Things to do in Ibagué

Ibagué is a city founded on October 14, 1550, by the Spanish captain Andrés López de Galarza. Characterized by having 13 communes, which in turn are subdivided into a total of 455 neighborhoods and comprise a population of 529 thousand inhabitants.

This metropolis of large buildings in the center has the Perales National Airport located 11 km from the east of the city in case you want to travel by plane, a bus terminal located near the center of Ibagué on Avenida del Ferrocarril if you want get to Ibagué by bus, public buses and taxis as a transportation system, and 5.3 km of cycle paths for cycling through the city.

Ibagué is a city to live in Colombia because, in addition to offering essential places to go, it is recognized for being a cultural, folkloric, musical, and traditional city with beautiful natural landscapes in its surroundings. As well as traditions such as the Colombian Folk Festival in June, the National Festival of Colombian Music in March, and the San Pedro festivities from June 29. But especially, for its welcoming climate, since the climate in Ibagué during most of the year is humid tropical with an average temperature between 18 °C and 27 degrees Celsius.

The musical capital of Colombia has tourist and historical places considered national heritage. If you are in the center, start by visiting Plaza Bolívar, it is a very well-kept park with a bit of history; many years ago it functioned as a market center where travelers from the mountains met to buy and sell.

Throughout the center of the park you can see the monument of the liberator Simón Bolívar accompanied by two little angels known as the “Sons of Neptune”.

If you cross the square you will come across the main Cathedral of Ibagué and on the left side is the famous “Carrera Tercera”, it is a five-block boulevard lined with many commercial establishments. Nearby is the centenary tourist park where you can jog and exercise in the morning, at night you can find a large number of bars and signature cuisine restaurants with offers of Italian, French, or American food.

Now as for the beautiful places in Ibagué, they are identified as having many facets since you can do different types of tourism. For example, something very attractive in historical tourism is visiting beautiful places in Ibagué where you can take photos without any problem, some of the main ones are the Panopticon, the Music Park, the Tolima Theater, the Acoustic Shell, and the Primate Cathedral of Ibagué.

As for tourist sites near Ibagué that you can visit are the Combeima Canyon, a viewpoint 40 minutes away from the south exit; There is also the village of Toche where the largest wax palm forest in Colombia is located and finally, you can go to Playa Hawai, which is one of the most beautiful spas in Ibagué.

It is located on the Ibagué road to Bogotá and you will find a giant pool in the shape of a beach, it also has the option of accommodation in rooms or camping; the entrance as a day pass has a cost of 25,000 Colombian pesos (it would be about 8 dollars).

Another of the good plans to do in Ibagué in one day is to walk through landscapes or parks such as the Mirador de Juntas, Villa Restrepo, Santafé de los Guaduales, the Payandé waterfalls, and the Nevado del Tolima Volcano. Most of these tourist sites on the outskirts of Ibagué require little money to get to know them.

Other tourist attractions in Ibagué that you should visit to spend the day are the museums, some of the most important are the Tolima Art Museum, the Darío Echandía Library, the Tolima Conservatory, and the Anthropological Museum.

Also, if you are more into plans to do in Ibagué at night and you like to travel alone or go out as a couple, you should know some emblematic places in Ibagué to go at night. Some recommended ones are the Cerro Pan de Azúcar, the La Pola neighborhood, the Belén neighborhood, the Mirador Bellavista, and the Centenario park as we mentioned before. But if you are one of those who prefer to travel with the family, among the beautiful places in Ibagué for children are the square of artisans, the Murillo Toro Park, the San Jorge Botanical Garden, the Madre Monte Viewpoint, and the La Estación Shopping Center.

Before traveling to this marvelous city and living experiences in some tourist places in Ibagué, we recommend you to know the wealth of customs of the Ibaguero people and some curious facts about the metropolis. Some important ones are:

• Ibaguereños usually do not bathe in the rivers during Holy Week
• In Ibagué, Christmas Eve sweets are eaten as an after-dinner meal
• You can ask for a discount in the commercial stores in the center of Ibagué
• Tolimense families still prefer to cook with firewood
• In Ibagué, bread is dipped in chocolate, and cheese is dipped
• In the traditional festivals of June, people work part-time
• The peasants of Tolima usually drink a lot of brandy

Gastronomic tourism in Ibagué is also well known, since being one of the important cities of Colombia, it is a commercial center for gastronomy. So if what you want is to eat deliciously, you can go to the area of "la Pola" or further south of the city in the sector near the multicentro shopping center. But if what you want is to eat the famous suckling pig from Tolima, the best place to go is in the 26 galleries, in a place called “la mona”; Although the place doesn't look very pretty, they sell the best suckling pig in Ibagué there.

Another of the essential sectors to eat in Ibagué is the “Zona G” which is located between the La Macarena and Montealegre neighborhoods and also in the El Vergel neighborhood, which are the favorites of foodies. You will find restaurants and bars for all tastes, and budgets and perfect to try the typical food of Ibagué such as the suckling pig from Tolimense, the widower from Bocachico, the achiras, the cuchuco and the tamale from Tolimense; Some recommended restaurants are La Finca Paisa restaurant, Yerbabuena restaurant, Puerto Madero restaurant, Encanto Del Mar restaurant, Patio de Mi Casa, Martina restaurant and Jus'so Café.

As for lodging, if you want to stay in one of the most exclusive and safe areas, we recommend you in the center of Ibagué and also by the Multicentro shopping center, since that is where they are the most recommended famous hotels in Ibagué such as the Sonesta Hotel Ibagué, the Bunde Haus Hotel, Fardo Hotel Boutique, the Hotel Casa Morales International and the Hotel Dann Combeima.

Ibagué is without a doubt a Colombian city with a wide range of beautiful and picturesque places both inside and around it; Well, Tolima is also home to a lot of nature, history, gastronomy, and buildings worth visiting.

So if you are looking for what to do in Ibagué today or if you want to stay more days to get to know the culture and enjoy this beautiful destination, we bring you a list with more things to see and do in Ibagué: