Bogotá sits at over 2,600 metres in the Andes, a high-altitude capital whose colonial La Candelaria district (brightly painted houses, Spanish balconies, and centuries-old churches) sits alongside a modern city that has undergone a genuine cultural renaissance over the past two decades, moving well past its past reputation for instability.
La Candelaria
La Candelaria's colonial streets, home to the Gold Museum's staggering collection of pre-Columbian gold artefacts (over 34,000 pieces), give the district a genuine claim to being one of the best colonial cores in South America, the Botero Museum nearby, donated by the artist himself, is free to visit and holds both his own distinctively rotund figures and his personal collection of Picasso, Monet, and Dalí.
Street art has become a defining feature of the neighbourhood, with guided graffiti tours explaining both the artistic techniques and the political and social commentary embedded throughout the murals.
Monserrate and Beyond
Monserrate, a mountain rising above the city to over 3,150 metres, is reached by cable car or funicular and holds a small church at its summit along with sweeping views over the entire Bogotá sprawl, a clear-day visit gives the best sense of just how large and mountain-ringed the city truly is.
Zipaquirá's Salt Cathedral, an hour outside the city, is a Catholic church carved entirely within a working salt mine, with chambers and a nave carved from rock salt lit dramatically for effect, a genuinely unusual day trip.
Recommended Stay · Bogotá · Zona Rosa
Four Seasons Hotel Bogotá
A hotel spanning two connected historic and modern buildings in Bogotá's upscale Zona Rosa district, close to the city's best restaurants and nightlife.
