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Cali Attractions
City Layout: Set in the Valle de Cauca, Cali is bordered by the Farallones de Cali Mountains to the west and the Cauca River to the east. It’s a mostly flat city, though some parts of the city, such as San Antonio and Loma de La Cruz, are set on hills. Most tourists stick to a few neighborhoods in the northwestern corner of the city, such as the center, Barrio Granada, San Antonio, El Peñon, Versalles, and Santa Monica. Take extreme caution in other parts of the city, particularly in the east.
Exploring Cali: Nearly all of Cali’s main attractions, such as colonial churches and museums, are located in El Centro and can be seen in a day on foot.
Useful Info: There is a tourist information office (www.cali.gov.co/turista; Mon–Fri 8am–noon and 2–5pm, Sat 10am–2pm) at the corner of Calle 6 and Carrera 4. There’s also a small stand at the airport with brochures and maps.
There are banks and ATMs all over town, particularly in Barrio Granada. The post office (Mon–Fri 8am–noon and 2–6pm, Sat 9am–noon) is at Carrera 3 no. 10–49.
There are English-speaking doctors at Centro Medico Imbanaco (www.imbanaco.com; tel. 2/682-1000), at Carrera 38a no. 5A–100
12 Results
- View/Landmark
Cerro de las Tres Cruces
You can walk to this viewpoint with three crosses overlooking the city form Barrio Granada, though it will be a hot, sweaty 2 or 3 hours uphill. A taxi is a better option (COP$40,000–COP$50,000). - View/Landmark
Cristo Rey
Just like in Rio . . . okay, not quite. This enormous white statue of Christ high up on Cerro las Cristales is less interesting in itself than the view that it provides. You’ll need to negotiate a taxi to reach the top and to bring you back down (COP$60,000–COP$70,000). - Religious Site
Iglesia de San Antonio
This whitewashed church on top of Colina de San Antonio, a hill west of the city center, dates to 1747. Inside are a collection of wooden statues of various saints that date to the 17th century. Surrounding it is a pleasant park that gets filled up with relaxing locals in the…San Antonio
- Religious Site
Iglesia de San Francisco
This 18th-century neoclassical church is best known for its Mudejar brick bell tower. - Religious Site
Iglesia de la Ermita
Neo-Gothic La Ermita is Cali’s most emblematic church. Built between 1930 and 1948, it’s not nearly as old as La Merced or San Antonio, though inside are some of the city’s most important religious relics that date to the 17th century, such as the images of the Virgen de los Dolores,… - Religious Site
Iglesia de la Merced
Cali’s oldest church dates to 1545 and was the site of the city’s inaugural mass. The whitewashed Spanish colonial building, a national monument, holds the 15th-century carved wooden statue of the Virgen de las Mercedes, Cali’s patron saint of the city, on top of the gilded baroque… - Art Gallery
La Sucursal
This contemporary art gallery explores the connection between Cali and the surrounding landscape, with wide-ranging exhibitions on formats such as street art. - Museum
Museo Arqueológico La Merced
In a historic convent attached to Iglesia La Merced, this archaeological museum underwent a major renovation in 2016. Cultures from the region, such as the Tumaco, Nariño, Calima, San Agustín, Tierradentro, Tolima, and Quimbaya, are represented in a permanent collection of ceramics… - Museum
Museo Caliwood
The first cinematography museum of Colombia is rather niche, though it will excite movie geeks. The collection encompasses a wide variety of early film projectors that date as early as the 1920s, as well as 19th-century cameras and an exhibit about the film industry in Cali,… - Museum
Museo La Tertulia
This modern art museum has one of Colombia’s most important collections of more than 1,500 pieces of contemporary artwork, including painting, photography, and sculptures. Additionally, the museum has an independent theater that shows art house, foreign, and award-winning films. - Museum
Museo del Oro Calima
Part of the collection of Bogotá’s renowned Museo del Oro, the Cali branch is considerably smaller: just one main room, with a focus on the Calima culture. The collection includes gold pieces, as well as ceramics and tools. An adjacent hall also has rotating cultural exhibitions. - Zoo/Aquarium
Zoológico de Cali
Without question, Cali’s surprisingly modern, sprawling zoo, covering 10 hectares in Santa Ana, is Colombia’s best and one of the best attractions in the city. Native Colombian species are well represented with animals like anteaters and monkeys, along with exotic species like Bengal…Barrio Santa Ana
Cali Shopping
Your first handicraft stop in Cali should be Loma de la Cruz, on a hilltop at the edge of the San Antonio neighborhood. It’s one of Colombia’s best artesanía markets with authentic, handmade goods from most parts of the country that are sold out of a row of small shops and stalls.
La Galeria market in Alameda has a few stalls, though you’ll find better quality across the street at La Caleñita, Carrera 24 no. 8–53 (www.lacalenita.com; tel. 2/556-1172), which has been around for decades and has expanded into the surrounding buildings so that it almost takes up an entire block. Packaged food items like panela and sweets are sold alongside woven baskets from La Guajira and other upscale items.
Copias Pre-Colombinas, Avenida 8n no. 15–20 (tel. 2/388-3785), in Barrio Grenada, sells replicas of ceramics from Colombia’s ancient cultures like the Quimbaya, Tayrona, and Calima. In El Peñon and Granada, you’ll find a slew of high-end fashion boutiques from Colombian designers like Silvia Tcherassi (Calle 2 Oeste no. 2–32; www.silviatcherassi.com; tel. 2/892-0805), Maria Elena Villamil (Avenida 9N no. 15N–40; tel. 2/483-7470), and Joanna Ortiz (Calle 18 no. 106–46; www.johannaortiz.co; tel. 2/373-3483). Also, check out the colorful four-level design and concept store La Juana (tel. 2/263-8054), at Avenida 9N no. 17–21 in Barrio Granada.
Cali Nightlife
Cali is home to one of Colombia’s most iconic nightlife scenes. Salsa dominates here, and many of the swanky old clubs fueled in the cartel days are still hanging around, most of them staying open until 3am on the weekends. You’ll want to plan in advance for Delirio (www.delirio.com.co; tel. 2/405-5300), a wild, monthly salsa party set in a circus tent in the Parque del Amor. Tickets can be purchased at www.tuboleta.com. There are dozens of other great salsa spots that run year-round, however. Zaperoco Bar, Avenida 5 Norte no. 16–46 (tel. 3/751-3266), is a classic, with veteran DJs and a high-energy crowd that packs the dance floor until late on Thursday to Saturday nights. Another iconic yet no-frills salsa spot is the second-floor Tin Tin Deo, Calle 5 No 38–71 (www.tintindeo.com), also open Thursday through Saturday.
All is not salsa, however. For a modern dance club with all sorts of music that goes beyond salsa, hit The Lobby Discoteca at Calle 1 Oeste no. 2–38 (tel. 2/892-3206) in El Peñon. Beer geeks will appreciate Ritual Cervecería, Av. 9N no. 10–52, a laidback pub that brews its own beer, amid a sea of other small bars and clubs in Barrio Granada. For cocktails, head to sleek Roset, at Carrera 2 Oeste no. 1–14 in El Peñon, which also has a full menu.
