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The coffee town of Sevilla, located within the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, is a nice place to visit if you’re looking to go off the beaten path. It’s located in the department of Valle del Cauca.
History of Sevilla
Sevilla was founded as San Luis by Heraclio Uribe Uribe on May 3, 1903. Local resident Pompilio Ceballos changed the name to Sevilla on September 4, 1904, at the request of his daughter, Mélida.
Today, Sevilla is one of the principal coffee producing towns in all of Colombia. Plantains, corn, and beans are the other important crops, and livestock, mining, and forestry round out the industries of the town. It’s known as the Balcony of Valle del Cauca (Balcón del Valle del Cauca) thanks to its spectacular views.
Plaza de La Concordia
The best place to start exploring Sevilla is the main plaza, Plaza de La Concordia. It’s a nice shaded area full of benches and a few street vendors.
The plaza contains a gazebo in the center and a bust in memory of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (1903-1948), a popular left-wing politician assassinated in Bogotá in 1948.
Several colonial-style buildings surround Plaza de La Concordia. They’re painted in the colorful style typical of the Coffee Region and house business such as shops, restaurants, cafés, and more.
Basilica of San Luis Gonzaga
The most important building on the plaza is the Basilica of San Luis Gonzaga (Basílica San Luis Gonzaga). It was founded in 1908 and was elevated to a minor basilica on July 16, 2015, by Pope Francis.
Concordia Balcony
One of the most beautiful buildings on the plaza is the Concordia Balcony (Balcón de la Concordia). It’s one of the most well-kept traditional structures in town and hosts a tourist info center as well as a café.
Calle 50
Calle 50 links Plaza de La Concordia with Parque Uribe Uribe to the east. It’s a scenic walk lasting only two blocks, but is full of more colorful buildings.
One building that caught my attention contained five wooden doors on the second floor overlooking the street. The building was constructed in 1934.
Parque Uribe Uribe
Parque Uribe Uribe is another open space with tall trees. In the center is a fountain that wasn’t operating as well as an obelisk. It was decorated for Christmas at the time of our visit.
Café Casablanca
The park is surrounded by historic buildings, including Café Casablanca. Café Casablanca was named one of the most significant landmarks within the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia in 2016. It was founded in 1964 and is known for its variety of music and collection of over 10,000 records.
Mirador de la Cruz
Finally, up a hill to the west of Plaza de La Concordia is Alto de la Cruz, where you can find a lookout tower called Mirador de la Cruz. It’s set in a small park surrounded by cafés and restaurants.
Climbing up the tower costs COP$6,000 (as of August 2023). There are spectacular views of both Sevilla and the surrounding countryside from the top.
Where to Stay in Sevilla
We stayed one night in Sevilla. Options are limited.
Hotel Sevilla
We spent a full day in town and stayed the night at Hotel Sevilla. It’s located just a block from the main plaza.
The hotel offers simple accommodation and friendly service at very reasonable prices. No breakfast was included in the rate. As it’s located on a busy street with paper-thin walls and windows, the noise can be a little too much at night.
My only real complaint would be the bathroom. While there was hot water, which wasn’t expected, the toilet seat was too small for the toilet.
Where to Eat in Sevilla
There are a few good places to eat in Sevilla, including one café that’s a must visit.
Café Palomino
Café Palomino is a beautiful café with a terrace overlooking a coffee plantation. It doesn’t look like more than a traditional home from the outside, but once you pass through the doors, the atmosphere is immediately transformed into a coffee wonderland.
There’s both the outdoor terrace with a playground, fountain, and seating with a view of the coffee plantation as well as an indoor dining room.
Stick around until after dark and the scene gets even better. The terrace was all lit up, which greatly added to the atmosphere. No matter the time of day, it’s a great place to enjoy what I felt was one of the best cups of coffee I’ve had in Colombia.
Trail at Café Palomino
Café Palomino includes a short loop trail through their plantation. Get up close and personal with the coffee trees that produced the beans you drank on a self-guided tour or schedule a guided tour in advance.
The trail is a nice way to spend time while your food is being prepared. There are a couple swinging benches along the way as well as some great views.
Food at Café Palomino
Come with an appetite, because Café Palomino has a great menu full of traditional Colombian fare as well as fast food options. Marisol and I both had the burger, which was delicious.
Sabor y Sazón Sevillano
Our first lunch in town was at Sabor y Sazón Sevillano. It sits just off the main plaza and offers hearty traditional Colombian cuisine.
For lunch, we had a fixed menu that included beans, mazamorra, a choice of meat, fries, and a patacón. Food was better than we expected and service was efficient.
La Casa del Pandebono
For breakfast, we ate at La Casa del Pandebono right on the plaza. This bakery serves up decent breakfasts and has a nice variety of pastries.
One of the specialties it’s known for are the casadillas, which are a delicious type of soft cookies. We enjoyed seeing the Christmas tree, which was decorated with pandebono, buñuelos, and other pastries.
Café Cumbarco
If you’re looking for coffee, try Café Cumbarco right on the main plaza. They serve excellent coffee out of a kiosk and have a few tables you can sit at. It’s one of the best coffees I’ve had in Colombia. They don’t offer alternative methods, so we ordered an americano to sample the pure flavor of the coffee.
Terra Bonsai
Finally, at Mirador de la Cruz, we had great mojitos at Terra Bonsai. It sits just under the lookout tower so has plenty of shade at the right time of day.
