What to do in 3 days in Bogotá

First time in Bogota? Here's everything you need to know to enjoy Colombia's largest city.

Our XNUMX-day trip to Colombia began in the capital, Bogotá, continued to Cartagena and concluded at Tayrona National Park, near the town of Santa Marta. It was the perfect introduction to Colombia and a truly enjoyable experience.

Despite being close to the equator, Bogotá sits at an altitude of 2.600 meters, giving it a mild climate year-round. We visited in January (technically winter, since Bogotá, though located in South America, is in the Northern Hemisphere), and the weather was pleasant. It was sunny with mild warmth during the day, but there was a nice, refreshing chill in the early morning and evening.

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What to do in 3 days in Bogotá

The first day in Bogotá involved arriving in the city, going to our hotel, which was close to Parque de la 93, in the north part of the city. That afternoon we explored the surrounds, an area of Bogota filled with nice restaurants, bars and shops.

We had lunch, ice cream, sipped some local coffee, at the ubiquitous Juan Valdez (I would say it's the Colombian equivalent of Starbucks - although there is Starbucks there, including one there at Parque de la 93) but also at a local coffee shop(Azahar Café), we toasted the beginning of the trip with a local beer, kids enjoyed the playground at Parque de La 93 and then the hotel pool (which had a beautiful view of the city). In other words, we were on vacation mode - no commitments, no stress. The real trip was about to begin the following day.

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La Candelaria

The next day, we went to explore the historic center of the city, La Candelaria neighborhood. Get ready to walk: there's a lot of cool stuff around there. We went by uber and it was absolutely fine. It was Sunday, there was no traffic and the streets in that area seemed to be relatively empty. I believe that on weekdays it may be much more crowded.

We did everything there on foot, you can easily walk, making it a great alternative to take a guided walking tour.

We went to the Plaza de Bolivar is the main square in Bogotá, where Congress and Supreme Court are located, as well as the beautiful Cathedral (Catedral Primada de Colombia), as well as other historic and governmental buildings. Construction of the Cathedral began in 1807 and was completed in 1823.

There are many street vendors in the region, especially in front of the Cathedral, selling everything: food, handicrafts, hot air balloons, souvenirs, trinkets in general. I suggest trying the mango with lemon and salt - it may seem a little strange, but it's delicious.

From there, following Calle 11, you will find Gabriel Garcia Marquez Cultural Center and the Botero Museum, in addition to the Independence Museum, Luis Angel Arango Library and churches and other historic buildings.

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Botero Museum

Museo Botero is a must see. It is located in a set of colonial houses and is maintained by the Banco de la Republica de Colombia.

In the year 2000, the artist Fernando Botero , the one that paints the "chubbies", donated a collection of 123 works by himself and 85 by international artists, among them Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Pissaro, Edgar Degas , Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Toulousse Lautrec, Joan Miró, Francis Bacon, Alexander Calder, Gustav Klimt, Giacometti and other artists from the 19th century onwards.

Entry is free and the visit is very pleasant. Botero's works are simple and, at the same time, absolutely interesting – the reinterpretations of famous works are fun, in addition to the animals, all very chubby and with priceless expressions, there are even chubby fruits there.

The rooms are arranged around an inner courtyard in a historic house, creating a friendly and easy-to-navigate experience. It’s a small, well-organized museum where you can explore each room at your own pace and still see everything within a few hours, stress-free and without crowds (at least during our visit, it was far from crowded).

The coffee attached to the museum is excellent.

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Gabriel Garcia Márques Cultural Center

We also visited the Gabriel Garcia Márques Culture Center As a fan of the writer, I must admit I expected more from the place. When we visited, there were no exhibitions or events, perhaps due to the still ongoing restrictions from the pandemic.

The on-site bookstore is excellent, with a good selection of books in English and other languages, and the upstairs terrace is a pleasant spot to take a break and watch the street below. There’s also a branch of the ubiquitous Café Juan Valdez.

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Museo del Oro

From the Botero Museum or the Gabriel Garcia Marques Cultural Center, it is just a few blocks to walk to the Museo del Oro. Another mandatory stop on your visit to Bogotá, the Gold Museum presents the history, culture and art of the native americans of Colombia, the so called pre-Columbian peoples.

The amount of gold pieces is impressive, as well as countless pieces in other materials such as silver, ceramics, stone, bone, shell and textiles, from different times, cultures and peoples who inhabited the region that is present Colombia. It is very well organized and signposted in Spanish and English.

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One of the most impressive pieces in the museum is the “Balsa Muisca de las Ofrendas“, which is considered the symbol of the legend of “El Dorado”. The panels in the room tell this legend, which deals with the investiture of local chiefs enshrined in rituals with naked bodies bathed in gold dust and precious stones thrown into the lake. It's worth stopping for a few minutes to read the story.

Next to the Gold Museum there are several stores selling typical Colombian products and some cafes.

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Bogota bike tour

On our third day in Bogotá, we had planned to go to Catedral de Sal (more on that later) but we changed our plans and decided to take the opportunity to get to know the city a little more, in a fun way, and which proved to be perfect: a bike tour of Bogota.

We did it with Bogota Bike Tours, (here you will find other options) our guide was Michel, a super nice guy, excellent biker and enlightened person, he taught us about the history of the country and the city, he explained to us how Bogotá is organized spatially and socially, and we were able to discuss country’s social situation and current politics and its challenges. Really a tour that was worth it in all aspects.

We made several stops during the tour. In some of them for our guide explained about the city, the buildings and historical events that took place there, there were lots of stops to eat! First in the Parque Nacional, then in a ice cream shop with typical flavors of the region, then at the market for local fruit tasting – one more delicious than the other, needless to say we returned to the hotel with a bag full of them. The market we stopped at was Las Nieves Market Plaza, but the biggest and best known is Paloquemao, not far from that one.

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The last stop – the one most awaited by adults 🙂 was at a local coffee shop, in which we learned about the entire process of roasting, grinding and preparing real Colombian coffee – at that time, the space in our backpack was already small, but we managed to include a few kilos of coffee, of course.

Although our kids (then aged nine and ten at the time) know how to ride a bike, we were unsure if they would keep in a group tour, so we opted for a private tour. It all went really well and was excellent, but it would have been really cool to do it in a group and have the opportunity to meet other people.

We took the tour on a Monday, but it was a national holiday and, as happens on Sundays, several streets were closed to cars and free to pedestrians and cyclists, with lots of people enjoying the day outdoors. If you have the opportunity to take this tour on a Sunday or holiday, it will be perfect!

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Other things to do in Bogotá

After the bike tour, we had planned to climb Montserrat , since the departure and arrival point of the bike tour is in La Candelaria, relatively close to the funicular station that takes you up the hill. But after such a nice bike tour, kids were tired, the backpack was heavy with all the delicious things we had bought on the way, everyone with hungry and such, so we decided to leave this tour for our next time in Colombia.

We were told that it is well worth the climb, you can go by funicular, cable car or on foot along a trail of approx. 2,5km – approximately 500 meters of elevation difference – but it is recommend doing the hike only on weekends or holidays. In addition to the incredible views of the city, up there there is the Montserrat Church, restaurants and craft shops.

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What to do near Bogotá

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Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá

On our last day in Bogotá, we had planned to go to Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá, but we ended up opting for the bike tour. As the name suggests, it is a cathedral made entirely of salt. It was built in what were once underground salt mines, at a depth of 180m and is now one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country. If you are thinking about visiting Zipaquirá, it is about 50 km from Bogotá, with easy access by bus, train, car or tours.

It seems to be a really fascinating place, even for those who are not interested in religious tourism, and if we had an extra day in Bogotá this would certainly be our destination.

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Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva is a colonial town about 160km north of Bogotá. It is known for its white colonial buildings and cobblestone alleys. Founded in 1572, it had its heyday in the 17th century and since then has remained practically untouched, it is considered one of the best examples of colonial architecture in the country. Today the town basically lives off tourism and is one of Bogotanians' favorite weekend destinations.

It is possible to visit it on day trips from Bogotá, but depending on traffic it can take more than 3 hours to get there, which seemed quite tiring to me. There are organized tours from Bogotá, which may be a less tiring option, is worth checking out. Another option is to stay there, there are several options of charming inns and hotels, such as Hotel La Corada or Hotel Villa del Angel, both at a great price and right in the center of town.

Where to stay in Bogotá

Our proposal for the days there was to enjoy the city and the local life. We wanted to know what it's like to live in the city, moving away from the typically tourist areas. After researching on the internet, we decided on the northern area of the city - Chapineiro, Chicó and Parque de la 93.

We stayed at Hotel Estellar Parque de la 93. Close to several restaurants, bars, shops and cafes, in a very nice neighborhood. In a way, it reminds a lot of the region we live in, but with different airs. You know that feeling, of feeling at home, but in another country?

From what we could see, that area concentrates more business tourism and the higher income local resident. In other words, it’s far from a portrait of the country's ordinary reality, but not an uninteresting place to visit and stay. Overall, we loved it. It was perfect for what we were looking for: to relax and enjoy the city with tranquility.

If you prefer to stay in the historic central area, a very popular area with tourists is the La Candelaria neighborhood. One option I saw in this area and it looked good, with excellent value for money, was Hotel Casa Deco.

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What and where to eat in Bogotá

Bogotá is a cosmopolitan city, with restaurants for all tastes and budgets, so I imagine that you, like us, will have great gastronomic experiences over there.

Street food is a must in Bogotá: arepas, tamales, patacones and much more, it's worth stopping at the food stalls, whether downtown or in a park, and trying everything!

And the fruits!! There is so much variety of fruits, some known or similar to what we are used to, others completely different - and delicious. From what I remember, we tried granadilla (sweet passion fruit), yellow pitaya , lulo, tree tomatoes, guanabana (soursop), mangosteen, feijoa, uchuva (physalis), zapote, curuba, in addition to the most common fruits, such as carambola, mango, passion fruit, strawberry, piña (pineapple), banana and avocado.

A typical Colombian dish, found in all local restaurants, is bandeja paisa , a plate usually with rice, beans, fried egg, pantacones, chicken or beef sausage, avocado and pork rinds. Another characteristic dish of the city is ajiaco, a soup with corn, chicken, avocado and other vegetables.

In the central region of the city, there are several restaurants, snack bars, bars, stalls. In other words, there will be no shortage of options to eat. We went to a very simple restaurant, close to Plaza de Bolivar, nothing noteworthy and whose name I don't remember.

What I can recommend are the restaurants we went to close to Parque de la 93 , besides these, there are many others around there that looked pretty good:

– Vista Corona Bogotá

– Crepes & Waffles Parque de la 93

– La Diva, Calle 93 Bogota

– La Lucha Sangucheria Criolla 93

– Chef Burger Parque 93

– Cacio & Pepe

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How to get to Bogotá and how to get around Bogotá

Avianca is the main Colombian air carrier, connecting the city with major destinations in the USA, Europe and South America. We went from São Paulo to Bogotá on a direct Avianca flight and had a great experience. From the airport to the hotel we took a taxi, pre-booked directly with our hotel.

We got around the city by Uber or taxi, which was also absolutely peaceful.

After Bogotá, we flew to Cartagena de Indias, and from there we rented a car to explore the beaches around Tayrona National Park.

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