Pereira

Understand

Pereira is a beautiful university city with a population of 482,000 (2023). The city's motto is "Pereira con Vida".

See

Pereira is a beautiful university city with many things to see. thumb|300px|Pereira: Aerial view from El Mirador

Do

The city has a municipal auditorium and theaters where you can attend concerts, operas, and listen to symphonic music. There are lots of night clubs, discos, and bars that serve up lively house, trance, rock, salsa, and tango music. Pereira offers an exciting nightlife along the main avenue Simón Bolivar, where you will find many of the best discos and restaurants, but there is another smaller in upscale residential neighborhood located in south part of city. On weekends, starting on Thursday night, this is where many of younger crowd and students like to gather. There are many fast food restaurants in this area also. Pereira is also home to famous football (soccer) club, 'Deportivo Pereira'. Viewing football is a very important activity here and Once fans pack the 30,000-seat stadium to cheer for their team. La Popa, a hill, gives you a scenic view of Pereira.

Buy

Gothic church and street scene|thumb|upright=1.4

Shopping Malls

Eat

The traditional food comes from Antioquia, the region to northwest and famous for the city of Medellin. Lunch-time meals usually consist of a soup made from plantain (a variety of green bananas), followed by a plate of rice and selection of fried pork, beef, or chicken, with small cabbage salad in vinegar dressing, a natural juice drink made from mango, or if you are adventurous, try one of native fruit flavors, they are delicious but hard to pronounce, this will usually be followed by a coffee. Sometimes, you might be offered a dessert called mazamorra, which is corn and milk with local sugar cane, called 'panela'. They also use panela and water in making coffee, but don't recommend it, as the taste is very sweet, actually coffee served here is exceptionally sweet and unless you are a fan of sugary tasting coffee, ask for coffee made from plain water.

If you're visiting the 'Los Nevados' Natural Park, ask for 'aguapanela con queso' while going there. It's a hot beverage made of sugar cane served with cheese. Also look for cheese ice cream, chorizos from Santa Rosa and obleas.

Kilaba. Delicious Arabian food on Circunvalar avenue. Sayonara. Colombian-style hamburgers and hot dogs. Try the pepper burger. La Estancia. International food. Try the Trucha Marinera. Mi País Café: International dishes and coffee. Address: Calle 19 # 12 _ 69. "Tradiciones Peruanas" - Peruvian Restaurant. Original Peruvian food, prepared like in Peru. With Peruvian ingredients. Ceviches, Parihuela, L…

Drink

thumb|Lago Uribe Park|upright=1.4

Stay safe

thumb|upright=1.4|Another view of Plaza Bolívar

Be careful in some parts of Cuba and Villa Santana. They are colorful and lively but somehow risky.

The water quality here is excellent (Pereira water is on the top 20 of best quality drinking waters in the world). It is very pure also it is possible to drink straight from the tap here (but not in all parts of Colombia is this true), so no need to purchase bottled water and taste is great!

Go next

Hotsprings: The region is renowned in Colombia for its hot springs and resorts, such as the 'Hotspring of Santa Rosa de Cabal'. Each resort offers not just a hot pool for public enjoyment and relaxation but also various levels of hotel accommodations. The prices are around COP$30,000 per day, with facilities remaining open until midnight. Both 'Termales del Santa Rosa' and 'Termales del Nevado' feature lower and upper locations, with the upper pools being nearer to the water source, thus having warmer water. However, the water temperature can vary with the seasons, being warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Worth seeing is the 'Termales del Santa Rosa' Hotel, it is a four star hotel and very nice if you can afford the COP$150,000/night (per person), US$75, however, includes is all meals and entry fees to pools, as well as use of private, exclusive wading pools. Also, both sites at Santa Rosa have incredible, breathtaking waterfalls that are lit with multi-colored lights, visiting at night is best, or if you have time, stay all day as price of entry is for all day! Salento - The little colonial town known for its coffee farms, gateway to the famous Valle de Cocora and a great gateway point for treks to Los Nevados National Park.