Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [76]
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Eating
Shalom ( 740 5494; Calle 19A No 10-64, Pasaje de Vargas; breakfast COP$4000-6000; 7am-4:30pm) There are many coffee shops along Pasaje de Vargas, but this is one of the few that actually serves a full breakfast including huevos pericos (scrambled eggs with tomato and onion) and warm arepas (corn pancakes).
Pizza Nostra ( 740 2040; Calle 19 No 10-36; pizzas COP$5600-9500; noon-11pm) Located in the pedestrian zone just off Plaza de Bolívar, this popular fast-food joint has a huge selection of yummy pizzas.
El Maizal (Carrera 9 No 20-30; mains COP$10,000-13,000; breakfast, lunch & dinner) This restaurant doesn’t look very elegant, but has long been popular with the locals for its tasty regional dishes, huge portions and daily set meal specials.
Santo Domingo de Guzmán ( 742 2619; Carrera 11 No 19-66; mains COP$5000-18,000; 7am-8pm) One of downtown Tunja’s most popular eateries, this family-run restaurant serves traditional dishes in a homey atmosphere. There’s also a bakery and fruit stand on-site.
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Drinking
Pussini ( 743 2047; Carrera 10 No 19-53; coffee COP$2500, beer COP$6000; 8:30am-10pm) Cafe by day, pub by night, Pussini is the pulse of Plaza de Bolívar. The two levels of the bar are covered in wood, right up to the bamboo ceilings. For non-coffee or beer drinkers, there’s also a fully stocked bar. Drink up!
Berlin ( 743 3999; Carrera 10 No 21-49; drinks COP$2000-13,000; noon-midnight) This swanky rooftop bar has a sleek interior bathed in neon and thumping Spanish and English rock. The highlight is its heated terrace overlooking the city. Berlin is hidden on the 5th floor of the San Francisco Plaza office building.
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Getting There & Away
The bus terminal is on Av Oriental, a short hilly walk southeast of Plaza de Bolívar. Buses to Bogotá (COP$18,000, 2½ to three hours) depart every 10 to 15 minutes. Northbound buses to San Gil (COP$20,000, 4½ hours), Bucaramanga (COP$35,000, seven hours) and beyond run at least every hour.
Minibuses to Villa de Leyva (COP$5000, 45 minutes) depart regularly until about 6pm.
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PUENTE DE BOYACÁ
Puente de Boyacá is one of the most important battlefields of Colombia’s modern history. On August 7, 1819 and against all odds, the armies of Simón Bolívar defeated Spanish troops led by General José María Barreiro, sealing Colombia’s independence.
Several monuments have been erected on the battlefield. The centerpiece is the Monumento a Bolívar, an 18-meter-high sculpture topped by the statue of Colombia’s hero and accompanied by five angels symbolizing the so-called países bolivarianos, the countries liberated by Bolívar – Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. An eternal flame for Bolívar burns nearby.
The Puente de Boyacá, the bridge which gives its name to the battlefield and over which Bolívar’s troops crossed to fight the Spaniards, is just a small, simple bridge reconstructed in 1939.
The battlefield is on the main Tunja–Bogotá road, 15km south of Tunja. Any bus passing along this road will drop you off.
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VILLA DE LEYVA
8 / pop 8000 / elev 2140m
One of the most beautiful colonial villages in Colombia, Villa de Leyva is a city frozen in time. Declared a national monument in 1954, photogenic Villa de Leyva has been preserved in its entirety with cobblestone roads and whitewashed buildings.
The city’s physical beauty and mild, dry climate have long attracted outsiders. The town was founded in 1572 by Hernán Suárez de Villalobos, who named it for his boss, Andres Díaz Venero de Leyva, the first president of the New Kingdom of Granada. It was originally a retreat for military officers, clergy and nobility.
In recent years, an influx of wealthy visitors and expats has slowly transformed this once-hidden gem. Boutique hotels, gourmet restaurants and tacky tourist