The capital of Columbia is a very special city due to the fact that is located at an 2.600 meter altitude, which makes it the 3rd highest capital in entire South America. Also the size is remarkable and the enormous growth making it now with around 8Mio inhabitants one of the biggest cities in entire South America. Due to its high altitude the climate is rather „cold“ around 20 degrees Celsius normally. Given its heritage as a city founded by the Spanish in the 15th century you can find a lot of buildings in Colonial style.
La Candelaria
The historical city center is called La Candelaria where you can find dozens of places, museums and an endless amount of old Colonial style buildings. At my stay in Bogota I stayed in this area having all major sights in walking distance. I can also encourage you to book one free walking tour or a special graffiti tour.
Plaza de Bolivar
At the heart of the Candelaria district is the famous Plaza de Bolivar. In the middle of it there is the big statue of Simon Bolivar, a local war and independence hero from the 19th century, after whom the place was named. The plaza is surrounded by some official government building and the cathedral at the beginning. Mostly it is also covered in pigeons, which is rather nasty.
Museo del Oro
The national gold Museum gives you a great historic view on to the fantastic crafting capabilities of the native Columbian people. It is located at Calle 16 and really cheap to get in for just 5.000COP. The museum area itself covers several floors and is really well curated. Multimedia elements every now and then give a modern touch. The artifacts itself tell the story of gold crafting from the very early ages until the Conquistadors entered the country.
Monserrate
The hill Monserrate is the tourist attraction in Bogota and a must see. It is located at the East side of the city and directly in the La Candelaria district. There is the option to walk the around 500m uphill by yourself or take the train / cable car. Caution: The walking passage was only opened to use on Wednesdays and closed the other days. Also be aware of quite some crowds at the station – I waited 1h to get into the gondola. The wait was definitely worth it. At the top you can walk around and explore the area. Most visited is the basilica , which on the sidewalks also offers the best view over the city. An that is probably also the #1 reason why you should get up there – the view is just stunning.
Graffiti/Street Art Best of
Like many other cities in South America Bogota is also covered in graffiti and street art. The scene here is really very active and offers a great variety of art, coming from political motivated statements to just house owners who want a more fancy looking wall design. There is a great tour I can recommend you: https://bogotagraffiti.com/
