The capital is clearly not as charming a destination as the others in Colombia. The atmosphere is less relaxed, traffic jams are hellish and pollution stings the eyes. We don’t really know how the locals put up with it. However, if you are landing or departing from Bogota, do not hesitate to plan at least a day to visit the two superb museums and admire the city from the watchtower. This is another side of Colombia, which deserves to be discovered.
Practical advice for visiting Bogota
Sleep in Bogota In this city, the offer is particularly wide on the Airbnbsitewhere we found a nice apartment at around € 30 per night. We were in the Chapinero district which we liked, secure and lively (our accommodation is unfortunately no longer available). If you don’t have an account yet, feel free to use our referral link to get € 28 off your first booking. From the Hotels in Bogota Colombia you can get the best choices.
For a short stay, you will save time by staying directly in the historic district, “La Candelaria”. There are several good options on Booking:
- The CGH Candelaria Boutique hotel offers a dozen good-value rooms in a recent and well-kept establishment.
- More intimate and charming, the Magdalena Guest House contains only two rooms. Travelers appreciate the tasteful decoration, good bedding and the pretty little interior courtyard.
Restaurants and cafes
Since we had a kitchen, we didn’t try out many restaurants during the week. However, we retain:
The Casa Galeria café, spotted by its yellow and purple walls in the Candelaria district. You can try the chucula, the local hot chocolate.
For a good breakfast, the atmosphere of an old European café in the large room of the Florida pastry shop is particularly popular with Colombian families and you should easily find what you are looking for as the menu is provided.
For lunch at Chapinero, we loved the menu of the day from the little Bistro Veg, particularly neat and rather original.
Finally, for a more chic meal, we recommend Coloquial in the Usaquén district
The dishes are creative, refined, with good vegetarian options and friendly service. The dish is around 30,000 pesos / 6.70 € . Taste their Pisco Sour cocktail (even if it is not Colombian but Peruvian), you will tell us the news.
Free Walking Tour of Bogota We took a guided tour of the city center, paid for tips, with the agency Beyond Colombia . She offers the tour in either English or Spanish, and lasts nearly three hours. Our guide, cultivated and passionate, did everything to ensure that we leave with a good memory of this unloved city.
Getting around Bogota by bus
The main form of public transport in Bogota is the bus. Bus lines are referenced on Google Maps if you launch a transport route. The downside is that Google assigns numbers to certain lines which, however, are not shown anywhere on the vehicles. Don’t hesitate to ask the locals for help. For a big city, they are helpful.
The fastest buses in Bogota are the TransMilenios, very long accordion buses that burn the pavement on protected lanes to avoid traffic jams. Tickets can be purchased at the resort.