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Filandia is one of the best towns to visit in the Coffee Region of Colombia. It’s become quite the tourist hotspot over the years and has many colorful buildings all over town. Filandia, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, boldly refers to itself as “the most beautiful town in Quindío”, much to the chagrin of its rival town, nearby Salento.
Introduction to Filandia
When I first visited Filandia on a Saturday in September 2014, there were only a few Colombian tourists, many of the homes and buildings weren’t painted, and there weren’t many shops and restaurants. It was also very easy to find parking right on the plaza.
I visit Filandia several times a year. Every time I take a tour group or visit on my own, I’ve noticed some kind of change. More homes are beautifully painted, some good restaurants and shops have opened, and there are lots of international tourists. What a difference a few years makes!
Personally, I think Filandia and Salento are both very different and each merit at least a half a day of exploration. However, Filandia seems to have more attractions than Salento, but Salento has the added advantage of being closer to the Cocora Valley (Valle de Cocora). All in all, Filandia is getting better and better each year! At the moment, it’s only lacking better choices for accommodation.
When to Visit Filandia
The best time to visit Filandia is during the week. Weekends, especially three-day holiday weekends, attract huge numbers of domestic tourists. The crowds can be unbearable, taking away from the town’s charm and adding stress to your trip. Of course, there is a trade-off. During the week many shops are closed, but if you can do without souvenir shopping it won’t really matter.
Getting to Filandia
Filandia is easily reached with direct buses from Pereira and Armenia. From Pereira’s bus terminal, Expreso Alcalá has direct service.
Where to Stay in Filandia
I’ve only stayed overnight in Filandia once and usually visit on a day trip to Salento. My experience in this department is limited.
Hostería de Mi Pueblo
We stayed one night at Hostería de Mi Pueblo, a home turned hotel. We enjoyed our stay as well as the friendly service. It was very reasonably priced for the location and quality of the room. It’s located just a block and a half from the plaza.
The room was big and comfortable and had a large window overlooking a garden. Well, the garden wasn’t that nice but it was better than a room on the street side.
A delicious breakfast was served in a bright room on the ground floor. We had scrambled eggs, bread, and fresh fruit along with coffee and hot chocolate.
Where to Eat in Filandia
If you only have one meal to eat in Filandia, eat at Helena Adentro. If you have more time in town, there are some great choices.
Helena Adentro
You can’t visit Filandia without eating at Helena Adentro. This excellent restaurant is run by a local Colombian chef and a Kiwi partner, with a huge support staff running the kitchen, bar, and dining room. Helena Adentro is by far one of the best restaurants in the entire Coffee Region. Whenever we visit the town, we promise ourselves to try something different, but we always gravitate back to Helena Adentro.
Recommendations are highly recommended. You can book your table on their website with a credit card (you’ll be charged a small penalty for no-shows). If you get there around lunchtime without a reservation, it can be extremely packed, especially on a holiday weekend. We’ve heard reports of waits lasting up to three hours. The staff will take a phone number and call you when your table is ready, giving you a chance to walk around town for bit. We’ve waited anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour.
Location of Helena Adentro
The restaurant changed locations at the end of March 2021. It’s now hosted at the Casa Rosada at the end of the Street Stopped in Time. There are incredible views of the rolling green hills from the dining room.
Old Location
The old location was in a smaller building in the heart of town. I think it had a bit more charm than the new location, but the views at the new location are incredible.
Dishes at Helena Adentro
The menu has a good selection of dishes meant to share. There are typically four portions per plate. That’s perfect since we always go in a group and want to try as many flavors as possible. I’ve tried every option on the menu and have always been impressed not only by the flavor and high quality but also the presentation.
One of the more interesting dishes that stands apart is the rabbit sandwich, which is phenomenal. The posta estofada, which is beef soaking in beer and cooked for five hours in the oven, is also excellent, as is the breaded chicken breast. These three options are good if you’re looking for a meal for yourself.
Drinks at Helena Adentro
For drinks, try the fresh juices. Each juice combination has another fruit that can be added in or you can get the juice as a soda if you desire.
The restaurant offers some of the best cocktails we’ve ever had, and a few are also available in a non-alcoholic version. The uchuva with limoncillo and the Frida sin licor are my favorites. The blackberry mojito is also good.
Dessert at Helena Adentro
Make sure you save room for dessert. We’ve had the flourless chocolate cake (very rich) and the bread pudding. There’s also a delicious cheesecake on the menu.
Tuk Tuk
On the same corner as Helena Adentro is Tuk Tuk. They serve Thai food with 100% locally sourced products, and are open daily except Mondays.
One of the highlights of the restaurant, besides the food, is the spectacular view. There’s a small outdoor terrace overlooking the rolling green hills surrounding the town. If it’s rainy heavily, however, it’s better to sit inside because you’ll probably get soaked.
As a starter, Marisol and I split Vietnamese spring rolls. We also had hot fruit teas. I had passionfruit and Marisol had strawberry, grape, and cinnamon.
For our main course, Marisol ordered a beef dish while I had phad thai. All three dishes were delicious and authentic. Also, if you’d like a little more spice to your meals, the servers offer a homemade sauce called Ay María which is nice and strong. For dessert, we shared a chocolate cake.
The service, quality of the food, atmosphere, and of course the view are all excellent. We’ll definitely be back on future visits.
José Fernando
A local recommended José Fernando for a good cup of coffee. It’s situated in what is probably the most beautiful building in Filandia, a block downhill from the plaza. There’s a colorful café on the ground floor and a restaurant upstairs.
We had a seat in the café, which was empty except for two other tables, and ordered a Chemex for two. The server told us we would have to change our order because they don’t do alternative coffee methods on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday because of the amount of customers. This made absolutely no sense to us because the place was empty, so we ordered a latte and chai instead. The latte was normal and the chai was terrible.
I’ll give it another chance on a future visit, maybe for the food as well, but this experience left a bad taste in our mouth.
MOCAFE
MOCAFE is located near the end of the Street Stopped in Time, next to a shopping plaza focused on indigenous cultures. It’s a small place but it’s got a lot of character.
We were able to get our Chemex, and the barista gave a nice explanation while preparing it at our table. The quality of the coffee was very good, and comes from a finca located in Filandia.
CoffeecolBean Roastery
Around the corner is CoffeecolBean Roastery. They source specialty coffee from small organic lots in the region and serve some of the best coffee I’ve had in Colombia. We had a V60 demonstration and enjoyed our coffee very much.
Orale’s Tacos (Permanently Closed)
For dinner one night, we went to a hole in the wall taco place, Orale’s Tacos. It’s owned by a Colombian woman who lived almost 40 years in Mexico.
They have a small menu of tacos, burritos, nachos, and quesadillas, all prepared in a traditional way. There are also homemade sauces available, such as guacamole and chipotle.
We were expecting your average taco, but they were delicious. The meat was cooked to perfection, the guacamole was flavorful, and the tortillas were homemade. I had two tacos and Marisol had a quesadilla.
Heladería La 75 (Permanently Closed)
A good place to cool off from the heat is an ice cream shop called Heladería La 75. It’s located on the plaza and has some unique flavors such as avocado and chocolate with chili. The original store is in Buenavista.
Plaza in Filandia
A great place to start exploring Filandia is the pleasant main plaza, which is full of different types of trees. There are benches to sit and people watch.
Around the plaza you’ll find several different restaurants, bars, cafés, and shops. Many of them are located in colonial buildings, including the Casa de la Cultura, which features a tourist information center.
When I’ve traveled to Filandia on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, the streets in the plaza are closed to traffic. Booths located all around the plaza sell crafts, street food, and sweets. You can also see traditional dances performed, some of them comical.
My favorite thing to look out for around the plaza are the balconies. They’re beautifully painted and add lots of color to the town.
Immaculate Mary Church
Immaculate Mary Church (Iglesia María Inmaculada) sits at one end of the plaza. It looks simple from the outside but has an interesting color scheme on the inside. The church was built in 1905 but the façade we see today dates back to 1940.
Giraldo’s Plaza
Also on the main plaza is Giraldo’s Plaza. It’s a small shopping center filled with jewelry stores, sweet shops, craft shops, and has a small restaurant at the end.
The Street Stopped in Time
The street running north of the plaza from the church is called La Calle del Tiempo Detenido, which roughly translates to the “Street Stopped in Time”. It’s the most beautiful street in town and where you can find lots of souvenir and craft shops as well as restaurants.
These buildings are filled mostly with souvenir and craft shops along with a few restaurants. There are also a couple of small shopping centers with internal courtyards. They have cafés and interesting stores.
Pay special attention to the beautiful doors and balconies. They really make it one of the most scenic streets not only in Filandia but in the entire Coffee Region.
My only wish is that the street becomes pedestrianized, at least on weekends, to add to the atmosphere and make it safer for visitors. The road has been fixed and the sidewalks have been widened, removing the ugly planters seen in a few photos above. Currently, the road is open to traffic.
Plazoleta de los Toldos
Along the Street Stopped in Time is Plazoleta de los Toldos. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside is a covered plaza full of tables served by a few different cafés and restaurants. There are also rotating scenes where visitors can take photos.
Also surrounding the plaza are several souvenir shops. Some have jewelry, sweets, and other goods, while another sells handmade wooden toys and games. Near the entrance is a mural.
Atrapa Sueños
At the next corner is Atrapa Sueños (Dream Catcher), which is an indigenous-themed shopping area. There are a few different booths selling locally made goods, fragrances, pottery, artwork, dream catchers, and more. Their mission is to continue the legacy of the indigenous people of the region.
In addition to the shops, there’s a café with a sitting area decorated with a few household antiques.
Grandparents’ House Museum
The Grandparents’ House Museum (Museo Casa de los Abuelos) is a place where you can see antiques once used by locals. There are phonographs, cameras, traditional bedroom furniture, cutlery, and more. They also have temporary art exhibits. Admission is free (as of March 2024) but voluntary donations are accepted. The museum is located on a cross street before the last block on the end of the Street Stopped in Time. It’s housed in a former schoolhouse.
Mirador
At the very end of the street is a mirador (viewpoint) with views of the countryside. If you want to capitalize on the views, have lunch at either Helena Adentro or Tuk Tuk, two restaurants flanking the mirador.
Unfortunately, the views have been ruined by locals trying to capitalize on tourism. Someone decided to cut into the landscape and destroyed the hills directly across from the mirador.
La Casa del Mirador
If you walk to the end of the Street Stopped in Time and turn right, you’ll come to La Casa del Mirador. Inside are 18 specialty shops selling crafts, clothing, sweets, art, jewelry, coffee, and souvenirs.
At the back of the building, there’s an outdoor patio surrounded by cafés, sweet shops, and snack bars. It’s been rebranded as Mirador Encanto and “Disneyfied” to play off the success of the animated film Encanto. You now have to pay COP$10,000 per person (as of August 2024) to enter this tacky tourist trap. It’s not worth it.
If you do pay, at the very end is a gorgeous view of the countryside. It’s possible to spot Pereira and a few other towns in the region.
Bejuco to Basket Interpretation Center
Filandia is famous for its handmade baskets made of bejuco, a strong fiber found in the forest near town. The Bejuco to Basket Interpretation Center (Centro de Interpretación del Bejuco al Canasto), where you can learn about the basket weaving process and the traditional basket weavers. It’s located off the southwest corner of the plaza, but all information is in Spanish. Admission is COP$5,000 per person (as of August 2024).
If you would like to purchase baskets, there are several places in town and on the road to the Mirador Colina Iluminada.
Exploring the Rest of Filandia
Wandering around the rest of the town doesn’t take very long because it’s quite small. There are some very nice colorful buildings on most of the streets, and you’ll spot several more beautiful balconies.
The street running south of the plaza from the church is especially beautiful and has some colorful homes and buildings. They’re filled with shops and restaurants for about a block.
Mirador Colina Iluminada
On the ouskirts of Filandia is the Mirador Colina Iluminada. It’s a tall tower you can climb for 360° views of the entire Coffee Region. The tower is 27 meters tall and has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area.
The cost of admission is COP$12,000 (as of September 2024) and it’s usually open until 7pm. There’s a winding path to the top of the hill where you can climb the stairs of the mirador. A booth selling snacks and drinks can be found near the entrance to the tower and more are along the path.
As you climb to the top, there are panels indicating which towns you can see from the tower. There are also panels with stories about Filandia and local legends. If you look down the center of the tower, there’s a butterfly at the bottom.
From the top, it’s possible to spot several cities and towns in three departments of the region, including Quindío, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca. The largest cities visible are Pereira and Armenia, which are the two cities nearest Filandia. You can also get amazing views of the rolling green hills and Filandia itself.
