Bogotá, Colombia

Bogotá highlights

Ciclovia
La Candelaria
Gold museum
Museo Botero

Why visit Bogotá?

For an interesting and evolving South American city that is perfect for history buffs and art lovers.

Getting there and around

In February 2022 when our kids were 6 and 9 years old we travelled to Colombia.

Our trip to Colombia was our first visit to South America, and complicated by the fact we were travelling during the COVID pandemic before airlines had fully recovered. We booked this trip (flights, accommodation, transport and local guides) through a tour company which gave us ATOL protection, reassurance and convenience, but at an extra cost.

We used Journey Latin America who were excellent from start to finish. We could have put a similar trip together ourselves but we wouldn’t have had their insights into accommodation, activities, and best of all the excellent local guides they sourced for us.

Our direct flight from London to Bogotá was cancelled a few weeks before our trip and so we flew from Manchester to Amsterdam, and then from Amsterdam to Bogotá with KLM. The journey took 14 hours including connection time.

We had an amazing local guide, Camilla, arranged for us through the travel agent Journey Latin America. Camilla’s enthusiasm for Bogota was infectious and she was kind, accommodating and playful with our children making them feel welcomed and at ease. Camilla met us at the airport with a private driver who took us to our hotel and the next day collected us for a fantastic walking tour of the city.

Accommodation

In Bogotá we stayed in the very smart Hotel EK in an area to the north of Chapinero. We only stayed here for one night but would have loved to stay longer. We had a family room with 2 double beds.

Breakfast had a lovely selection of traditional Colombian breads, fruit and soups, as well as American options such as pancakes and eggs.

We were so jet lagged we didn’t manage to explore the beautiful area around the hotel in the evening which was a shame because it looked lovely.

The hotel was an hour’s drive from the airport and about 45 minutes drive from La Candelaria.

Our star rating: 4

Our cost rating: 3

EK Hotel

Ciclovia

We were in Bogotá on a Sunday when every week the city closes 100km of streets in the centre to cars. Known as ‘Ciclovia’ this initiative has been going since 1974. It has inspired similar ‘open streets’ programmes in cities around the world. The atmosphere was great with lots of families and friends out walking, cycling and playing.

La Candelaria

The old city has experienced a renaissance in recent years with young people moving in and opening bars, cafes and hostels.
The old buildings are beautiful and being restored with care. In this area we saw lots of street art, our favourites were by the artist Guache who shines a light on indigenous people and culture. You can find more information on Bogotá’s street art here.

We stopped at the Plaza Bolivar where we bought some bird feed and fed the pigeons and we learnt a bit about Simone Bolivar who led Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Bolivia to independence from the Spanish in the early 19th century.

For lunch we tried the traditional dish of Bogotá - ajiaco. This delicious and hearty soup is a must-try dish in Colombia. It’s perfect for fuelling and day walking around Bogotá. Served in an earthenware bowl, it contains chicken, potatoes, avocado, capers, corn, and cream. It was warming and comforting and yummy!

We drank fresh fruit smoothies, which come in every flavour imaginable including passion fruit and mango which were our favourites. Throughout Bogotá (and in Medellin and Cartagena too) we saw fruit and fruit juice stalls stocked with an abundance and diverse variety of fresh produce.

Gold Museum

We needed to show proof of our covid vaccinations and ID to enter the museum which is free on Sundays. The kids enjoyed treasure hunting at the gold museum. The staff gave them each a sheet of pictures with exhibits to find. The museum is free to visit and has a breathtaking collection of gold from different parts of Colombia. The architecture of the building itself was also impressive.