Armenia

Armenia is a city in Quindío department in Colombia's Zona Cafetera.

Get in

By plane

El Eden Airport (AXM) is 20 minutes from the city center. Has a food court in one of its sides were you can enjoy tropical fruit juices like maracuya, mango and guanabana; also try some coffee cookies and the special caramel spread with coffee ready to go. There are other places with magazines and always display some typical art in the walls. The washrooms are very clean and in general people are very warm.

By bus

The bus terminal is 3 km from the centre of town where there are plenty of hotels. A cab ride to the terminal from the center of town is likely to cost about COP$4,000 Colombian pesos. From other parts of town it could easily cost twice that, or more (as of Jan 2020).

• Cali: COP$37,000-COP$38,000, 3 hours, Van. COP$28,000, 4 hours, Bus (Oct 2023)
• Bogotá: COP$40,000, 8 hours
• Medellín: COP$31,000, 6 hours
• Popayán: COP$31,000, 6 hours
• Manizales: COP$20,000, 2½ hours, every 15 minutes with a minibus
• Pereira: COP$9,000, 1 hour, every 15 minutes with a minibus (Oct 2023)
• Salento: COP$5,900, 30 min (Oct 2023)

Get around

There are taxis all over and they run into the night. Meters are required, but it's not unheard-of to negotiate a fixed price before departure. There is a universal taxi dispatcher at phone number 03 6746 2222.

See

• 1 Cocora Valley. One of the most striking landscapes in Colombia, the 60 metre high waxpalms (palma de cera). It's Colombia's national symbol,.  
• 2 Parque De La Vida, Avenida Bolívar corner Calle 6N. Rather big park with a lake and an artificial water cascade. Calm atmosphere and good for relaxing. Many different trees including a bamboo forest. It is worth a visit. 

Parque de la Vida located in the north of Armenia with a lake and a water cascade.

• Museo del Oro Quimbaya, Edificio del Banco de la República, Cra. 16 ## 21 – 14, ☏ +57 6 7413300 ext 6070. Displays artifacts of Quimbaya pre-Colombian civilization (e.g. sculpture, pottery). (updated Dec 2020)

Do

• Recuca - Recorrido de la cultura cafetera (
• National Coffee Park (Parque Nacional de Cafe). A theme park where you can see different fauna and vegetation, see typical folk dances, ride roller coasters, visit museums inside the park, and ride a touristic train. 

Eat

• Restaurante Cafe Quindio Gourmet (www.cafequindio.com.co), Carerra 14, #7N (Ave. Bolivar) (Adjacent to the Parque de laVida, and across the street from Hotel San Martin in the upscale university area), ☏ +57 6 749 5970. 11:00 - 22:00. A dining experience in a clean, modern setting with outdoor seating under a large canopy in addition to the inside tables. Not pricey by U.S. or European standards, exotic appetizers and salads are priced from COP$9,500-16,500, and beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and pasta entrees are COP$18,000-34,500. Beverages include natural fruit juices, coffee, beer, wine, and scotch. A great venue for a first date with a lovely senorita, or your significant other. There are also Quindio coffees, coffee cookies, and gift sets available in the gift shop. The gracious owner, Jaime Moreno Motta, is likely to personally greet you, especially if he hears you speaking English, in which he, and several of his staff are fluent. $$$. 

Drink

Coffee is an art in Armenia (and towns of the Eje Cafetero)

Sleep

• Hotel Cafe Plaza. Check-out: 15:00. COP$30,000. 
• Hotel Karlaka, Km 5 via la bella, ☏ +57 6 7426587. A great and warm place with kind staff, all types of rooms (nicely decorated), amazing swimming pools and a Turkish bath. The hotel is eco-friendly. COP$100,000. 
• Hotel San Martin, Carrera 14, #7N-32 (Ave. Bolivar) (Across the street from Parque de la Vida in an upscale area in the vicinity of the University and major medical clinics), ☏ +57 6 746 6078. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. A very pleasant, clean, and modern hotel with very helpful and friendly staff, within two blocks of various dining venues, drugstores and a supermarket. A very safe and quiet area in the evenings. Approximately COP$4,000 cab ride from the main bus terminal, and COP$2,000-3,000 COP from the chaotic downtown area. All rooms have LCD flat screen TVs, refrigerator, Wi-Fi, and include a hot breakfast. Single COP$79,000-89,000; Double COP$111,000-123,000; Triple COP$154,000; and Studios for up to five persons COP$129,000-245,000. $$. 
• 1 Casa Quimbaya, Calle 16N # 14-92 (Take bus No. 18 from the bus terminal up to the stop "Hospital". Walk back one block (heading south) and turn right into Calle 16N. Hostel is at the end of the street on the right.), ☏ +57 3125900066, info@casaquimbaya.com. Backpacker Hostel with dormitories and private rooms. Dorms start at COP$23,000. The rooms and bathrooms are clean. Hot water available. Laundry service available. Kitchen available for cooking etc. Kind and helpful staff. There is a café/bar in the basement with street access, where music and sometimes live music is played until 22:00. Live music can be very loud and is heard in all the common rooms. Check-out at 11:00. 

Go next

Visit some of the small towns in the area:

• Salento, a little town close to the Valley de Cocora.
• Calarcá, another small town nearby.
• Circasia
• Filandia