Bogotá
The capital of Colombia. They say, “The people are cold and the weather is cold”. My verdict – it’s all relative. Bogotá actually reminds me in many ways of New York. The locals aren’t cold, they’re just busy, and I can honestly say they are some of the most genuine people I have met throughout my travels. And the weather isn’t exactly cold, compared to NYC cold at least, but be prepared to possibly get caught in the rain. Overall, I really like Bogotá, I think it’s a great place to enjoy life – restaurants, cafes, and nightlife, with some sightseeing sprinkled in. It’s a city made for the Colombian verses a curated tourist destination, and I really appreciate that. If you like city life, Bogotá is worth a visit.
Where To Stay
There are a few areas in Bogotá worth checking out. As Uber is pretty efficient within the city, the choice is yours if you want to spend all of your time based out of one area or move around a bit.
Chapinero, Selina Chapinero: Chapinero was a highlight for me. It’s a nice place to stroll, shop, and grab a bite. It’s filled with both upscale and lively bars/clubs appealing to anybody and everybody
Parque 93, Selina Parque 93: This part of the city is upscale, where parks and cafes are plentiful. This hostel has a clean enough kitchen and security at the front entrance. There is a coworking area – but it’s private. I believe you can purchase a day pass. I met a few people in this hostel despite the slightly “unsocial vibe”. As a rule of thumb, I wouldn’t book tours or excursions with Selina before doing your own research because they tend to upcharge significantly as they appeal to a digital nomad crowd. Would book again – but don’t expect a warm and fuzzy kumbaya hostel experience
La Candelaria, Selina La Candelaria: La Candelaria is a must-see, regardless if you’re staying there or not. This is the historic center filled with cobblestone streets, hole in the wall restaurants, bars, shops, and colonial architecture beautifully contrasting the modern skyscrapers which surround it. I can’t attest to this Selina besides knowing it’s a good location, but my experience is typically that a Selina is a Selina. Consistently clean with comfortable beds, a bit noisy, and hit or miss with the social scene. In regards to safety, La Candelaria can get a bit dicey at night, so take that into consideration
La Candelaria, The Cranky Croc: Travelers swear by this Aussie operated hostel. As per the reviews, it seems to have some pretty cool tours/activities. I think out of all of the hostels, this seems to have the best backpacker vibe if that’s what you’re looking for
La Candelaria, Masaya: Masaya is another chain with consistently reliable accommodation. This hostel has great reviews on hostelworld and The Broke Backpacker recommends it for solo travelers
Note: I stayed at El Viajero which is near both Monserrate and La Candelaria. Though the location is central, I didn’t find the immediate area very enticing and wasn’t too impressed with the hostel itself. It was clean, comfortable, had a free co-working space, and I was able to strike up conversation with some other solo travelers. I just felt a bit of an old haunted house vibe. There is a spa, but I don’t know many backpackers looking for assumingely pricey spa treatments, though I didn’t really look at the menu to be fair. Also the wi-fi didn’t reach my room – maybe that’s why I’m salty
Where To Eat
Bogotá has an impressive international food scene. Restaurants are impressively aesthetic with their own personalities, food is of great quality, and I found prices to be even better than Medellín.
- Cafe Bar Universal: Chapinero
- Mesa Franca: Chapinero
- Cantina y Punto: Chapinero
- Gaudí: La Macarena
- La Brasserie: Chapinero
- Storia d Amor: Multiple locations, great for lunch
- Grupo Takami: This group operates more than 10 restaurants throughout Bogotá, from a Cevichería to Italian. Locations throughout the city
- La Taqueria: Multiple locations throughout the city
- El Chato: A restaurant in Chapinero continuously rated best restaurant in Bogotá and one of the best in Latin America. I haven’t been, but if you’re a foodie, it’s worth checking out
- La Puerta Falsa: La Candelaria, famous spot for typical food
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Tet Taberna Vietnamita: Chapinero
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Andres Carne de Res: a restaurant which turns into a nightclub
For fast casual dining, local favorites include:
- Masa: multiple locations. Casual cafe great for breakfast or lunch
- Crepes and Waffles: It’s a chain adored by Colombians. Good for lunch or to grab a dessert
- Fun fact: Almost the entirety of the Crepes and Waffles workforce is composed of women, many of which are single mothers
- Wok: Asian inspired chain
- Mesa Salvaje: plant based
- Elektra: plant based
- Azahar Cafe: coffee shop in Parque 93 with nice atmosphere and also serves food
- Brot Bakery and Cafe: coffee, food, and pastries, near parque 93
- Colo Coffee: multiple locations
- Cafe Cultor: Cafe in Chapinero, fantastic coffee with nice indoor and outdoor seating
- Matchacha: for fellow matcha enthusiasts
- Arepas on every corner. Most carts prepare homemade arepas with eggs, cheese, meat, etc.
- Juices and fruits are frequently found on carts lining the streets. They tend to eat their fruit covered in sugar and condensed milk
- Breads, so many breads. Pan de yuca, Pan de queso, Almojabanas, Pandebono, the list goes on. These can be found at any of the many bakeries throughout the city
- Guanabana – This fruit is known for its cancer fighting properties. You can find smoothies on the street and there is even a chain which claims its amazing health benefits. Though I must add, these health benefits may be mitigated when opting for flavors such as “Oreo”
- The market near Candaleria called Mercado de la Concordia has cheap local food and a nice outdoor dining patio
- Chocolate Santafereño is a classic treat in Bogotá, consisting of cheese in hot chocolate. La Puerta Falsa is a famous spot to try this
- Ajiaca is also a typical soup dish consisting of potatoes, corn, avocado with a few variations
Nightlife
- Andres Carne de Res: mentioned before
- Kaputt: nightclub
- Espacio Odeón: nightclub
- Theatron: nightclub
- El Mono Bandido: multiple locations throughout the city. It’s a social bar, especially on weekends, with some food as well. The napkins have an icebreaker on them and the waiters will help you connect with other tables
- BBC: Bogota Brewing Company
What To Do
Montserrate: Three ways to get there, walking, cable car, or funicular. The walking path closes at 1pm. If you are trying to go for sunset, which I would recommend, take the cable car or funicular. Colombian superstition says that couples who visit Monserrate together will never get married. Do with that what you wish. At the top, there is a chapel, market, and a few overpriced restaurants. Make sure to give yourself enough time as the queue for the funicular can get lengthy
Bike Tour in Candelaria: This tip-based bike tour is amazing. There are a few different companies that run a similar tour. They teach about the history of Bogotá and visit cultural highlights. Bogotá is extremely bike friendly so don’t worry if you’re not an expert biker. This tour went through La Candalería, historical monuments such as Plaza Bolivar, a few parks where we stopped to taste exotic fruit juices, the financial district, the quaint neighborhood of Quinta Camacho and even passed though the red light district. This is a must do activity
Sunday Ciclovía: on the topic of bikes, if in Bogotá on a Sunday, the city shuts down a few main roads for bikers, even carrera 7 which is one of the longest roads in the city. There are regular and e-bikes available for rent throughout the city if you’d like to join in
Explore Chapinero: A personal favorite. There are a few smaller neighborhoods worth exploring within Chapinero; Zona G, Quinta Camacho, Chapinero Central, and Chapinero Alto. Each have a cluster of restaurants, bars, and shops
Parks: ParkWay, and Park Virrey were two of my favorites. Surrounded by nice restaurants and cafes with plenty of people and dog watching. Take a stroll, set up a blanket, or jog through these parks to feel a little normalcy while traveling. Parque Central Simon Bolivar is also a popular park, it’s possible to rent row small boats on the lake
Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral: Can be reached by bus, uber, or tour with transportation. It’s a fair bit outside of the city but I’ve heard it’s worth it (I didn’t go – sorry). Avoid Sundays as they are the busiest days as locals still go to the Cathedral to worship.
Museo del Oro: is in the city and is worth a visit if you have time. It delves into the history of indigenous gold that was seized by the Spanish
Guinea pig gambling: I try to never support the abuse or exploitation of animals, but I’m not sure that this falls into that category. They aren’t really being forced to do anything – tell me if I’m wrong. Whoever’s money the guinea pig runs to, is essentially the winner from what I understand
Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao: A good place to browse exotic fruit or pick up some flowers or snacks
Sunday Market in Usaquén: Usaquén is another very cute neighborhood with cobblestone streets and restaurants. There is a famous Sunday market. For less crowds, a smaller version is offered on Saturdays and even during the week, it’s a nice place to walk around
Musica Festival: If in Bogotá in March, Festival Estéreo Picnic is a really popular and well done music festival
Villa de Leyva: 3 hours by bus from Bogotá, Villa de Leyva is a small, well-preserved, colonial town. It has the largest main square in South America, cobble stone streets, a local market, and it’s in a setting surrounded by nature and activities
Safety
It would be irresponsible not to touch on safety. As I felt safe in Bogotá, stories of robberies are not uncommon. Be careful and follow the same rule of thumb of any large city. If you’re unsure of the area or neighborhood you have to walk through, Uber is a great option as it’s affordable and much safer than walking, especially at night or with valuables.
