Pamplona is a small city in Norte de Santander, Eastern Andino, near the Colombian border with Venezuela.

Understand

Pamplona is a college town with many museums and bars and a cool climate. It is a common stopover on the way to Venezuela to avoid the heat and chaos of Cúcuta, however it's a solid 2 hours from Cúcuta so you'll have to leave early if you want to cross the border early the same day.

Get in

Regular bus service from Bucaramanga and Cúcuta.

See

• Museo de Arte Moderno Ramirez Villamizar, Calle 5, no. 5-7, ☏ +57 7 5682999. Modern art museum 

Eat

There are lots of cheap eats along Calle Real. If you like empanadas, pizza and generally greasy food, you'll do fine here.

There is a vegetable market a block up from the main square.

Sleep

There are several hotels in the COP$10,000-15,000 range along Calle 9.

Connect

Internet cafes are plentiful, but wifi is scarce. Like many places in Colombia, most coffeeshops and restaurants will advertise Wi-Fi and then claim it's not working after you've already ordered and paid. There appear to be a couple cafes with wifi on Calle Real, though they have strange hours.

Go next

Venezuela via Cúcuta (COP$7000)