Things to Do in Bogota (Colombia)

I landed in Bogota expecting a quick stopover on my way south. Six days later I had to drag myself to the airport. Colombia’s capital sits high in the Andes at 2,600 meters, and the altitude slows you down long enough to notice the details: the alpine light, the coffee that never stops, the buses that thread through narrow hillside streets. Here is how I would spend a week there, and how you can too.

Start in La Candelaria

I like to begin any new city in its oldest neighborhood, and La Candelaria is Bogota’s soul. The colonial streets are painted in bright yellows, blues, and reds, and murals cover entire blocks. On a weekday morning I walked from Plaza de Bolivar past the cathedral and into a maze of little squares where students argue over chess and street vendors grill corn. The Botero Museum is the anchor here, and I gave it a full afternoon. Fernando Botero’s round figures are playful, but the real draw for me was the collection of Picasso and Monet he donated along with his own work. It is free, which surprised me almost as much as the sheer size of the galleries.

Just up the hill, the Monserrate cable car and funicular both offer the city’s best postcard view. I took the funicular up at dusk and watched the sprawl below turn into a grid of lights. The church at the top is a pilgrimage site, so expect crowds on Sundays. Going early on a weekday meant I had the walkway to myself, and the hot chocolate with cheese that I bought from a stall there remains one of my favorite meals of the trip.

Climb Gold Mountain

The Gold Museum, on a hill some locals still call Gold Mountain, holds more pre-Hispanic gold than any museum in the world. I am not normally one for metal artifacts, but the story the pieces tell changed my mind. In the room of the Muisca raft, a small golden model that is said to represent the legend of El Dorado, I stood for twenty minutes trying to imagine the ceremony behind it. The confused look the woman next to me gave me when I laughed at my own gaping was worth it. Entry is a few dollars on Sundays, and the permanent collection alone deserves two hours.

Eat Your Way Through the Market

No list of things to do in Bogota is honest without food. La Perseverancia market is a working market first and a tourist sight second, and I prefer it that way. I ate a plate of ajiaco, the creamy chicken and potato soup that Bogota claims as its own, sitting at a narrow counter while the woman who cooked it watched my reaction. I nodded, she nodded, and I ordered more. For fruit, the Paloquemao market in the afternoon is overwhelming in the best sense. I bought a bag of tamarillos, a fruit I had to be talked into eating raw, and the stall keeper peeled one and handed it to me like a secret. It was tart and sweet and unlike anything I had tasted.

Spend a Day in Usaquen

Usaquen used to be its own town before Bogota swallowed it, and it still keeps that small village feel. On Sundays the flea market takes over the main plaza, and I spent a pleasant two hours sorting through vinyl records, old books, and handmade leather goods. I haggled over a woven bag mostly for the sport of it, and we settled on a price with a handshake. The village clusters around a white church and a cluster of bakeries, so I balanced my souvenir haul with a cheese bread called almojabana and the strongest lemonade I have had anywhere.

Ride the TransMilenio Like a Local

The TransMilenio bus system gets a bad reputation with visitors, but it is the fastest way to cross a city this big and the fares are cheap. I fumbled through buying a card on my first try and the station attendant walked me through it without a hint of impatience. Avoid it between 7 and 9 in the morning and 5 and 8 at night, and you will survive fine. It also drops you right at many of the sights, which beats fighting taxis through the gridlock that fills the main avenues on rainy days.

Take a Day Trip to the Salt Cathedral

About an hour outside the city, deep in a former salt mine, the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral is the most unusual building I visited in Colombia. The interior is carved straight into the rock, and the walk through the stations of the cross passes through glowing chambers with a cross at the end. I went with a group tour that picked me up from my hotel, and it was worth every peso for the narration alone. If you have a free day, I would also steer you toward the high wetlands of Sumapaz. I did not have time, and I still regret it.

The Practical Bits

Give yourself the first day to adjust to the altitude. I lived on water and avoided alcohol at the start, and it saved me from the headache that catches people who rush. Carry an umbrella, because Bogota showers appear out of nowhere. And be sensible with your phone in the busier markets; I kept mine zipped and had no trouble. Most museums close on Mondays, so plan around that. The city is more walkable than its size suggests. I could not cover everything, but I left with a list for next time, which is exactly how a good city should leave you.