Villa de Leyva is the longest day trip from Bogotá: twelve hours door to door, about six of them in the car. This guide is for you if the town is on your list and you are deciding whether to do it in a day or stay the night, which dates to aim for, and what the stops on the way are about.
A day, or a night
This is the first thing to settle. As a day trip it works: you leave at 07:00, reach the town in the middle of the morning, and are back at your hotel at about 19:00. But the road is about three hours each way, and the drive back into Bogotá is slower on Sunday and holiday evenings.
A night in the town changes the day. We can drop you one day and collect you on another, which gives you the square in the evening and the next morning without the clock running. With children, this is the easier way to do it. Message us for a price.
If you do go in a day, a weekday spares you the weekend return. If you have only one free day and it is a Sunday, the day still works; you just get back later.
When to go: festivals and the weather
The town's calendar can fill the square or empty it. The main dates:
- August, the kite festival. Over two days, competitors fly kites over the town, with demonstrations in the main square. The Sunday is the big day, and the square fills completely.
- 7 and 8 December, the Festival of Lights. A fireworks contest, with streets, balconies and terraces lit with candles, plus food and craft fairs. More than 50,000 people come each year.
- Other dates. A jazz festival in July, an onion pageant in October and a food festival in November.
The Festival of Lights is a night of candles and fireworks, and a day trip that has you home by 19:00 misses it. Stay the night. If you would rather have the square quiet, avoid those weekends.
The weather is kinder than in Bogotá. The town sits at about 2,150 metres, lower than the capital, and is cool and dry. Over 1981 to 2010 the mean daily temperature was about 17°C, with highs around 23°C and lows around 11°C, and the year's rain came to under a metre. You will leave Bogotá in the cold and spend the middle of the day in milder air.
The Puente de Boyacá
The first stop is about two and a half hours out. It is a small bridge, but this is where Colombia's independence was settled. On 7 August 1819 Simón Bolívar's patriot army, about 2,850 strong and including a British Legion, beat the Spanish forces under General José María Barreiro at the bridge over the Teatinos river. Colombia still marks the date every year.
The bridge stands in the Campo de Boyacá, a historic site about 18 kilometres south of Tunja, protected as part of the nation's cultural heritage. Around it are statues of Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander, an obelisk and a triumphal arch. It is a stop to stretch your legs, read the monuments and get back on the road.
Villa de Leyva itself
The town was founded on 12 June 1572 by Andrés Díaz Venero de Leiva, the first president of the New Kingdom of Granada, and named after him. It was declared a national monument in 1954. Its whitewashed houses were built to the Spanish architectural rules of the time.
The Plaza Mayor covers about 14,000 square metres of cobbles. Give yourself time to cross it slowly, look into the courtyards around it and have lunch. Lunch is not included, so you choose where to eat.
El Fósil
After lunch you drive a few kilometres west of town, off the road to Santa Sofía, to El Fósil. The museum is built around a juvenile marine reptile of the kronosaur group, found in 1977 and left where it was discovered. The fossil is about 120 million years old and 7 metres long; the tail did not survive, and the animal would have been around 12 metres. Staff explain how it was found and show other fossils from the area. The entrance is not included.
Ráquira, a pottery town, is nearby on the road to Chiquinquirá. Ask us if you want to add it, but expect the day to get longer.
On your own, or with a car
Buses from Bogotá reach Villa de Leyva in about three hours, the same as the car. From the town, a bus towards Santa Sofía stops within 80 metres of El Fósil, or you can walk there in a little over an hour. A bus day makes it hard to add the Puente de Boyacá as well.
With the car, the bridge, the town and the fossil fit into one day from your door, and if you stay over, the driver drops you and collects you when you choose. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- Flat shoes. The streets are large, uneven stones.
- Layers. Warm clothes for the early start in Bogotá, lighter ones for the middle of the day.
- Local cash for lunch, El Fósil and small purchases around the square.
- Something to do in the car, for six hours on the road.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits anyone who wants colonial Colombia and is happy to spend half the day in a car to get it. Think twice about a single day with small children, or if you have only a day or two in Bogotá: the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral is a much shorter trip out. For the full picture, read our guide to day trips from Bogotá.
Questions people ask
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Can a larger group come?
Yes. Groups of more than 16 travel in two vehicles on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Booking the day
Decide between one day and two, check the festival dates, and pick a weekday if you want an easier drive home. The stops and what is included are on the Villa de Leyva private day trip page.
