"Charming Villa de Leyva" a Villa de Leiva Travel Page by MalenaN

Villa de Leyva is a charming little town where all houses are whitewashed with green or brown details, many with balconies and courtyards. And the streets are cobbled with almost no motor traffic. The town has been able to keep its old charm as it was declared a national monument in 1954 and since then has been well preserved and not many modern buildings have been built. The town was founded already in 1572 and got the name Nuestra Señora de la Villa Santa Maria de Leyva.

When I arrived to Villa de Leyva the church by Plaza Mayor was not white, but before I left it was being painted. Earlier during the year all houses around the plaza had been stripped of their white colour and painted in other colours, just because a movie was filmed there. I’m glad it was back to the white colours when I visited.

Villa de Leyva is situated only a few hours ride from Bogotá and it is a very popular destination to visit during weekends. I arrived on a Sunday afternoon and found the town more crowded than the coming days. Villa de Leyva is situated at an altitude of 1572 metres, so especially in the evenings it can be cold and it is necessary to wear a sweater.

It is easy to spend some relaxing days in Villa de Leyva, walking around, sitting down at the restaurants/cafes watching people, visiting the craft shops or take an excursion. There are also several hiking trails in the surroundings.