The most popular day trip from Tunja is Villa de Leyva, a perfectly preserved colonial town about 40km to the west. It's an easy hour by bus and the contrast with Tunja is striking — Villa de Leyva is smaller, sunnier (lower altitude, drier climate), and more obviously oriented toward tourism, but its main plaza is one of the largest and most beautiful in Colombia.
Closer to Tunja, the Puente de Boyacá — about 16km south on the main road back to Bogotá — marks the site of the 1819 battle that broke Spanish control over New Granada and opened the path to Bogotá for Simón Bolívar's forces. The reconstructed colonial bridge is photogenic and the patriotic monuments surrounding it are a fascinating study in nation-building mythology. It takes about an hour to visit and can easily be combined with the Bogotá bus as a stop on the way.
