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Cali, officially named Santiago de Cali, has a historic city center that can easily be seen in just a few hours. Most of the sites lie within a fairly straight path and are accessible on foot.
San Antonio Hill
A good place to start is San Antonio Hill (Colina de San Antonio). This park on a hill above the historic part of town is a popular gathering place at night, especially on weekends. We went on a Friday night and the park was full of people of all ages sitting on the grass. Vendors were selling jewelry, ice cream, snacks, and other goods. There are a few restaurants along the park as well.
At the top of the hill is the Chapel of San Antonio (Capilla de San Antonio), built in 1747. We were told it’s usually closed except for special occasions.
There is also a nice view of the city from the top of the hill.
As you walk down the hill and down Calle 2, there are several interesting looking restaurants and bars serving a variety of different foods. Most of them open at night, but when we walked by a few during the day the smell was incredible.
Church of La Merced
The next stop, about a ten minute walk, is the Church of La Merced (Iglesia de La Merced). Built in 1545, it is the oldest church in Cali. The church wasn’t open, but the archaeological museum next to the church is a popular stop.
Across the street from La Merced is the old Archbishop’s Palace (Palacio Arzobispal).
Municipal Theatre
A block away sits the Municipal Theatre (Teatro Municipal). This beautiful building was built in 1918.
Chapel of the Immaculate
The most interesting building for me in Cali is the Chapel of the Immaculate (Capilla de la Inmaculada). It is a chapel built in 1764 with a Mudéjar bell tower and other Moorish features. It’s considered the finest example of a Mudéjar tower in Latin America.
The chapel is part of the much bigger complex of the Church of San Francisco (Iglesia de San Francisco), built in 1751. Both the church and chapel were closed at the time of visit.
The church complex sits on a large open plaza called Plazoleta de San Francisco. The government offices for the department of Valle del Cauca are opposite the church.
Plaza de Caicedo
A few blocks away is the main plaza in Cali, Plaza de Caicedo. This plaza, the nicest in the city, features tall palm trees and beautifully manicured grass with a monument in the center.
Three interesting white buildings sit on the plaza: the Otero Building (Edificio Otero), built in 1922; Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle (Catedral de San Pedro Apostól), built between 1782 and 1802; and the National Palace (Palacio Nacional), a courthouse built in 1928.
The Hermitage Church
Not too far away down a pedestrian street full of street vendors is the Hermitage Church (Iglesia de la Ermita). It’s the most beautiful church in Cali, built in 1948 on the site of a ruined 17th century church. It was inspired by the Ulm Minster in Germany.
Poets Park
The park behind the church is called Poets Park (Parque de las Poetas). There’s a small fountain in the middle, and on one side there are benches with statues of poets. It’s surrounded by a few interesting buildings, including the orange and white Jorge Isaacs Theatre (Teatro Jorge Isaacs) built in 1931, and the Colombian Tobacco Company (Compañía Colombiana de Tabaco).
Parque Simón Bolívar
There’s a riverwalk that runs through the city along the Cali River, but crossing the bridge over the river will take you to Parque Simón Bolívar, a nice park with shady trees. It’s a great place to try a cholado or lulada.
During the holidays, the park is lit up with thousands of colorful lights (alumbrados navideños). The lights are on from the second week of December through the first week of January.
