Every Saturday morning, a lively local market takes place at Plaza de Mercado in Villa de Leyva. This Saturday market features goods sold by local farmers and vendors.
Nairo Quintana, Colombia’s most successful cyclist, was born and raised in the small town of Cómbita. He won the Giro d’Italia in 2014, the Vuelta a España in 2016, and finished second in the 2013 and 2015 Tour de France. Nairo has also won several other major stage races.
After our disappointment with Moniquirá, we passed through the sleepy town of Arcabuco. It’s located about 45 minutes from the town of Villa de Leyva past the Páramo de Iguaque and 40 minutes from the city of Tunja. The town isn’t exactly a highlight but we found it to be pleasant and a good place to stop and stretch our legs.
The small town of Tinjacá, which is located in between Villa de Leyva and Ráquira, has a unique artisan craft that makes the town worthy of a detour.
An easy day trip from Villa de Leyva, colorful Ráquira is the pottery capital of Colombia. Handwoven goods and other Colombian souvenirs can also be found there. We visited in the morning and combined it with a trip to La Candelaria.
If you’re in Villa de Leyva and are looking for something different to eat, try Comida Coreana. This Korean restaurant, run by a Korean woman and her husband from Colombia, is a unique change to typical Colombian food. We had dinner there two nights in a row.
FIBAS and Pozos Azules are two tourist traps near Villa de Leyva. We visited both based on good reviews, but quickly found out that they’re total ripoffs and a complete waste of time.
Just outside of Villa de Leyva and not too farm from the Fossil Museum (Museo El Fósil) are El Infiernito and Sol Muisca. They are two places to visit that are related to the indigenous Muisca people who once lived in Boyacá.