Barichara is frequently called the prettiest town in Colombia by guidebooks and locals alike, and travelers researching Guatapé often stumble onto it while comparing "best towns in Colombia" lists. They're both stunning, and both entirely different trips.
What makes each town special
Barichara sits in Santander, built almost entirely from a warm ochre-colored stone, with buildings, streets, and even the local cemetery walls all sharing the same material and a strict architectural preservation code. It's quiet, contemplative, and largely uncommercialized compared to Guatapé's souvenir-shop-lined main street.
Guatapé is louder and more built for tourism: boat rentals, zip lines, party boats, and a dense strip of restaurants and shops feeding off day-tripper traffic from Medellín. Its main draw, El Peñón, is a singular bucket-list activity that Barichara doesn't really have an equivalent for.
Getting there
Barichara is close to San Gil, Colombia's adventure-sports capital (paragliding, whitewater rafting, caving), and the pair is typically visited together — about 6–7 hours from Bogotá by road, or a flight to Bucaramanga plus a 2-hour transfer. There's no practical way to combine Barichara with a Medellín-based Guatapé trip without a significant detour.
Which to choose
If your Colombia route runs through Santander (often paired with San Gil's extreme sports) or you specifically want architecture and quiet over crowds, choose Barichara. If your route centers on Medellín and Antioquia, Guatapé is the natural, low-effort choice.