BogotáTravel Guide

This is the entertainment hub of Bogotá and a trendy neighbourhood for luxury and boutique hotels. One of the best luxury hotels close to Zona Rosa is the Sofitel Bogotá Victoria Regia. Combining French art and flair with Colombian influences, the hotel offers gorgeous rooms, upmarket dining and an on-site gym.

Another top hotel is Hotel GHL Collection Hamilton. The rooms are stylish and comfortable. Plus, there’s the on-site Cook’s Restaurant, three meeting rooms and a business centre, as well as other services and amenities — making it the perfect choice for both leisure and business trips. 

This is Bogotá’s historic district and UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you’re on a hostel budget and keen to learn more about Bogotá’s past, the Arche Norah Hostel is ideal. Situated close to all the tourist hot spots, this hostel is quaint and small with a variety of rooms. Enjoy the rooftop terrace, free breakfast and free all-day coffee! Yessss!

The LGBTQ-friendly and trendy Chapinero is another excellent area to stay in Bogotá. Our top pick is the classy Hotel El Dorado Bogotá, with its 76 cosy rooms, Colombian-style restaurant Origen and Asian-influenced Mai Tai, as well as a gym.

Plaza de Bolívar is Bogotá's central square, a meeting place for locals and a popular tourist attraction. Admire historical landmarks here and enjoy free cultural activities. Established in the 1500s, the square got a makeover in 1960 to commemorate Colombia's 150th year of independence. 

Bogotá was named a Creative City of Music by UNESCO in March 2012 because of the diverse genres found here, including traditional, popular and avant-garde. The city hosts over 50 annual music festivals and some 500 live music venues. Among the most popular is the Festivales al Parque (Festivals in the Park). This free, annual event hosts open-air concerts with performances from rock and jazz to opera. 

Bogotá is the ideal springboard for day trips, such as to the Salt Cathedral Zipaquirá — which, as the name implies, is a church carved into an underground salt mine. Far from being just a fascinating historical relic, church services (including weddings) are still held there! You can get to it from Bogotá via bus, train or taxi.

Recommended for nature lovers is exploring Chicaque, a cloud forest featuring several ecotrails, or visiting Colombia’s highest waterfall, La Chorrera. Tours for both can be booked departing from Bogotá. 

Zona Rosa’s nightlife is legendary! From salsa clubs and live music venues to rooftop bars, your perfect party place awaits. La Candelaria’s party vibes are steeped in history, while Chapinero also has some great party zones.

Learn about Colombian coffee cultivation by going on a guided tour of a coffee plantation. Tours leave from the city’s various hotels, and some even let you participate in picking, grinding and roasting the beans. Coffee tastings are included — a real bean-to-cup experience! 

Bogotá boasts over 50 museums and more than 60 galleries showcasing Colombia’s diverse cultural heritage and world-class art collections. Some of the city’s best museums include the Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá and the National Museum of Colombia. The dazzling Gold Museum, or Museo del Oro in Spanish, houses the world’s largest pre-Hispanic goldworks collection — about 34,000 gold pieces (yes, you read that right)!  

Street art lovers are equally spoilt for choice thanks to Bogotá’s street art culture. The best-known districts include La Candelaria — the downtown area — Distrito Graffiti, Los Puentes, El Consuelo and Buenavista. Book a tour to learn about the city’s leading graffiti artists and see as many murals as possible! 

The historical hot spot of Bogotá is La Candelaria, with its cobblestone streets, colourful colonial architecture, 19th-century eaves and striking churches. It's abuzz with all kinds of people, from businesspeople and students to tourists like yourself. It's also home to around 500 institutions, including Bogotá's finest museums, libraries, universities, theatres and research centres, as well as trendy cafés and shops. 

Bogotá, like any major city, struggles with noise pollution and traffic jams. But the locals have used this as an opportunity to create the tradition of the car-free Sundays known as Ciclovía.

Many roads are closed and made into pedestrian-only zones (cyclists and skateboarders remain welcome). Street entertainment includes games and dancing and there are pop-up markets to enjoy.

The plaza in Usaquén features excellent eateries, such as 80 sillas. Its menu features seafood dishes like crab ravioli, as well as dishes for carnivores like grilled pork steak — all served in a stylish setting. Also recommended is La Mar Cebichería Peruana, a Peruvian restaurant.  

A must-visit for both gastronomy and the experience, is the Monserrate sanctuary in the eastern hills of Bogotá. Its 17th-century white church, Basilica del Señor de Monserrate, is visible from anywhere in the city, and a four-minute cable car ride takes you to the top – around 3,152m above sea level, so you can imagine the panoramic views! Here, you can taste your way through fast food and street food like empanadas to fine dining menus and bistro fare — it’s a one-stop culinary adventure!

In trendy Zona G, try Café Bar Universal — popular for its lively atmosphere, bistro menu and cocktails — or the home of French pastries in Bogotá: Grazia. The latter offers delectable gluten-free treats, sublime cakes and tarts, and savoury pastries.

Finding street food in Bogotá is easy. On street corners and in alleys, street-food vendors set up their stalls or grills early in the morning; some even get fancy and whip up crêpes. You can also enjoy pizza done the Columbian way from food trucks (Did you know pizza restaurants are plentiful in Bogotá?!). The vibey and busy La Perseverancia Market is the place to go to sample street food from different regions all in one place. It’s situated in the neighbourhood of the same name, one of the oldest in Bogotá.