km2, is located 1760 meters above sea level, and has an average temperature of 18 °C.

Get in

Getting to Popayán

Popayan's airport does not have heavy traffic but you can reach the city by air. There are about four daily flights from Bogota to Popayan and vice versa. The airport is open between 6AM and 6PM. There are no flights between Cali and Popayan. The airport in the neighbouring city of Cali (100-minute car ride) serves many domestic and international destinations. There are numerous bus companies available.

See

Worth seeing

Since Popayan was a seat of power during Spanish colonial times, there are numerous architectural gems in the city. Some of the most impressive are, naturally, churches. Do not miss:

  1. 01
    Iglesia de San Francisco

    Large baroque church built during the 16th century but then destroyed by and earthquake in 1736.

  2. 02
    Iglesia La Ermita

    The church Ermita de Jesús Nazareno is the oldest church of the city dates back to 1546.

  3. 03
    Belen

    Small church perched on top of a small hill overlooking Popayan.

  4. 04
    Parque de Caldas

    Popayan's central square, named after one of Popayan's most famous citizens: Francisco Jose de Caldas (1768-1816).

  5. 05
    Puente del Humilladero

    Another architectural site which is a long walking bridge over a river in Popayan that was constructed in old Roman style.

  6. 06
    El Morro de Tulcán

    A hill which was an Indian pyramid dating before 1535.

Do

Things to do

The city is world-renowned for its Easter celebrations, or the Semana Santa. In fact, the celebrations are the second largest in the world (after Seville, Spain) and are a major sight! Every night during Semana Santa, there are processions in the streets and tens of thousands of people line the sidewalks to watch as floats pass by with religious motifs. The floats are carried on the shoulders of human volunteers.

Eat

Where to eat

In 2005, Popayan became the first city to be designated a City of Gastronomy as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative. For cheap and genuine food, try the market near Plaza Bolivar, north of the Puente del Humilladero. Meals from COP$5,000. Carantanta: A kind of chip typical from the Cauca departement made from corn, It can be eaten with a soup. Pipian: A sauce made from peanuts.

  1. 01
    Cuaresnor Pan Tolima

    Simple place to try some of the Cauca specialties.

  2. 02
    El Muro

    Carrera 8a, #4-11.

How locals move

Getting around Popayán the local way

  • Go nextPuracé National Natural Park, a national park two hours from Popayan, where it is possible to trek to the top of the Purace volcano or look for Andean wildlife.

From Wikivoyage: Popayán, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.