Armenia

The town of Armenia lies at the center of Colombia`s coffee region with the main trade based upon the production of coffee, plantains, and bananas. Downtown Armenia is a great base for exploring the spectacular surrounding coffee region and offers visitors numerous accommodation options in the form of hotels, villas and B&B`s. The downtown area is centered around Carrera 14, a stretch of pedestrian-only streets lined with restaurants and cafes. There are several beautiful parks that fill the neighborhood and offer outdoor walking space and wide open spaces for families. The streets in downtown are also brimming with shops and feature art, the area around the university is filled with a number of bars and restaurants popular with the students. Coffee shops, cafes and pastry shops are dotted around the city brewing and selling the best and freshest coffee in the country.

Montenegro

The town of Montenegro lies in the western part of Quindio, 6 miles west of Armenia in Colombia. Set in the heart of Colombia`s coffee zone, Montenegro is home to the National Coffee Park, an amusement park dedicated to coffee. Montenegro translates to `Black Mountain` and was originally named for the dark green color of the trees that filled with hillside above the town. The town features beautiful architecture and surrounding landscapes and offers a few hotels and other accommodations. The town is a great base for exploring the surrounding coffee region and beautiful coffee farms. There are restaurants, cafes, shops, and parks in the city.

Salento

The little town of Salento is situated about 1 hour away from Armenia in the Quindio River Valley. Salento is a great place for day trips and is a major draw for tourists who wish to visit a coffee farm. The town lies in the Valley or Cocora filled with lush green landscapes and hiking opportunities through Los Nevados National Park. A beautiful quaint town with a peaceful ambiance and impressive surrounding scenery, there are many eateries, cafes, shops and handicraft stalls in the town. Many of the buildings here have kept their original bahareque architecture typical of this region, Calle Real (Royal Road) is brimming with this style of architecture and leads to the main town square and a spectacular observation point. Restaurants found in the bustling town square serve up the sensational locally farmed freshwater trout, which can be cooked in various ways.