Current Time in Armenia, Colombia

Armenia lies in west central Colombia, on the western slopes of the Central Andes at an altitude of around fifteen hundred metres. It is the capital of Quindío, the smallest mainland department in the country, and sits at the heart of the region known as the coffee axis. The setting is spectacular, a landscape of steep green ridges, banana and coffee plantations, bamboo groves and, on clear mornings, the snow capped volcanoes of Los Nevados on the eastern horizon. The altitude gives it a mild, spring like climate all year round.

Roughly three hundred thousand people live in the city. Its importance rests on coffee, which built the region and still defines it, along with tourism, agriculture and commerce. In 2011 the surrounding countryside was recognised as the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia and inscribed on the World Heritage list, honouring both the beauty of the terraced farms and the traditions of the families who work them.

Armenia was founded in 1889 during the great colonisation of these mountains by settlers moving south from Antioquia, who cleared forest, planted coffee and built towns on impossibly steep terrain. That heritage survives in the architecture of the surrounding villages, with brightly painted balconies, carved doorways and houses framed in guadua, the giant local bamboo. A devastating earthquake struck the city in 1999, causing severe damage and heavy loss of life, and much of the centre was rebuilt afterwards, which gives modern Armenia a notably contemporary appearance for a Colombian regional capital.

Its finest building is the Quimbaya Gold Museum, a striking work of modern architecture in brick and timber designed to echo the local landscape, housing an exceptional collection of pre Hispanic goldwork produced by the Quimbaya people, whose craftsmanship in gold and copper alloy is among the most refined in the Americas. The cathedral on Plaza de Bolívar, with its bold triangular concrete form, and the botanical garden with its butterfly house are also worth visiting.

The region around Armenia is one of Colombia's leading holiday destinations. The National Coffee Park combines plantation tours with rides and cultural shows, a nearby agricultural theme park introduces visitors to farm animals and rural life, and countless coffee estates open their doors for tastings and overnight stays. An hour away lies the Cocora Valley, where the wax palm, the tallest palm in the world and the national tree of Colombia, rises sixty metres above green pastures, reached from the colourful village of Salento.

Local culture centres on coffee, on the open sided Willys jeeps that carry impossible loads up mountain tracks and star in a famous annual parade, and on hearty food such as the enormous platter known as bandeja paisa. The University of Quindío and several other institutions serve a large student population.

An airport, good highways and a tunnel through the mountains connect Armenia to Bogotá, Medellín and the Pacific coast.

Armenia is popular as the friendly, green capital of Colombia's coffee country.