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.
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.
The area around Villa de Leyva is well-known for its fossils of sea creatures. Some buildings and churches even used them in their construction. Millions of years ago, these creatures dominated the shallow sea that covered much of Colombia. There are two interesting sites for visitors to check out if interested in paleontology.
The Convent of Santo Ecce Homo (Convento de Santo Ecce Homo) is a Dominican monastery founded in 1620. It’s located near Villa de Leyva and makes for a great day trip combined with other attractions outside of town.
Casa Terracota is a unique work of art near Villa de Leyva. Colombian architect Octavio Mendoza created the house in the same way potters bake vases. It’s considered to be the largest piece of pottery in the world.
A tropical country like Colombia doesn’t exactly top the list of wine producing countries, but near the town of Villa de Leyva, a few Colombian winemakers think they’ve found the perfect balance to make good wine.
The Antonio Nariño House Museum (Casa Museo Antonio Nariño) in Villa de Leyva pays homage to one of Colombia’s most important historic figures. Antonio Nariño (1765-1824) sparked an independence from Spain by translating the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen into Spanish. He lived the last two months of his life in the house before a lung infection took his life at the age of 58.
If you’re in Villa de Leyva and want to get into nature, I would consider visiting the Iguaque Flora and Fauna Sanctuary (Santuario de Flora y Fauna Iguaque). This national park features a difficult hike through the forest to a páramo containing the sacred Lake Iguaque (Laguna de Iguaque). There are plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife, but most people go to see the lake.