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The small coffee producing town of La Celia is located in the mountains of Colombia’s department of Risaralda. It’s part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Introduction to La Celia
On my first visit to La Celia in March 2015, I was completely unimpressed. It was drab and boring, and I stuck around no more than 15 minutes. On my most recent visit in December 2020, I noticed several wonderful changes and improvements, and they completely changed my opinion. It’s definitely not a must-see for tourists, but it’s a friendly coffee town with an authentic atmosphere.
La Celia was founded on November 25, 1915, as Barcelona. It became a municipality on November 30, 1959, and changed its name to La Celia. The main economic activity is agriculture, especially coffee production.
Getting to La Celia
To get to La Celia, the bus terminal in Pereira has a couple services. Flota Occidental has a few departures throughout the day, but Transportadores de la Virginia has buses every hour on the hour from 8am to 7pm. The trip takes about two hours. To leave town, buses line up on the main square.
Entering the Town
La Celia is nestled perfectly between two mountains. The approach to the town has spectacular views, so try to make a quick stop on your way in or out.
Town Square
The town square is large and beautiful with many different types of trees and flowers, and there’s a fountain in the middle. Of all the squares I’ve seen in the department of Risaralda, it’s definitely one of the most beautiful.
Unfortunately, it’s the one feature of the town that has gone downhill between my visits. I thought the square was more nicely decorated in 2015.
On the north side of the square are a few booths built like colorful traditional Colombian homes. Many weren’t open at the time of our most recent visit.
The buildings surrounding the square aren’t that impressive other than the town’s library. They contain shops and a few restaurants and cafés, and there are a couple interesting murals as well. Jeeps and buses line the eastern end of the square.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
On west side of the square is the church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Nuestra Señora del Carmen). It’s not the most beautiful church I’ve seen.
Scenic Road in La Celia
The road on the northwest corner of the square contains the most colorful buildings in town. One of them is listed as the historic theatre on the map, but it wasn’t marked when we visited. I’m taking a guess as to which building it is in the photo below.
Founders Park
At the end of the road, if you turn left and walk a block uphill you’ll come to Founders Park (Parque Los Fundadores). As the name indicates, it’s a small park dedicated to the town’s founders. There’s a nice mural painted on the day care center on one end of the park.
Where to Eat in La Celia
We’ve had one meal in La Celia and enjoy visiting one of our favorite cafés in the Coffee Region.
Dulce de Leche Café Gourmet
Dulce de Leche Café Gourmet, which is located on the square next to the church, is a decent place to grab lunch. They have daily lunch specials or you can order off the menu.
We decided to have the lunch special, which consisted of a choice of lentils or vegetable soup, and either chicken or beef served with a side of rice, pasta, plantain, and a salad. They also have decent coffee.
Donde Obdulio
If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, head to Donde Obdulio. It sits on the north side of the square and has a huge menu full of creative ice cream dishes.
Mirador San Antonio
Mirador San Antonio sits high above the town with spectacular views of La Celia and the surrounding areas. You can’t find a much better setting to drink a cup of hot brew.
They serve excellent coffee from a small family-owned coffee farm. In fact, it’s one of the best coffees I’ve tasted in Colombia. There’s also a full menu as well as delicious desserts, but since we had just eaten lunch, we decided on the desserts only.
In addition to coffee with a view, Mirador San Antonio offers a coffee tour. When I have a chance to experience it, I’ll update this post.
