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A brief guide on what to do in Manizales. Whether you’re into history and architecture or want to get in a decent hike, the city has plenty of things to keeps you busy for a couple days.
For more information on the city, my main page has details on getting around, where to stay, and where to eat.
Plaza de Bolívar
Plaza de Bolívar, the main plaza in the city center, is a great place to start exploring Manizales. It was the city’s first urban space, established in 1848 on land belonging to Manuel María Grisales. Commercial activities began the following year and there was a chapel and prison by 1850.
The plaza measures 74 meters on each side and the original name was Plaza Parroquial after the first chapel built in the city. It was renamed in honor of Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) on July 16, 1865.
Plaza de Bolívar has been rebuilt eight times since its foundation, with the latest changes taking place in 1983. This saw the side roads pedestrianized leaving only the north and south sides open to traffic. The architect was Ramón Héctor Jaramillo while engineer José Mejía oversaw the project. The plaza is surrounded by some impressive Republican-style buildings.
Bolívar Cóndor
The centerpiece of the plaza is a unique bronze sculpture depicting Simón Bolívar in the form of a condor. Bolívar Cóndor was created by Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt (1919-1995) and was inaugurated on October 12, 1991. It replaced an older statue by Italian sculptor Pietro Tenerani (1789-1869) seen as “out of touch” with modern times.
The sculpture caused lots of controversy for its departure from historical depictions of Bolívar. The condor has an open chest and broken wings, possibly symbolizing violence. It also has holes instead of eyes, representing blindness of life and existence. It’s unclear whether he’s landing or preparing to take flight.
The sculpture is 13.5 meters high and weighs 25 tons. It stands on a pedestal 12.54 meters high with a bronze mask of Bolívar hanging from the front. It has one defective eye and another missing, representing suspended peace and freedom. A profile of Bolívar is embedded in the pedestal.
Murals
Two murals decorate the panels next to the stairs that lead to the street on the south side of the plaza. They were created by sculptor Guillermo Botero (1917-1999) using a ceramic and enamel technique and both deal with the origins of the Colombian revolution. Preludio de Lanzas Llaneras is on the left side while Vientos de Libertad is on the right side.
Adán y Eva
Adán y Eva (Adam and Eve) is a sculpture on the east side of Plaza de Bolívar. It was also created by Guillermo Botero in 1978.
Manizales Cathedral
The most important building on the plaza is the Manizales Cathedral (Catedral de Manizales), which sits on the south side. This incredible architectural gem is the tallest cathedral in Colombia and the second tallest in South America. Guided tours offer the chance to climb to the top of the central tower for spectacular 360° views of the city. It’s covered in a separate post.
Palace of the Government of Caldas
The Palace of the Government of Caldas (Palacio de Gobierno), which houses the government offices for the department of Caldas, graces the north side of Plaza de Bolívar. It was designed by American architect John Vawter to replace an older building that was destroyed by fire in 1925. Construction began under Vawter in 1927 and the project was transferred to Pablo de la Cruz and José María Gómez the following year. Belisario Rodríguez and Luis Salazar were responsible for decorations. The building was completed in 1930 and declared a national monument on November 29, 1984.
Tamanaco Building
The Tamanaco Building (Edificio Tamanaco) sits on the northeast corner of Plaza de Bolívar. It was designed by architect W. M. Halley and built in 1927 by engineer Manuel Rincón. It’s named for a café that existed on the first floor for several years. The third floor and dome were added in 1989 by architect Rubén Coconubo Sánchez. The Republican-style building covers an area of 322 square meters and has 714 square meters of floor space. It has a mixed residential and commercial use.
BCH Building
The BCH Building (Edificio BCH) is the tall building on the east side of Plaza de Bolívar. It was the main branch of Banco Central Hipotecário until its liquidation in 2001. It’s 15 stories high and has a popular restaurant on the top floor.
Alejandro Gutiérrez Building
Finally, on the southeast corner of the plaza is the Alejandro Gutiérrez Building (Edificio Alejandro Gutérrez). It was built in 1927 for the family of Alejandro Gutiérrez, the first governor of the Department of Caldas. This Republican building is 14 meters high and covers an area of 298 square meters. There’s 1,124 square meters of floor space.
Sanz Building
Across the street from the southwest corner of the Manizales Cathedral is the Sanz Building (Edificio Sanz). It was built for Manuel Sánz Montoya in 1927 by Italian engineers Angelo Papio and Giancarlo Bonarda. It functioned as a the Majestic Palace Hotel followed by Hotel Europa for several years and was declared a national monument in 1982.
The building covers an area of 561 square meters and has 2,119 square meters of floor space. The pediment on the corner features Carrara marble statues of Minerva and Mercury made by Colombo Ramelli (1884-1946). Inside are a few surviving frescoes also by Ramelli. The building was restored between 1996 and 1997 and is currently the headquarters of the National Tax and Customs Directorate of Colombia (DIAN).
Bank of the Republic Cultural Center
The Bank of the Republic Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Banco de la República) is on the next block to the east. It’s a nine-story environmentally-friendly building with no carbon footprint. The building is open to the public free of charge and hosts around 600 cultural activities throughout the year. Hours are from 8am to noon and 1pm to 5pm Monday through Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.
I recommend starting on the ninth floor and working your way down. The ninth floor contains a rooftop terrace with workspace and some great views of Manizales.
Heading down, the eighth floor holds the offices of the cultural center while the next few floors contain the library. The library is the second biggest in the bank’s network behind Bogotá. It boasts roughly 90,000 books of which around 10% are for children as well as 3 million electronic resources.
On the third floor is a terrace with a few tables and chairs, while the second floor features a gallery with temporary exhibitions displaying works of art from the Bank of the Republic’s collection. There’s also a space where kids can read, use a computer, and be creative.
Finally, on the ground floor is another terrace, a bookstore, and a few temporary art installations. There’s also an auditorium.
Tango Street
The block of Calle 24, between Carrera 22 and 23, is known as Tango Street (Calle del Tango). It’s lined with a handful of establishments where you can listen to and watch the graceful Argentine dance. You can also learn to dance if you choose.
Casa Estrada
Casa Estrada is at the north end of Tango Street. It’s an architectural gem that’s considered one of the best representatives of Republican architecture in the city. It was designed and built in 1927 by Italian engineers Angelo Papio and Giancarlo Bonarda for Estanislao Estrada, a coffee merchant from Aguadas. The two-story building features wrought iron balconies and a central courtyard lined with Corinthian columns. A cupola tops the southeast corner. The building covers an area of 412 square meters and has 824 square meters of floor space.
Parque Caldas
Five blocks east is Parque Caldas, which is a pleasant space full of trees, a bamboo forest, and a fountain. On the west side you’ll find several small booths selling all kinds of crafts and souvenirs.
At the end of the 19th century, the park was known as Plazuela del Guayabo after a large guava tree. It was surrounded by cobblestone streets. Mariano Montoya and Carlos Clavijo redesigned it in 1902 and added beautiful gardens. They named it Parque de Sucre, after Venezuelan general and revolutionary hero Antonio José de Sucre (1795-1830).
On April 30, 1911, the bronze statue of Colombian hero Francisco José de Caldas (1768-1816), for whom the department of Caldas is named, was unveiled. It was created by French sculptor Raoul Verlet (1857-1923). The park was renamed Parque Caldas that same day.
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
On the east side of the park is the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción). The site was chosen by Father Nazario Restrepo Botero, where the city’s first bullring operated in 1897. The church was designed by Father Santiago Páramo of Bogotá and the first stone was laid in 1903. It was consecrated on Holy Thursday in 1921. The church was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope Francis on April 25, 2015.
The neo-Gothic church is built on a Latin cross with a central nave and two aisle. The apse is based on primitive paleo-Christian temples with characteristics of a Roman basilica.
The entire structure was built using bahareque, a traditional building technique used by indigenous people using interwoven sticks or reeds covered in mud. In this case guadua (bamboo) was used. The façade is covered with metal sheeting.
The interior was decorated with cedar donated by local bankers. The pulpit, made of marble with inlays, and the Stations of the Cross, were brought from France. There are also images created by Álvaro Carvajal and an organ made by Juan Sebastián Palacio.
Parque Fundadores
A blocks further east is Parque Fundadores, which is dedicated to the founders of Manizales. On one end of the park is the Monument to the Founders (Monumento a los Fundadores). It’s a circular monument with 11 vertical columns representing the 11 families that founded the city.
The fountain in the center was originally placed across the street next to the theatre. It was brought from England in the 1880s at the same time as the fountain in Salamina. Although it can’t be verified, a popular legend states that due to a misunderstanding, the fountain that ended up in Salamina was actually meant for Manizales and vice versa.
Isabel La Católica High School
Across the street from the park is the Isabel La Católica High School (Colegio Isabel La Católica), which was once one of the most prestigious schools in Manizales. It opened in 1941 as the female-only Christ College (Colegio El Cristo) and was the first bilingual school in the city. It functioned as a private school run by the Marist Brothers until 1976, when it was purchased by the Department of Caldas and moved to its current location.
Fundadores Theatre
Next to the school is the Fundadores Theatre (Teatro Los Fundadores), which was built between 1959 and 1965 by architect Jorge Gutiérrez Duque. It opened on October 22, 1965. It’s the largest theatre in the city with capacity for 1,900.
Manizales Railway Station
Not too far away is the former Manizales Railway Station (Estación del Ferrocarril de Manizales). It was built between 1926 and 1928 and functioned until the abandonment of the railway line in 1959. The building then housed 26 families affected by landslides until it was allocated as the headquarters Autonomous University of Manizales.
The railway station is 91.45 meters long by 10.25 meters wide. It has two floors with a central tower topped by a dome. The dome features a working clock and a lantern 2.5 meters in diameter.
Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
A few blocks northwest of Plaza de Bolívar is the neo-Gothic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Templo del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús). It was built at what was then the entrance to the city by the Augustinians, who arrived in Manizales on March 18, 1901. The first stone was laid in 1914 but construction wasn’t completed until 1950.
The church was damaged by lightning in 1955. Construction on the current church began the following year and was completed in 1972. The structure is 48 meters long, 12 meters wide, and 18 meters high. It consists of a central nave with two aisles. I plan to visit on my next trip to Manizales.
Parque del Agua
At the western edge of the city center is Parque del Agua. This pleasant space has nicely manicured gardens and several fountains shooting jets of water into the air. The park is a reminder of the importance of saving and efficient use of water.
The park was originally known as Plaza de Occidente before becoming Parque Olaya Herrera. It was designed by architect Alfonso Carvajal in 1950 and contained pergolas covered by vines, trees, and green areas. In 1973, part of the park was demolished to make way for the construction of Avenida del Centro.
Parque del Agua was inaugurated in 2014. It covers about 800 square meters and features fountains that periodically interact with music and lights. There are also two cafés, a Venecia and Juan Valdez. In the roundabout on the lower part of the park is the Manizales sign and a statue of a barranquero.
Parque del Observatorio
Northwest of the city center is Barrio Chipre, which lies at a higher elevation from the rest of the city. At the entrance to the neighborhood is Parque del Observatorio. It was originally the city’s cemetery from 1850 to 1868, when an important water spring was discovered in the area.
The park was created in 1922 by José María Zapata. It had gardens, fountains, and a Japanese Kiosk. Homes lined the edge of the park until they were demolished in the 1950s to improve the views. Today, it includes the Chipre Tower, a playground, a few works of art, some cafés and food kiosks, and souvenir shops.
Chipre Tower
The most popular attraction in the park is the Chipre Tower (Torre de Chipre). This water tower was constructed in 1960 and stands 38 meters high.
The tower was remodeled and opened as a tourist attraction on September 25, 2008, with the name Tower to Heaven (Torre al Cielo). It was later renamed Chipre Tower. The tower also features a restaurant about ¾ of the way to the top.
For COP$15,000 (as of April 2025), you can take a 45-minute guided tour of the tower and get some amazing views of the city. The guide provides a wealth of information about the tower and the city of Manizales and points out important landmarks from the top. You can either walk up the stairs for a little workout or ride the elevator up to the top. Tours are in Spanish only.
Among the highlights is the possibility to see wax palms, the national tree of Colombia, at eye level. You can also see the bullring (Plaza de Toros) and Estadio Palogrande, the home of Once Caldas.
Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
A short walk from the park you’ll find the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario). This church is a replica of the original Manizales Cathedral, which burned down on March 20, 1926. It was completed in 1948 and became a parish church in 1954.
The original church was designed by architect Mariano Sanz de Santamaría (1857-1915) and was completed in 1897. It became the city’s first cathedral in 1900 when Pope Leo XIII created the diocese of Manizales.
Mirador de Chipre
Along Avenida 12 de Octubre is the Mirador de Chipre. This promenade has spectacular views of the green landscape to the west of the city and is lined with food vendors and souvenir stands. The best section is at the north end where there are plenty of food trucks, cafés, bars, and places to sit and enjoy the views. Stick around for sunset and you’ll see why Nobel laureate poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) named the city the “Sunset Factory” (“Fábrica de Atardeceres”).
Monument to the Colonizers
The Monument to the Colonizers (Monumento a los Colonizadores) is on the small hill next to the Mirador de Chipre. The grand majority was erected between 1997 and 2002 by Luis Guillermo Vallejo Vargas using 50 tons of bronze, all collected from donations by locals. This included old keys and other unwanted items. The work remains unfinished.
Agony
The work is divided into two parts. On the bottom is Agony (Agonía). It represents the arduous journey taken by the colonizers to reach Manizales, on the back of an ox over steep mountain terrain. The faces of the animals and colonizers truly express agony over the difficulties they faced while traversing the mountains.
On the back of one ox are figures of some of the city’s best known sites, including the Manizales Cathedral, the Cable Tower, and the Palace of the Government of Caldas. A train of mules and oxen pass in front of the monuments, which represent the dreams that the founders of the city were able to realize. Each piece was created individually by Amparo Vallejo Vargas and Juan Carlos Vallejo Vargas.
Ecstasy
The upper part of the monument is Ecstasy (Éxtasis), which represents the triumph of the colonizers when they were finally able to reach what would become Manizales.
The figures are depicted with expressions of gratitude, including a woman raising her child into the air and a seemingly relieved man smoking a cigar. There’s even a dog sitting on the ground detached from the rest of the work.
Mural of the History of Manizales
Along the base of the monument are a couple other features. Directly built into the hill is a workshop containing a mural of the history of Manizales made by a group of children and young adults from local schools. The project began in 2022 with 2 storytellers writing 77 folk stories about Manizales. The stories were developed into videos and presented to students from 1st through 11th grade. The students drew what inspired them most, with over 3,000 drawings submitted. 77 artists were selected among the best works, and they were introduced to painting and drawing techniques through workshops. The mural was in progress during our visit but access was closed.
Puente de Arriería
Nearby is the Puente de Arriería (Muleteer’s Bridge). It’s made of local wood and represents an important refuge for the colonizers during the nights of their journey. While resting on bridges like these, they would entertain each other with music or playing cards. The bridges also played a pivotal role in trade and communication.
Ecoparque Arenillo Alcázares
Ecoparque Arenillo Alcázares is a nature park on the west side of Manizales. It’s a fragment of an isolated forest situated in the pre-mountain living area of the city and was declared a protected area in 1995. The park covers an area of 36 hectares. Admission is free (as of April 2025) and it’s open daily.
The park has a humid subtropical climate with diverse lush vegetation and an average temperature of 15 °C. Over 140 species of birds have been observed there. Quebrada La Francia, a creek, runs through the middle and flushes natural runoff as well as wastewater from the surrounding neighborhoods.
There are a handful of developed trails with somewhat decent signage. Activities include hiking, birdwatching, botanical studies, camping, and picnicking. There’s also a lookout tower just inside the entrance. We did four out of the six trails.
Trail of the Birds
The main trail is the Trail of the Birds (Sendero de las Aves), an out and back with a slight descent. It takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes to reach Plaza Mayor and a clearing with a few kiosks. The trail is easy and in good condition. We saw a few families heading to the kiosks for a picnic.
Torito Guacharacos Trail
The Torito Guacharacos Trail (Sendero Torito Guacharacas) is a moderately easy spur trail that connects the Trail of the Birds to a couple of the other more interesting trails in the park. If it has been raining, it can get muddy in parts but it’s still passable. We took the trail from near Plaza Mayor. It’s flat at the beginning then continues uphill to intersect with the Torito Cabecirrojo Trail (Sendero Torito Cabecirrojo). We then walked on relatively flat ground to the Trail of the Owl.
Trail of the Owl
The Trail of the Owl is a somewhat difficult loop trail. Before hitting the loop, you have to take a steep decline on makeshift steps made of tires. From there, the trail is overgrown and very narrow until you reach the Puente de Arañero, a small bridge over Quebrada La Francia.
On the other side of the bridge is a short but steep incline where you’ll see two signs for the loop. To the left is the Magic Trail (Sendero Mágico) while the Bamboo Cave (Cueva de Bamboo is to the right. I started with the Magic Trail, which leads past a primitive structure in poor condition. The trail starts to incline and loop back, but a fallen tree blocked my path.
I went back to the sign and walked uphill to the Bamboo Cave, which is a small bamboo forest at the top of the hill. I made my way down towards where the tree blocked the path before returning to the bridge to walk back up to the other trails. Overall, this is a great trail if you want to experience a more untamed forest.
Tororoi Trail
The Tororoi Trail (Sendero Tororoi) connects the Trail of the Owl to the lookout tower, and also continues down to about the ⅓ point of the Trail of the Birds. It’s an easy trail and relatively flat. There were a couple instances where we had to cross over some planks to avoid deep mud.
Herveo Tower
The Herveo Tower (Torre de Herveo), or Cable Tower (Torre del Cable), is a historic landmark on the east side of Manizales. Standing 54 meters high, it’s the tallest and only remaining support tower of the Manizales-Mariquita Cableway. It was designed by James Lindsay of New Zealand and was the only tower made of wood. It was originally located in the town of Herveo, Tolima, and was number 20 on the line. The tower was restored and moved to Manizales in 1983, standing next to the historic Camelia Cable Station.
The Manizales-Mariquita Cableway went into service on January 22, 1922. It was approximately 72 kilometers long with the purpose of transporting coffee and other goods to ports on the Magdalena River. The entire trip took 10 hours – with oxen and mules it would have taken 10 days. With increasing competition from much faster road transportation, operations ceased on October 20, 1967. Another line was planned to reach the Pacific coast but only made it as far as Pueblo Rico, Risaralda.
Construction began in 1914 and the first segment from Mariquita to Soledad (now Herveo) started running in March of that year. All tools, materials, and supplies needed for construction were shipped from England, crossing the Atlantic and then transported on smaller boats down the Magdalena River to Honda. From there, they were taken by mule and ox. There were a total of 375 steel towers and 1 wooden tower along with 22 stations. The towers ranged from 4 to 54 meters in height.
As for the Herveo Tower, the ship carrying the supplies necessary for its construction was sunk by a German submarine. Local engineers were able to construct a copy made entirely of wood, using roughly 1,470 blocks of timber.
Ecoparque Los Yarumos
Ecoparque Los Yarumos is a nature and recreational park east of the city center of Manizales. It was created in 2002 and is very kid and family-friendly. There’s no admission and all activities are free (as of April 2025). The park is open daily except Mondays. The easiest way to get there is by taxi.
First, walking up from the entrance is the central plaza, where the administrative buildings are located. It’s got a few sculptures and a small café. The Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Centro de Bioinformática y Biología Computacional), or BIOS, founded in 2008, is also located there.
In the main building you’ll find BioMa, an interactive science museum that opened on September 14, 2015. Tours are guided and take about 90 minutes. There’s also a small food court. Nearby is a band shell and a couple of slides.
At the lower part of the park to the left of the entrance is a bonsai garden and a playground. There’s also a small coffee kiosk.
The park is a fragment of a tropical rain forest and features a nature walk as well as a butterfly house. We did part of the nature walk on our very first trip to the park. At that time, management was very disorganized and the guide never showed up. On our next trip, we didn’t do the walk but we could tell organization had definitely improved.
Finally, Ecoparque Los Yarumos is well-known for the fantastic views of Manizales.
Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
On the southwest side of the city is the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen). While we haven’t visited, it’s visible from many higher parts of Manizales. The church was built in 1956.
