Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 549

Ì Hostel Trail Cra 11, No. 4-16 T 314 696 0805,
W hosteltrail.com/hostels/hosteltrail. Friendly Scottish
owners Tony and Kim run an excellent hostel with clean,
bright rooms, free coffee, DVD room and a sociable atmos-
phere. There's heaps of information on the walls about
Popayán and the region, and cycling trips ar e organized, a s
well as visits to a local l coffee farm. Dorms COP$17,000 ,
doubles COP$42,000

Tues-Sun 8am-noon & 2-5pm;
COP$2500) is now a museum exhibiting
his work. Next door the Museo
Iberoamericano de Arte Moderno (same
opening hours; included in entry to
Museo Negret) exhibits Negret's private
collection of works by Picasso and other
important artists from Spain and Latin
America.

5

EATING
For self-caterers, there's an enormous Exito supermarket
next door to the bus station.
Capriccio Café C 5 No. 5-63. Fabulous granisados (iced
coffee drinks) and more at this little café that roasts its
own coffee beans. Daily 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-8.30pm.
Restaurante Italiano C 4 No. 8-83 T 2 824 0607. A
two-floor, Swiss-owned restaurant serving good Italian
standards as well as fondues - expect a leisurely meal.
Good-value set lunch COP$9000, mains from COP$15,000.
Mon-Sat noon-3pm & 5.30-10pm, Sun noon-11pm.
Sabores del Mar C 5 No. 10-97. Decked out with all sorts
of nautical paraphernalia, this little place lures you in with
delicious smells. Unusually for a menú del día you can
enjoy decent fish or seafood. Lunch COP$6000. Mon-Sat
11am-7pm, Sun 11am-4pm.
Ì La Semilla Escondida C 5 No. 2-28. A self-styled
slice of France in a small Colombian town, La Semilla
serves sweet and savoury crêpes, chunky sandwiches and
Colombian lunch specials, with the likes of crème brûlée
sneaking onto the dessert menu. Free wi-fi. Crêpes
COP$6500. Daily noon-10pm.
Tequila C 5 No. 9-25. A jaunty Tex-Mex café that is not
going to win any fine-dining awards, but does get a prize
for its burritos (COP$6500), quesadillas (COP$6000), cheap
beer, good cocktails, lively music and very friendly service.
Mon-Thurs 5-10pm, Fri & Sat 5pm-midnight.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane Popayán's airport is just a 20min walk north of
the centre of town, opposite the bus terminal.
By bus The bus station is a 15min walk north of the centre
along Autopista Norte and opposite the airport.
Destinations Bogotá (5 daily; 12hr); Cali (every 15min;
2-3hr); Pasto (hourly; 6hr; travel during daylight hours);
San Agustín (6 daily; 5-6hr); Silvia (every 30min; 1hr
30min); Tierradentro (4 daily; 5-6hr).
Taxi Within town, taxis should cost COP$3600, or COP$4200
at night and on Sun.
Tourist information The tourist o ce is at Cra 5 No. 4-68
(daily 9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm; T 2 824 2251). Staff hand
out a good free city guide/map, bus and flight timetables,
and can help arrange guided tours in the region.

ACCOMMODATION
Popayán boasts a good selection of budget options,
including several excellent hostels. Accommodation is
particularly expensive during Semana Santa; book well
ahead.
Hostel Caracol C 4 No. 2-21 T 2 820 7335, W hostel
caracol.com. Hostel Trail 's offshoot, popular with travellers
who like a quiet place to retreat to at the end of the
day, offers cosy rooms clustered around a covered
courtyard and all the information you need on the area,
courtesy of th e helpful staff. Dorms COP$17,000 , doubles
COP$45,000
Hotel Colonial C 5 No. 10-94 T 2 831 7848, W hotel
colonialpopayan.com. A comfortable central hotel with
clean and bright en-suite double ro oms with ca ble TV.
Upstairs rooms are naturally brighter. COP$65,000
Parklife Hostel C 5 No. 6-19 T 300 249 6240, W parklife
hostel.com. Besides its super-central location right on the
main square, Parklife is appreciated for its many perks
(attractive glassed-over communal space, movie night,
large kitchen…), as well as its colour-coded private room s
and lar ge (though d ark) dorms. Dorms COP$17,000 ,
doubles COP$42,000
Hotel Los Portales C 5 No. 10-125 T 2 821 0139.
A great-value hotel in an attractive colonial building. The
29 rooms all come with cable TV and private bathrooms,
and are n icely set arou nd three pretty patios. Cheaper to
pay cash. COP$55,000

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Bar La Iguana C 4 No. 9-67. This dimly lit bar has a good
cocktail list (around COP$10,000), funky salsa soundtrack,
projector screen for showing videos, and trendy clientele.
Ì El Sotareño C 6 No. 8-05. Head through El Sotareño 's
swing doors and the first thing you'll see is the owner
quietly sitting behind his compact bar, surrounded by a
vinyl collection of vintage salsa, tango and other Latin
music. Order a cold beer, bag one of the booths then sit
back and listen as the tunes are spun. Mon-Sat until 1am.

AROUND POPAYÁN
The colourful market village of Silvia,
an outstanding national park and some
invigorating thermal springs are all within
60km of Popayán.