Its neighboring municipalities are Cogua and Nemocón to the north; Tocancipá to the east; Tabio, Cajicá and Sopó to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho to the west.

On July 18, 1600, Don oidor Luis Henríquez established a settlement on the site with workers and their families, and named it the "Village of Zipaquirá".

In 1623, the Spanish official Don Francisco de Sosa named as wards the 321 native inhabitants in the "Old Town", according to the declaration of Alfredo Tinoco.

González Forero Square is the center of the city, surrounded by buildings that have conserved their colonial style and are considered to be national monuments.

The square contains a cathedral constructed between 1760 and 1870, with its stone façade, as well as the city hall and the Salinas administration building, with their green republican-style roofs.

The city has undergone recent changes, having transformed streets in the center to pedestrian walkways, limiting vehicle traffic in the area in an attempt at preservation and conservation, and lending a more cordial aspect for tourists.

As part of this strategy, the city has also carried out a project of restructuring the Sabana Station (railroad), and, next to it, the construction of Parque La Esperanza.

Zipaquirá offers the visitor typical restaurants, colonial houses that are almost 300 years old, tourist agencies, recreation centers such as Panaca Sabana, museums, crafts, and an interesting retail infrastructure.

Tourists actively participate during Good Friday when the procession of the Path of the Cross journeys up to the Plazoleta del Minero to the entrance of the Salt Cathedral.