Cali, the city of salsa. Cali should be on your itinerary if you want to have a more complete view of Colombia, though if you’re short on time we think that you can skip it. Though we only spend 2 whole days in Cali, we got a good impression of the city. Especially San Antonio, the neighborhood in which our hostel was located is very beautiful. The houses are brightly painted and you will find many cute little restaurants.

TO DO
–     Free walking tour
We did a free walking tour, and even though it was in Spanish, we had some people that could translate in English. We are not sure if it is always there however, it was not as well organized as the free walking tours in the other cities. If you do not speak Spanish, you can also visit the highlights that are listed in the Lonely Planet, this will cover most of the tour.
–    San Antonio
We spent most of our time just walking through this neighborhood. The houses are very beautiful and it has many little restaurants and shops.
–    Salsa class
When in the city of salsa, of course you have to take salsa lessons. We took lessons at Salsa Pura (in San Antonio) with an English speaking teacher  in a class, but you can also take individual lessons. (10.000 COP)

TO EAT
–    Hostel Tostaky
The place to go to if you want an extensive (Western) breakfast including cereals, bread, fruit salad and coffee, for a very good price. (9.000 COP)
–    La Byciclette
Cure little restaurant in which they serve a menu of the day for a fixed price. (8.000 COP)
–    Pao bakery café
This little bakery was so good that we had both breakfast (granola and yoghurt!) and dinner (pizza Hawai with fresh pineapple!) at this place.

TO SLEEP
–    Hostel La Casa Café
Nice hostel with big rooms, and large common areas, right in the middle of San Antonio. (60.000 COP)

TRANSPORTATION
–    Foot
If you are staying in San Antonio, the main highlights are in the area so you can do most of it by foot.People warned us however for walking around when it gets dark. They advised us to get a taxi, even for a trip that was only a 5 minute walk. Stubborn as we are, we did walk and were fine, but you might want to consider this!
–    Taxi
Taxis are cheap and there is also Uber in Cali. If you want to go to some other parts of Cali you will pay around 7.000 COP.
–    Bus Bogota – Cali
We took a night bus from Bogota to Cali. Though the ride can be a little rough because of all the small turns in the mountaineous areas around Bogota and Cali, the trip overall was quite comfortable and we had a good night sleep. It is a lot cheaper than going by plane and you save money as you don’t have to book a room for that night. Win-Win! (58.0000 COP)

What do you think of Cali? Do you have any tips, or questions? Let us know in the comments below!