Go in the morning to the Bulevar del Río on Avenida Colombia, which is located on the fifth street with first race; It is a straight pedestrian street where you will appreciate the sculptures of the cats, the urban graffiti on buildings and various cafeterias to have breakfast.
At the end of the boulevard path, on the park of the poets, is the church the Hermitage; This building is striking due to its Gothic architecture, which is perfect for taking a picture towards the horizon. In front of La Ermita, several pedestrian bridges cross the Cali river, these take you to the Simón Bolívar park and the Retreta park. In these parks, you can have a coffee while you watch the exhibition of handicrafts from street vendors or the shows of street artists who ask for a tip in exchange. In this same area, you can also see the Cali City Hall building and the Jorge Isaacs theater.
If you continue along the path that crosses these two parks, you will arrive at the Jairo Varela square where there is a giant trumpet in which you can get into its bulges. In them, the songs of Maestro Jairo Varela and Grupo Niche are heard. In the square, there are cafe's type restaurants in case you want to eat a delicious empanada with shampoo. Then return by the same path to the Boulevard because we are going to get into the center of Cali.
The first place in the center is the Plaza Caicedo, which is located on Carrera 4 with Calle 11. This is an old old Cali square where people met to talk after their workday. Cross the plaza diagonally towards Carrera 5 with Calle 12 and continue walking along Carrera 5, because it is where the shops in the center begin. On this street they sell you everything, most of the products from this area are imported and at a very good price.
There are large stores, street vendors in kiosks, and shopping centers with small aisles. Some of the oldest and most famous sites are the La Fortuna shopping center, the MIO shopping center, and the Gran Comercio shopping center. But the most famous of all is San Andresito, a shopping center with small stores selling shoes, sneakers, tennis shoes, clothes, cell phones, and electrical appliances, with very cheap prices and where you can ask for a discount.
In all the streets You can find imported trade in this area, so you can walk around the blocks to go shopping, but try not to stray too far from this area and take good care of your belongings.
In the center there are also many restaurants for lunch. There are gourmet, vegetarian and cheap restaurants that sell you the popular “corrientazo”. After lunch, visit in the afternoon the places that make up the historic center of Cali such as the San Francisco Square, the government building, or the area of the Hotel Aristi building. There you must have a delicious oatmeal with pandebono from the Montecarlo bakery.
Other places to see in the center of Cali is the Enrique Buenaventura Municipal Theater, the La Merced Colonial Art Museum, and the shotgun street. The latter is a pedestrian thoroughfare full of beautiful urban graffiti, and if you continue along it you will return to Bulevar del Río to end your afternoon in Cali. At the end of the afternoon you can go and sit in the restaurants on the Boulevard that function as bars; At that time you meet many people from Cali who leave their jobs to chat a bit.
For your second day discovering the capital of Valle del Cauca, continue reading our guide the most essential museums in Cali
Thanks, we just want you to save time and money. In return, support us by sharing this guide with your networks
It costs you nothing but you help us a lot!