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Marsella is known as one of the most beautiful towns in Colombia’s Coffee Region, and I can agree. It’s also a well-kept secret because it doesn’t attract crowds like other towns such as Salento and Filandia. If you’re lucky, you’ll have the entire town to yourself.
Getting There
Getting to Marsella is easy from the Pereira bus terminal. The Marsella company, located on the upper level, has buses leaving roughly every half hour. It takes about 45 minutes to get there. When you see the church bell tower, ask the driver to let you off. It’s a couple blocks uphill to the plaza.
Café Don Danilo
On my first trip to Marsella, I went with Marisol for the town’s fiesta. We were invited by some friends living there, Natalia and Barry. We arrived on a Sunday night in time for the fiesta and went to Café Don Danilo. It’s a café with a nice terrace, and we make sure to stop by on every return trip to Marsella.
The coffee, by the way, is also regarded as the best in Marsella and one of the best in the region. Our favorite is the Chemex, which really brings out the flavor of the coffee. It may not be available when the café is crowded.
Hostal Casa Don Danilo
The café is also where we stayed the night, at the adjacent Hostal Casa Don Danilo. There are a couple extremely clean and comfortable rooms available with good WiFi.
La Estancia
If you’re looking for a great place to eat, look no further than La Estancia. It’s located on the plaza in a colorful colonial building. They serve excellent traditional Colombian dishes. We each had a bandeja paisa, and it was easily the most authentic version of the dish we’ve eaten.
Fiesta
The fiesta we went to in November 2014 was a lot of fun. We sat outside in the plaza, drank aguardiente and wine, and listened to music, danced at times, and tried some delicious food from street vendors.
Other Events
On another visit, the town was filled with hundreds of motorcycles. Members of the Latin American Motorcycle Association were in Marsella, and the priest walked around to bless the bikes.