Guide to Top Things to Do in Bogotá on Your Own
Welcome to Colombia! Our first tour stop is in Bogotá, the alpine capital of Colombia. All of our Colombia tours start in Bogotá, in part to make travel easier for our tour group members and cut down on the amount of connecting flights you need to catch- part of #hassle-free travel with Vive Mas Tours. All our travelers have the option to arrive a day (or more) early, in case you want to be extra well-rested when the tour starts, or just want to extend your vacation. In case you’re exploring without our lead tour guide, Luis, here’s our guide to the 4 best things to do in Bogotá, and what to skip.
If you want us to help make reservations for you before the tour starts, we’re happy to arrange airport pickup and room reservations for an additional $150/night per room. Let us know here.
5 Best Things to See in Bogotá
Visit the Botero Museum. This museum is in the heart of the Candelaria district, featuring sculptures and paintings by one of Colombia’s most highly recognized international artists: Fernando Botero. Known for his unique style depicting people with outrageously rounded proportions, this museum is sure to entertain and delight. There are also select pieces by other famous Latin American artists, like Salvador Dali and Max Ernst. You can visit free of charge, just be sure to get there before 6pm, when the last admittance time is. If you’re staying in the Vive Más Tours preferred hotel, this museum is within walking distance.
2. Go to Montserrate. You have three options here: hiking, cable car, or the funicular. You can purchase tickets ahead of time online or in person at the box office for the cable car and funicular. They will cost around 30,000 COP or roughly ~7 USD (round trip). We strongly recommend going early in the morning or later in the afternoon- around 2pm or so- to avoid the long lines. The wait times are especially long around holidays, with wait times sometimes surpassing two hours. You can also purchase a fastpass ticket to skip the lines for about 15 USD per person, but you can only do that in person.
The funicular is a little bit like a subway car that goes up. The clear glass top and sides give you a great view of the surrounding lush vegetation and forested mountains that rise around Bogotá. The cable car (en español, el teléferico) also has views of the city and surrounding plant life. We recommend taking both, one each way, to get to experience them both. However, if you’re scared of heights, the funicular is probably the better option.
If neither of those appeal to you, the hike to the top is 3.6 miles roundtrip with 1,873 feet of elevation gain. Remember that you’re already starting at significant altitude, so the additional gain is no joke. The top of the hike will deposit you at 10,341 feet above sea level. If you’re coming from sea level or are not in great hiking shape, we recommend skipping the hike at Monserrate and saving your tennis shoes for our day in Cocora Valley, where our itinerary has you enjoying a guided hike through some of the tallest palm trees in the world.
At the top of Monserrate, you can check out the Sanctuary of Monserrate and stroll through the gardens depicting the stations of the cross. There are exotic birds that will fly in and out of sight, as well as beautiful landscapes surrounding the historical church. You can also find several restaurants and souvenir shopping near the top. I recommend a cup of tea and some warm empanadas to warm up with if it’s a chilly day.
3. Take a food tour.
Our travelers say great things about the Viejo Bogota Food Tour. You’ll get to taste 13+ different things. Their official tour description is:
“Colombian cuisine features dishes and ingredients unfamiliar to many visitors, even foodies. This small-group experience unlocks the secrets of some of the most complex and nuanced fare in South America. In the company of one food-obsessed guide, you'll embark on a feasting extravaganza through the streets of the old town and afterward take part in a coffee workshop to get familiar with some of the finest beans in the world.”
It’s a good chance to familiarize yourself with some of the different foods that will be available during your upcoming trip, but if you’re feeling crunched for time, we’ll do something similar during the first day of our tour.
4. Go Emerald Shopping. Colombia is known for having some of the world’s best emeralds, due to their color and vibrancy. Bogotá is much closer to the emerald mines than other cities on our tour, so emeralds might be a little less expensive in the city. We recommend going to the Emerald Trade Center in La Candelaria; a large building housing 40 different jewelry stores. Here, you can shop around for the perfect souvenir to commemorate a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. People will speak a mix of Spanish and English depending on what store you’re in, but they’re accustomed used to helping tourists and foreigners out.
P.S.- If you don’t have an extra free day in Colombia but still want to go emerald shopping, no worries: there are lots of emerald shops within walking distance of our hotel in Cartagena. You might even choose to spend your free day in Cartagena shopping to your heart’s content (and your partner’s despair, if you’re like me ;) )
5. Treat yourself to a mani-pedi. Jenny, (the Vive Más Tours President/Owner) likes to get her mani-pedis as part of her pre-trip prep, whereas I always get my nails done in Colombia during our free time on the tour. I like to do it while in Colombia because it’s a good chance to practice my Spanish and it’s always nice to do something restful while on tour without feeling like I’m letting life pass me by in a hotel. Plus, manicures in Colombia are much less expensive than in the States. A mani-pedi at the Jlounge in Boulder costs about ~135 USD for gel nails and regular toenails. The same thing cost me about $30 USD in Bogotá, plus I had little gem embellishments added to two of my nails. My favorite place is Areli’ Salon- they have two different stores within a block, one for haircuts and one for nails. You can walk into either (not far from our hotel) with your request, and they’ll take you to the right shop.
What NOT to do in Bogotá if you arrive early
If you’re using this article as a guide to before starting your inclusive tour with Vive Más Tours, then skip these following two activities, as they are already a part of your itinerary with us. If you are not traveling with Vive Más Tours, then we definitely reccomend building these into your time in Colombia!
Avoid a market-tasting food tour. While fun, you’re setting yourself up for a repeat experience, as you and the group will be doing this tomorrow! On the first day of our tour, you’ll join Luis through an exclusive tour of one of Colombia’s largest outdoor markets. He’ll arrange for you to try mountains of fresh Colombian goodies, from baked goods like pan de bono and yuca bread with sweet guava filling to exotic fruits you won’t find at Whole Foods like guanabana and the savory sweet tomate del árbol. You’ll also get to try at least three different varieties of avocado at peak freshness- a real treat if you’re coming from the northern U.S. in the winter, where the avocados can be subpar.
Don’t visit the Museo del Oro. Typically, before the tour of the market, you and the group will get to go to the Museo del Oro. This is just a block away from our hotel in the heart of La Candelária district. Here, we’ll enlist the help of an expert guide to lead us through the best of the museum's exhibits, explaining each of the key artifacts and going beyond what the placards say, to help you form your own interpretation of the artifacts. You’ll get to see a real mummy, complete with excellent teeth; lots of gold jewelry that spiritual leaders used to adorn themselves with to fill themselves with the sun’s power; and learn about the ancient techniques behind the artwork. Our guide will answer all your questions and keep your museum visit interesting.
What will your adventure be in Bogotá?
