Last updated on .
The town of Honda, Tolima, Colombia, doesn’t look like much when passing through, but get to the heart of the city and you’ll realize there’s more to it. Honda is one of the country’s prestigious Heritage Towns (Pueblos Patrimonio) and is known as Colombia’s “City of Bridges”.
Historic City Center
The historic center of the city is where you can spend a good hour wandering around. An hour is really enough as there’s not much to see and it’s relatively small. There are several restored colonial style homes and buildings as well as many others that have yet to undergo restoration.
Other than the impressive bridges, the cobblestone paths were pleasant to walk down. The most famous of these is Calle de las Trampas, a narrow path sometimes with flowers hanging from the houses along it. It intersects with a few beautiful cobblestone stairways that provide interesting views from the tops.
The Plaza de Mercado, built in 1935, is a market building where locals come to shop for just about anything. It’s colonnaded exterior gives it a regal look while the inside is packed with shops. It can be quite hectic during working hours.
At the top of the historic center is a small but beautiful plaza with a stone church, Our Lady of the Rosary (Nuestra Señora del Rosario). There didn’t seem to be any action on the plaza other than a small store. Everything else was closed.
Magdalena River Museum
The Magdalena River Museum (Museo del Río Magdalena) sits at the end of town along the Magdalena River. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation at the time of our visit. Normally, it’s open daily except Mondays.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
On the other side of the old town from the Río Gualí is the main car bridge through town over the Río Magdalena and a beautiful church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Nuestra Señora del Carmen).
