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Sightseeing is limited in Pereira, but it’s still a pleasant city that’s part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Brief History of Pereira
Pereira sits on the original settlement of Cartago, which was founded in 1540 and moved to its present location in 1691. The city we know today was officially founded as Cartagoviejo on August 30, 1863, by Father Remigio Antonio Cañarte (1790-1878).
In 1869, Cartagoviejo was renamed in honor of Cañarte’s friend, lawyer and politician Francisco Pereira Martínez (1783-1863), who had died six days before the city’s foundation. Pereira’s son, Guillermo Pereira Gamba, had donated the land for the new settlement, which in its initial stages consisted of about 6 city blocks and 100 homes.
Pereira experienced a tremendous period of growth during the first few decades of the 20th century, boosted further by the arrival of the railroad in 1917.
Plaza de Bolívar
Plaza de Bolívar is the main square in Pereira. It’s a bustling wide open space surrounded by several office buildings, banks, hotels, shops, and more.
The city was founded at Plaza de Bolívar and grew outwards from it. In the beginning, the homes of the most influential people in Pereira surrounded the square.
Naked Bolívar
A very interesting monument to Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) sits on one end of the square. Naked Bolívar (Bolívar Desnudo) features the liberator riding a horse in all his glory. It was erected in 1963 by Colombian sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt (1919-1995) and engineer Guillermo González Zuleta (1916-1995) and is a symbol of the city.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty
On the other end of the square is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty (Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Pobreza). It was built between 1875 and 1890. The most impressive feature of the cathedral is the exposed wooden beams of the ceiling.
Pereira City Hall
On the northeast corner of Plaza de Bolívar is Pereira City Hall. It’s a large complex with a bank on the ground floor.
Braulio Londoño Building
Finally, on the southeast corner is the Braulio Londoño Building (Edificio Braulio Londoño). The building was constructed between 1948 and 1953 as the Pereira offices of the Colombian Life Insurance Company. It’s significant because Pereira was founded on the site of the building.
Parque El Lago
Parque El Lago is a small park a few blocks west of Plaza de Bolívar. It has a fountain and pond in the center and is filled with street vendors. It’s a great place for people watching but you should take care late at night.
The original name for Parque El Lago was Plaza de la Concordia, which was later changed to Plazuela de Colón. In 1960, it became Parque de los Novios and was later changed to Parque El Lago Uribe Uribe in honor of General Rafael Uribe Uribe (1859-1914).
El Claret Church
The El Claret Church (Iglesia El Claret) sits on the north side of Parque El Lago. Construction started in 1947.
Casa Ochoa
Casa Ochoa is a historic building about halfway between Parque El Lago and Plaza de Bolívar. It was built in the 1920s.
Freedom Park
Freedom Park (Parque de la Libertad) is a few blocks east of Plaza de Bolívar. It was once off limits, but it’s been cleaned up a lot and safety is much better. However, there’s no real reason to visit.
Our Lady of La Valvanera
Our Lady of La Valvanera is the most prominent building at Freedom Park. It was built in 1935. I haven’t had a chance to go inside.
Plaza Victoria
Plaza Victoria is another square in Pereira. It’s located a couple blocks south of Plaza de Bolívar. The Victoria Mall and Lucy Tejada Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Lucy Tejada) sit on the plaza. The cultural center houses the city’s library.
There are very nice views from the upper floors of both buildings.
Departmental Revenue Building
On the northwest corner of Plaza Victoria is the Departmental Revenue Building (Edificio de Rentas Departamentales). It’s one of the most beautiful historic buildings in the city and was completed in 1927.
Diario del Otún Building
Two blocks west of Plaza Victoria is the Diario del Otún Building (Edificio Diario del Otún). It’s the tallest building in Pereira at 23 stories, and houses the offices for El Diario, a local news outlet founded in 1982.
In Search of the Light
In front of the Diario del Otún Building is a sculpture, In Search of the Light (En Busca de la Luz). It was sculpted in 1995 by Jaime Mejía Jaramillo and stands 8m tall.
Palacio Nacional de Pereira
Across the street from the Diario del Otún Building is the Palacio Nacional de Pereira. The Ministry of Public Works began efforts to construct the building in 1944, and construction finally started in 1947. It was built in several stages and took several years to complete. The building suffered terrible damage during an earthquake in 1999 and had to be vacated and repaired.
Risaralda Government Building
A couple blocks south of Plaza Victoria is the Risaralda Government Building (Gobernación de Risaralda). This brutalist building by Colombian architect Laureano Forero was completed in the 1970s after the creation of the Risaralda Department in 1967.
Parque Olaya Herrera
The government building sits at the end of Parque Olaya Herrera, which is a nice green space and a popular gathering place. It contains an obelisk in the center as well as other small monuments. The park was founded in 1930 and is the largest in the city.
Pereira Railway Station
The old Pereira railway station is located on the southeast end of Parque Olaya Herrera. It was built in 1921 and was a station on the Caldas Railway (Ferrocarril de Caldas), which operated from 1911 to 1959. The building is currently used as a branch of SENA, an educational service. Next to the station is a caboose functioning as a restaurant and café.
Pereira Art Museum
Art lovers will enjoy the Pereira Art Museum (Museo de Arte de Pereira). This modern art museum surprised me. I’m not one who usually enjoys this type of museum, but the temporary exhibits on display were attention grabbing and I actually understood the message behind the art (for once). Admission is COP$3,000 per person (as of July 2023). The museum is closed Mondays. It’s located south of the city center near the bus terminal.
Avenida Circunvalar
Avenida Circunvalar is the entertainment district of Pereira. Several of the city’s best hotels and restaurants are located along the street. There are also a few points of interest. I’ll talk about them starting from west to east.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel / Church of San José
At the west end of the street across from the Movich Hotel is the most beautiful church in Pereira. The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen) is a neo-Gothic church that looks like something out of France. It was built in the early 1950s and the first mass was celebrated on March 19, 1954. It’s also known as the Church of San José (Iglesia de San José).
If the church is open, it’s well worth popping inside for a look. It has some nice stained glass windows as well. Marisol and I were married there in December 2016.
Monument to the Founders
A bit further down the street is the Monument to the Founders (Monumento a los Fundadores). It was made by Colombian sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt in 1965. Every August 30, on the anniversary of the foundation of Pereira, a flowered wreath is placed there.
Casa de Alfonso Jaramillo
On the same block is the Casa de Alfonso Jaramillo, which is also the Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso. This mansion, built in 1948, was the home of Dionisia Bernal and Alfonso Jaramillo Gutiérrez. Jaramillo was one of the creators of public utilities in Pereira. He’s also credited with bringing the first automobile to the city in 1914 and advocating for the construction of a market building.
Parque La Julia
Further along the street is Parque La Julia, which was constructed in 2019. It’s surrounded by bars and restaurants. It used to be a road veering off Circunvalar, but it’s now completely pedestrianized. The park contains a small playground and picnic tables in the center.
Parque Arboleda
A couple blocks later is Parque Arboleda, which is the best shopping mall in Pereira. It contains several high-end stores, a large food court, and a handful of good restaurants.
Parque La Rebeca
Near the end of Circunvalar is Parque La Rebeca. It’s a small park with a fountain in the center and a playground.
Parque El Vigilante
Finally, a block north of Parque La Rebeca is Parque El Vigilante. This is another small park surrounded by several bars and a few of Pereira’s best restaurants. In one corner is a statue of a sleeping watchman.
More Ideas on What to Do in Pereira…
For more ideas on what to do in and around the city, check out this article from Alltherooms.com: 8 Awesome Things to do in Pereira, Colombia.
