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La Virginia is a hot town in Colombia’s Coffee Region. There’s really no reason for anyone to stop there. It’s basically a town conveniently located on a crossroads to many major cities.
A friend living there for a short time described it by saying “take this block you’re on, multiply it by 80, and you’ve seen all of La Virginia”.
Founders Park
If you do find yourself in La Virginia, it does have some nice parks shaded by some huge trees. The main park is Founders Park (Parque de los Fundadores). It’s located on the south side of town a couple blocks from the Cauca River.
Around the park, you’ll find a few statues as well as restaurants and cafés. There’s even a food court if you’re feeling hungry.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The church on Founders Park is Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen). It’s a modern construction with a tall bell tower.
Bernardo Arango Bridge
A short walk south of Founders Park is the Bernardo Arango Bridge (Puente Bernardo Arango). It’s a nice pedestrian bridge over the Cauca River, and in my opinion is the highlight of any visit to La Virginia.
If you’re lucky, you may even be able to take a cruise down the Cauca River in a small boat. One company was offering these cruises starting along the riverbank next to the bridge.
Francisco Jaramillo Ochoa Bridge
Finally, the main highway passing through town crosses another bridge over the Cauca River, the Francisco Jaramillo Ochoa Bridge (Puente Francisco Jaramillo Ochoa).
Aside from nice views of the river, it may be possible to see workers pulling silt out of the river to be used for several purposes.
Verde y Maduro
If you find yourself unlucky enough to be in La Virginia, I can recommend one good restaurant. Verde y Maduro serves an amazing patacón relleno (a flattened plantain stuffed with meats).
El Eden
Another good place to stop is El Eden, which is along the main highway before turning down the road that leads into town. They have great avena drinks along with their famous empanadas de cambray.
Getting There
Almost every bus from the terminal in Pereira heading to the western part of Risaralda will pass through La Virginia. There are also a couple city buses from Pereira that run the route. There is no main bus station. Each bus company has its own stop.
