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Marsella is a town in the Coffee Region of Colombia and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Introduction to Marsella
Marsella is considered one of the most beautiful towns in the Coffee Region and I can agree. It’s also a well-kept secret because it doesn’t attract crowds like other towns such as Salento and Filandia. If you’re lucky, you’ll have the entire town to yourself.
Marsella was founded by Pedro Pineda and María Gregoria Muñoz on July 18, 1860, as Villa Rica de Segovia. The name later changed to Segovia and later to Marsella on April 8, 1915. It was named after the French city of Marseille.
Getting to Marsella
Getting to Marsella is easy from the Pereira bus terminal. Buses leaving roughly every half hour and the ride takes about 45 minutes. When you see the church bell tower, ask the driver to let you off. It’s a couple blocks uphill to the plaza.
Where to Stay in Marsella
Since we usually do day trips only, we’ve only stayed overnight once.
Hostal Casa Don Danilo
Hostal Casa Don Danilo is adjacent to Café Don Danilo near the plaza. There are a couple extremely clean and comfortable rooms available with good WiFi.
Where to Eat in Marsella
You’ll find some good coffee as well as traditional Colombian dishes in town.
Café Don Danilo
On my first trip to Marsella, we went to Café Don Danilo. Their coffee is regarded as the best in Marsella and one of the best in the region. Our favorite is the Chemex, which really brings out the rich flavor. It may not be available when the café is crowded. Café Don Danilo serves their coffee on a nice patio, and we make sure to stop by on every return trip to Marsella.
La Estancia
If you’re looking for a great place to eat, look no further than La Estancia. It’s located on the plaza in a colorful colonial building. They serve excellent traditional Colombian dishes. We each had a bandeja paisa and it was easily the most authentic version of the dish we’ve eaten.
Events in Marsella
The town’s fiesta is held annually in November. Marisol and I were invited by some friends living there, Natalia and Barry, in 2014. We arrived on a Sunday night just in time for the party and it was a lot of fun. We sat outside in the plaza, drank aguardiente and wine, listened to music, danced at times, and tried some delicious food from street vendors.
On another visit, the town was filled with hundreds of motorcycles. Members of the Latin American Motorcycle Association were in Marsella, and the priest walked around to bless the bikes.
Plaza
The best place to start exploring Marsella is the town’s beautiful plaza. It’s decorated with trees and benches and has a fountain in the middle. It’s surrounded by colorful colonial buildings.
Church of the Immaculate
The beautiful Church of the Immaculate (Iglesia de la Inmaculada), which was built in 1905, sits on one end of the plaza. It’s crowned with a huge statue of Christ and has two bell towers. On either end of the church are some restaurants, shops, and cafés that are popular with locals. Inside, you’ll find several statues as well as chapels on either side of the altar.
Stairway
On the southwest corner of the plaza is a nicely decorated stairway. It’s one of the most scenic parts of town and lined by very colorful colonial buildings. There are decorative lampposts at each landing.
Cultural Center
On the southeast corner of the plaza is the Cultural Center (Casa de la Cultura), which is known as one of the most spectacular colonial buildings in the Coffee Region. It’s a huge three story colonial building with an open courtyard in the center. It serves as a cultural and recreational center, museum, and community center. The building is open daily and admission is free (as of August 2024).
The museum is spread out over the top two floors. There are several old photos of Marsella and the nearby city of Pereira, pre-Columbian artifacts, historic objects such as the first telephone in Marsella, old newspaper clippings, and even a signed football jersey donated by Olympique de Marseille.
Wandering Around Marsella
If you walk around town in the streets off the plaza, you’ll be rewarded with a few picturesque colonial buildings. Most are on the streets leading up to the plaza.
Jesús María Estrada Cemetery
A few blocks from the plaza is the Jesús María Estrada Cemetery (Cementerio Jesús María Estrada). It’s definitely one of the loveliest in the entire Coffee Region, if not all of Colombia. It was built in 1928 by Julio César Vélez in a Gothic and Baroque style. The tombs were distributed in the form of stairs, and each one has a plant on top.
Parque Julio César Vélez
Across the street is a small park, Parque Julio César Vélez. It contains murals about the history and landscape of Marsella.
Alexander von Humboldt Botanical Garden
The Alexander von Humboldt Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico Alejandro von Humboldt) is one of the highlights of visiting of Marsella. It’s named for Prussian botanist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), who spent a significant amount of time doing research in what is now Colombia. The garden is a beautiful space that’s very well cared for, and it’s well worth spending the time to visit.
The entrance to the garden is two blocks east of the plaza. It costs COP$5,000 per person to enter (as of February 2024) and it’s typically open daily from 8am to 5pm. Expect to spend between one to two hours enjoying the garden.
The Trail
The trail through the garden is well-marked, with arrows pointing you in the right direction. It starts with a short explanation of where you’ll walk and what you’ll see. From there, you cross a bridge and start the cobblestone path into the garden. Almost all of the trees along the trail are marked so you know exactly what you’re looking at.
The first major landmark in the garden is a shrine dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, who happens to be the patron saint of ecologists. Further up the trail is a small chapel.
Next is a tall hydromechanic tower next to some solar panels.
From there, we crossed a bamboo bridge and walked through a bamboo forest.
Continuing along, we passed by some tall palms and came to a playground. There were some fantastic views of the surrounding landscape from there.
The path continued along past an echo tube and a strange looking windmill before turning back towards the entrance. We passed several beautiful heliconias, and then came to a small event center with a mural of Marsella.
Finally, there’s a small interactive museum with a café and library. The “exhibits” weren’t exactly informative. It felt more like a hands-on funhouse than anything.
