Things to do in Bogotá
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bogotá
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Driest and best overall, clearest Monserrate views and best hiking conditions. Prices peak late Dec to early Jan.
First rainy season with routine afternoon downpours. Good value window outside FILBo if you pack waterproofs.
Second dryish window, drier and windy. August is kite season and a very good all round choice for hiking.
Wettest stretch, worst for hiking in late Oct and Nov, but October is a free festival peak.
What's on
- Festival Estéreo Picnic 20-22 March
Colombias biggest modern music festival in Parque Simon Bolivar, best weekend for a music trip.
- FILBo Bogotá International Book Fair Late April to early May
One of Latin Americas great book fairs at Corferias, strongest if you read Spanish.
- Fundación de Bogotá 6 August
City birthday, with a mid August nocturnal Ciclovia.
- Rock al Parque Recently October; check dates
One of Latin America's largest free rock festivals at Simon Bolivar Park, with 60 plus acts.
- Hip Hop al Parque Recently late October; check dates
Free hip hop festival at Simon Bolivar Park.
- Día de las Velitas 7 December
Candles everywhere for the start of Bogotas Christmas season, with light routes and novenas.
Best things to do in Bogotá
Museo del Oro
The worlds largest pre-Hispanic gold collection, anchored by the Muisca Raft and the El Dorado story.
Cerro de Monserrate
Bogotas defining viewpoint, a pilgrimage sanctuary above the whole sprawling capital.
La Candelaria
Historic centre of cobbled streets, colonial houses, Plaza de Bolivar and Chorro de Quevedo.
Museo Botero
Free Botero figures plus Monet, Picasso and Dali in a beautiful colonial house, linked to MAMU.
Bogotá Graffiti Tour
Tip based walk through La Candelaria murals explaining the art, politics and policy change behind them.
Distrito Graffiti
Huge commissioned walls in Puente Aranda that show Bogota street art at district scale.
Plaza de Mercado Paloquemao
Vast working market for flowers, exotic fruit pyramids and caldo de costilla breakfast counters.
Museo Nacional de Colombia
Colombias oldest museum in a former panopticon prison, giving a usable timeline of the country.
Where to stay in Bogotá
Chapinero Alto / Rosales / Zona G
best base overall, food travellers and repeat visitors
Leafy, walkable by day, full of the best restaurants and small hotels, calmer than Zona Rosa.
Zona Rosa / Zona T & Parque 93
nightlife and first time convenience
Upscale entertainment district with the densest bars, clubs and international hotels.
Chapinero Central / Lourdes
value and local life, travellers under 35
Younger, scruffier Chapinero with universities, craft beer, cheap eats and mid range hotels.
Usaquén
quiet Sunday base and second stays
Village feel in the far north with excellent restaurants and the Sunday market on your doorstep.
La Candelaria
atmosphere and budget, with eyes open
Cheapest beds and prettiest streets, but the centre empties at night and rides are needed after dark.
Think twice about
- Santa Fe / Los Mártires
Tolerance zone with open drug use, street homelessness and the citys most serious street crime reputation. No tourist reason to sleep here.
- San Bernardo and Las Cruces
Immediately south of La Candelaria, adjacent on a map but not in feel, and not a base.
- Ciudad Bolívar, Bosa, Kennedy outskirts and San Cristóbal south
Large far southern districts far from visitor sights, with the citys highest violent crime rates. Visit Ciudad Bolivar only on a guided daytime tour.
- Main bus terminals and El Salitre / airport corridor
Functional and charmless, a taxi ride from everywhere. Fine only for an airport night.
Best restaurants in Bogotá
El Chato
Alvaro Clavijos contemporary Colombian bistro, one of Latin America's best.
Leo
Leonor Espinosas tasting journey through Colombias biodiversity and food cultures.
Oda
Garden driven tasting menus from urban gardens and nearby producers, sustainability award winner.
Afluente
River themed Colombian tasting menus that debuted among Latin America's best.
Humo Negro
Small counter of smoke and Japanese inflected technique on Colombian ingredients.
Mini-mal
Creative cooking from Colombias Pacific, Amazon and Caribbean regions in a relaxed house.
Prudencia
Best sit down lunch between the Gold and Botero museums, short menu in a garden courtyard house.
Mesa Franca
Modern Colombian sharing plates, a pillar of Chapineros bistro scene for resident birthdays.
Outdoor things to do in Bogotá
Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá
Underground cathedral carved in a working salt mine, 180 metres below ground north of Bogota.
Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza
High paramo wilderness of frailejones, Andean lakes, deer and spectacled bears above the treeline.
La Ciclovía
Sunday ritual closing over 100 km of avenues to cars for cyclists, runners and walkers.
Parque Aventura La Chorrera
Community run hike past El Chiflon to La Chorrera, Colombias tallest waterfall at 590 metres.
Laguna de Guatavita
Protected crater lake of the El Dorado legend, visited on a guided walk through frailejon hills.
Parque Natural Chicaque
Private cloud forest reserve with misty oak trails, waterfalls, hummingbirds and zipline.
Fusagasugá coffee farm
Bean to cup day on warmer slopes with picking, processing, roasting, tasting and lunch.
Country Club de Bogotá
Historic 1917 members club with two northern courses, access only through members or guests.
Best hotels in Bogotá
Four Seasons Hotel Bogotá Casa Medina
Historic mansion hotel with fireplaces, spa and the citys most praised service.
Four Seasons Hotel Bogotá
Modern sister Four Seasons in Zona Rosa, sleeker rooms and direct nightlife access.
W Bogotá
Design forward hotel popular for celebratory weekends and its Sunday brunch scene.
Sofitel Bogotá Victoria Regia
French Colombian polish on the Zona Rosa edge, quieter than the W for business leisure couples.
The Click Clack Hotel
Design boutique benchmark with arty rooms and a good bar in Bogotas safest feeling northern pocket.
GHL Hotel Bioxury
Solid modern business boutique hotel by the Virrey linear park.
Hotel B3 Virrey
Modern well reviewed boutique option by Parque El Virrey and Parque 93.
Hotel de la Ópera
Two colonial houses by Teatro Colon with a spa and pool under a glass dome.
Is Bogotá expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | COP 200,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | COP 380,000 a person |
| Splurge | COP 1,000,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cerro de Monserrate: a few days ahead
- Bogotá Graffiti Tour: a few days ahead
- Tejo: a few days ahead
- Tejo Ancestral: a few days ahead
- Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá: a few days ahead
- Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza: a few days ahead
- Parque Aventura La Chorrera: a few days ahead
- Laguna de Guatavita: a few days ahead
- El Chato and Leo 2 to 4 weeks out for dinner, Afluente, Humo Negro and Oda 1 to 2 weeks.
- Chingaza several days ahead via a permitted operator. Zipaquira on a weekday before 11am.
- Festival hotels in Chapinero and Zona Rosa spike for Estereo Picnic and FILBo, book with tickets.
- Gold Museum closed Mondays and Botero closed Tuesdays, confirm patterns locally.
Is Bogotá safe?
- No dar papaya, do not make yourself an easy opportunity with phone, chain or laptop on show.
- Phone snatching is the top visitor crime. Step into a doorway to check maps and keep windows up in cars.
- Never accept drinks, cigarettes or food from strangers, watch drinks being made, due to scopolamine risk.
- Fake police do not inspect cash on the street. Walk into an open business and call 123. Emergency is 123.
Bogotá travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Emerald Museum and trading centre tours are a sales funnel, choose a rated emerald workshop instead.
- Monserrate summit restaurants charge for altitude, not cooking. Eat lunch back in town.
- Andres D.C. is not the Chia original, and cheap big bus tours rush the Gold Museum for shopping stops.
- La Candelaria pub crawls ending late in chicha alleys, and Torre Colpatria sold as a Monserrate substitute.
Getting around Bogotá: public transport and more
- Traffic is the main logistics fact. Cluster sights by zone per day and build in buffers.
- Use Uber, DiDi or Cabify instead of hailing taxis, and never get in a car whose plate differs from the app.
- Skip TransMilenio as a first timer. It is crowded and a known pickpocketing environment.
- Walk inside good zones by day, ride between zones and after dinner.
Who Bogotá suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Bogotá your trip
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