Girón or San Juan de Girón is a beautiful colonial town in the department of Santander , which has the grace of being a small refuge and time machine that has not yet been invaded by mass tourism, so it becomes one of the most beautiful corners to discover in this department.

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Girón is part of the Network of Peoples Heritage of Colombia , and is known as the? White city? because its historic center still retains the white color and beauty of the times of yesteryear, preserving its colonial structure and atmosphere. This is a perfect town if you want to visit a destination near Bucaramanga , economical and very beautiful.

How to get to Girón?

Girón is located just eleven kilometers from Bucaramanga , so getting there is very simple. First, you must be in this city. To get to Bucaramanga you can take a direct bus from Bogotá , Cali or Santa Marta . You can also reach Bucaramanga by plane.

Once in this magnificent city, you have two options: take a bus to Girón from Bucaramanga that takes about 20 minutes, or take a taxi that can take half the time. The bus costs 3,000 COP and is taken at the Bucaramanga Transportation Terminal . The taxi can cost you between 25,000 and 30,000 COP.

What to do in Girón?

Visit its beautiful places

Girón is a town that is known walking, and in this way, admire all its splendor and perceive the atmosphere of this colonial municipality. In addition to everything, it is a small town, so Girón can be explored on foot perfectly.

Among the places you should know are the Minor Basilica of Saint John the Baptist , which is a small replica of the Church of Saint Mary Major of the city of Rome. The Peralta Park which is also known as the park of lovers in Girón due to its atmosphere and romantic style. Here was the first neighborhood of the municipality and there is also the Church of the Nazarene.

Another park that you cannot miss in Girón is the Parque de las Nieves , named after the chapel that is located in this place and has the same name. If you like to do religious tourism , you can not miss the Chapel of the Lord of Miracles that is located a few kilometers from the center of Girón and where hundreds of believers arrive to make a pilgrimage to this place.

And to know more about the history and culture of the Girón, the infallibles are, La Mansion del Frayle House Museum , where, among other things, Simón Bolívar stayed several times; the Museum of Religious Art , the Town Hall and Government , which houses the history of Girón and the different historical events that have happened here; and the House of Culture . These museums are located on and near the Main Square of Girón.

The Bridges of Alicanto are other attractions of the municipality that you can not miss in your tour of Girón . There are six in total, and cause charm by the perfectly concave shape of its design taking into account the time in which they were made and the materials that were used (egg whites, lime and sand).

If you like ecotourism and you are a lover of nature, get out of Girón and get to the Wetland of the Swamp , a beautiful place to be in contact with nature and make a sighting of fauna and flora; Another place is Cascada Las Iguanas , an incredible place full of waterfalls and wells with beautiful landscapes where you can practice extreme sports.

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In the Tourist Boardwalk , emblem of Girón , you can take a rich walk with the Río de Oro in the background, you can also get beautiful crafts to take as a gift and places to try the typical dishes and drinks of Girón and Santander .

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And of course, eat and drink

You can not leave Girón while trying some of its rich dishes belonging to the gastronomy of Santander, such as the baked kid, the famous maracumix, a delicious passion fruit ice cream, served inside the same fruit and bathed in condensed milk. The hallaca is another dish that you must try, they sell it in many places and in the squares, because it is a very typical food there and unlike the other wraps you have tried in Colombia this has an interesting fusion between corn cob and the Tamale, which gives it a different texture and flavor.

And already put in this point, it only remains to wish you a happy trip to Girón and if you want to know more about Santander and Colombia , enter our blog.