Popayán is one of the most well-preserved colonial cities in all of Latin America and known for its religious traditions and unique local cuisine. It’s located in the Cauca department of Colombia.
Links to My Posts on Popayán
General Info:
Areas:
- Historic center
- Morro del Tulcán (including Rincón Payanés and the University of Cauca Natural History Museum)
- Parque Caldas
Churches:
Overview of Popayán
Popayán, known as the White City (La Ciudad Blanca) for its whitewashed historic colonial city center, was occupied by Spanish troops under Captain Juan de Ampudia (d. 1541) on December 24, 1536. The city was founded on January 13, 1537, by Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar (c. 1490–1551). The name comes from Pop-Pioyá-n, which is what the Aztec interpreters understood when asking the local indigenous people the name of the lands.
After 1550, cattle farms popped up around the city and there was a mining and commercial boom. This led to the arrival of Spanish nobles and the establishment of a mint in 1748. The city produced gold and silver coins for the Spanish Crown until 1819 and continued to produce coins for the Republic of Colombia after 1826. It also became an important center for religious art.
Popayán, officially Asunción de Popayán, was an important city due to its strategic location between Quito and Cartagena. It served as a transfer point for gold and other valuables going to Cartagena for shipment to Spain.
The city contributed greatly to the cause of Colombian independence and produced several powerful politicians in the 19th century. The foundation of the University of Cauca (Universidad del Cauca) in 1827 made it an important educational center as well.
An economic decline began in 1851 after the abolition of slavery in Colombia, decreed by President José Hilario López (1798–1869), who was from the city. Despite this, Popayán continued to produce important people in the fields of politics, journalism, religion, the military, literature, the arts, and philosophy. More recently, an earthquake leveled the city on March 31, 1983, and it took several years to rebuild.
Cultural Contributions
Popayán has been recognized by UNESCO for its annual Holy Week processions as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and in 2005 as the very first City of Gastronomy. It has a unique local cuisine mixing Spanish and indigenous culinary traditions and hosts the National Gastronomy Congress every September. Several restaurants in town offer local delicacies along with other Colombian and international cuisine.
How to Get to Popayán
It’s easy to get to Popayán by bus from Cali. Frequent buses depart from the Cali bus terminal and make the trip in anywhere from 2 ½ to 3 hours. Heading south, buses go to Pasto (6 hours) and Ipiales (8–9 hours) for crossing the border into Ecuador. Guillermo León Valencia Airport (PPN / Aeropuerto Guillermo León Valencia) has service from Bogotá (as of December 2025). Both the airport and bus terminal are conveniently located just a few minutes from the historic city center.
Getting Around the City
Getting around Popayán is possible on foot in the historic city center. It’s easily walkable and mostly flat. If you’re arriving by bus, however, you’ll want to take a taxi as it’s quite far.
Where to Stay in Popayán
There are plenty of options for all budgets, and we’ve stayed in two very different types of places.
Hotel Dann Monasterio
Hotel Dann Monasterio, on the west side of the historic city center, is one of the most unique places to stay in Popayán. Situated in the former monastery of the Church of San Francisco, it features 47 spacious rooms.
Rooms are situated in the cloister. Although they’re spacious, comfortable, and quiet at night, they’re dated and could benefit from some upgrades — especially the bathrooms and plumbing. Another negative is that they can be a little musty, maybe due to the lack of air conditioning and the fact that the building is nearly 500 years old. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our stay.
Facilities include a patio, restaurant, and swimming pool. The garden behind the monastery also has a small playground for younger visitors. A very nice buffet breakfast is included in the rate, and staff does a wonderful job making guests feel at home. Overall, our positive experience outweighed the shortcomings of the room.
Hotel Popayán Inn
We stayed at Hotel Popayán Inn, just a few blocks from the heart of the historic city center. This budget hotel is clean and has a good location. The negatives are the thin walls and staff. While staff was pleasant and friendly, we were annoyed that we had to wait anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes to either be let in or out of the hotel. Even after ringing the bell or shouting several times, we received no response. It was frustrating.
Stay Connected in Popayán *
With a flexible eSIM data plan from Saily, you can reduce or even eliminate international roaming fees AND save time, so you can enjoy your trip without missing a beat. Saily is built by Nord Security, trusted by over 14 million people worldwide, and is compatible with both iOS and Android.
Click here to learn more about Saily, or here to get started. Don’t forget to use this promo code to get 5% off: nomadicniko
*This section contains an affiliate link. By clicking on the link, you receive an offer at no cost to you, and, if you make a purchase, I receive a small “thank you” – a win-win for both of us!