Santa Fe de Antioquia
A day trip to a colonial village from Medellin
If you ask a local in Medellin for a recommendation of places to visit, sooner or later they mention the villages near the city that have kept their colonial style and one of them is Santa Fe de Antioquia.
How to get to Santa Fe
Unless you book a guided tour, the best way to visit Santa Fe is by bus from the North Terminal in Medellin. Depending on traffic, the ride takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, and you get the ticket at the station. When Charlie asked at the counter, she was offered two options: a bus and a so-called “collectivo”. The latter is a minivan for up to 12 people that goes directly to Santa Fe without any stops. That’s what Charlie booked. There were already some other passengers in the van and they left as soon as Charlie sat down.
The return journey was a bit more adventurous because it was a Sunday and the ticket booth at the bus station in Santa Fe was closed. There was a woman sitting on a folding table though in the middle of the room who was selling tickets to Medellin. When she told Charlie that the bus is a “colourful chiva”, she didn’t know what that meant. She was surprised when she saw a giant truck turn into the station. It was indeed colourful and a lot less comfortable than the morning ride. There were benches inside the truck and for some passengers, it was difficult to climb up from the sides. Suitcases and larger pieces of luggage had to be placed on the roof. Charlie has certainly travelled in more comfortable ways before; however, it’s been an adventure and she was happy to have experienced the truly local style of travelling.
What to do in Santa Fe
The village of Santa Fe is mostly known for its suspension bridge, the Puente Colgante de Occidente. Next to the main square, Plaza de Bolívar, is a tuktuk stand. There’s no need to book anything in advance. You can just walk up to them and ask for a ride to the bridge. Charlie was offered the trip for 40.000 pesos (around USD 10) which included a 30-minute wait to walk over the bridge and have a look at the stalls before returning to Santa Fe. It was a scenic ride through the mountains and the walk over the bridge provided good views of the landscape and the river.
Back in town, Charlie had lunch in a restaurant with a beautiful inner courtyard and she visited the museum Juan del Corral where she learned a bit about the history of Santa Fe de Antioquia.
Another common activity in Santa Fe is to book a day pass for a pool. It is a lot warmer than in Medellin. It also was warm and humid the day of Charlie’s visit, however, it wasn’t sunny and she didn’t feel like being by a pool. She rather strolled through the historic cobble-stone roads and the colonial-style architecture that reminded her a lot of Antigua in Guatemala.
