3 Day Bogotá Itinerary – The Colombian Capital City

For many, a mention of Colombia will bring one of two things to mind: a country known for its coffee exports or the infamous drug wars. While you would be justified in thinking either of these, Colombia is hard at work and well on its way to kicking that perception. While it would be incorrect to state that Colombia has left behind the drug exporting industry everywhere in the country, it has removed this from the tourist areas and from anywhere we will explore on this itinerary. Colombia has so much to offer to travelers including great beaches, colonial history, a vibrant and joyful people, a history of the drug conflicts, and yes, great coffee. One of the first stops on many itineraries will be Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. The following is a three-part Colombia Itinerary. Continue reading for a 3 Day Bogotá Itinerary.

This is the first part of a three-part Colombia Itinerary. For the other portions of the Colombia Itinerary, visit the main itinerary page or the city-specific pages below:

1. Bogotá – The Colombian Capital City (this post)
2. Cartagena – Colorful, Vibrant, Colonial
3. Medellín – Coffee and Drug War History

Day 0 – Travel

As is typical, I prefer starting travel later in the afternoon or evening in order to minimize time off work. Traveling to Colombia from the United States is a fairly short flight for most origins. From the East Coast of the United States, non-stop flights are generally between 4 – 5 hours. Non-stops from the West Coast of the US are less common, so connecting itineraries are often 9 – 10 hours. Both of these flights can be easily be done in the late afternoon or evening. Colombia is also in the same time zone as portions of the US; therefore, travelers arriving in the evening will be ready to start exploring the next morning without any issues.

Day 1

Monserrate

If you feel up to the hike, climbing Monserrate and taking either the cable car or funicular down is a great option. The climb includes some great picture opportunities of Bogotá from above. The actual hike is fairly easy as it is on a paved path. The incline will be the most challenging part for many who choose to hike it. Also, be aware of the elevation in Bogotá. Located at over 10,000 feet in elevation, oxygen levels are lower than what most visitors will be used to. This will make you tire much more easily and is something that all visitors need to be aware of when doing any activity.

If the hike isn’t for you, there are two other options for getting to the top of Monserrate: funicular and cable car. Both are unique experiences and provide a different vantage point of the mountain. The funicular runs along the mountainside and provides views of the steep incline. Obviously, the cable car moves along the cable track in the air. This provides some nice unobstructed views of the Bogotá skyline.

Once visitors arrive at the top, there are several things to explore. First, there is a winding path that leads from the exit of the funicular up towards the church at the top of Monserrate. This winding path leads visitors past sculptural representations of the stations of the cross. Well-manicured landscapes surround these sculptures. This is a great environment for those familiar with the stations of the cross. For non-religious or non-Christian visitors, the immaculate landscape, trees, flowers, and views, still make the journey worth it.

Upon arriving at the top of Monserrate, there is a large and beautiful church. While the church isn’t as grand as some of the biggest and best in Europe and throughout the rest of the world, it is still worth the visit. The construction of this church and its several chapels is impressive given the elevation that the materials were moved. This is also an active Colombian Catholic Church; therefore, identifying the similarities (but also the distinct differences) between this church and those throughout the world is interesting.

Finally, there are several shops, cafés, and restaurants on top of Monserrate. First, there are two sit-down restaurants with really nice views of Bogotá from the mountain. The restaurants are nice but fairly expensive. The major draw is the views (especially in the evening). Further up the hill from the church is a row of souvenir shops, cafés, and other restaurants. These will be very similar to the other shops you will find in Bogotá. Therefore, there really isn’t much need to explore these unless you have a lot of time to kill.

Walk Barrio Candelaria

Barrio Candelaria is a nice downtown area of Bogotá. It is also one of the oldest neighborhoods where visitors are able to see some old architecture and the heart of the city. The vast majority of the museums and attractions in Bogotá are located in this neighborhood. The area is well-known for great restaurants, shops, and food stalls. As visitors walk the neighborhood, the quantity of graffiti art is noticeable. Many skilled artists paint the graffiti in a way that adds to the vibrant and artsy feel of the neighborhood.

Take time to stroll several streets and experience the sights and sounds of this area of Bogotá. Located in the heart of Barrio Candelaria is the Plaza de Bolivar de Bogotá. The main Bogotá Cathedral and principal Colombian government buildings surround this large square. The government buildings are grand and stately. They make for a good photo opportunity. The large cathedral on the square is a reminder of Colombia’s Spanish and Catholic heritage. Finally, there are a large number of street vendors in the Plaza. Take time to stroll through the vendors and see if there are any items of interest. Expect the vendors to be pushy and to try to sell to you. Don’t let that ruin the experience. Be firm with the “no” when you don’t care for the item. However, be willing to give something a try if it looks interesting.

Museo de Botero

Museo de Botero is a museum mainly housing the personal collection and personal artwork of Fernando Botero. Botero is a Colombian-born artist who gained world renown for his paintings and sculptures. As of writing, Fernando Botero is still living in Paris, France. This makes Botero one of the few artists who gain wide acclaim within their lifetime.

While a few front rooms of the Museo de Botero house works from other famous artists (including a Picasso, a Monet, and a Dalí), the majority of the collection are the personal creations of Fernando Botero. Visitors will be able to view over 200 pieces of art during the visit to the museum. The museum has something for art lovers and non-art lovers alike. It will be immediately obvious to all visitors that Botero has a specific style in his art and sculpture. The vast majority of Botero’s works are still lifes and landscapes. These typically involve portraits with their proportionality exaggerated. The resultant short, yet rotund figures have come to be known as “Boterismo”. In addition to the artwork, the museum is housed in an old estate in central Bogotá that possesses a picturesque courtyard and fountain.

Day 2

Museo Nacional de Colombia

The Museo National de Colombia is a museum about the national origins of Colombia. The museum also delves into pre-Colombian history and artifacts as well as some art and cultural pieces from modern times. The collection of artifacts in this museum is great. The museum also does a great job describing the revolutions and battles for rights that have occurred in Colombia and the great Gran Colombia area (Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia). Unfortunately, a vast majority of the descriptions are in Spanish. Therefore, if you aren’t Spanish speaking or able to understand some Spanish, some of the meaning and explanations will be lost on you.

On the positive side, the museum is in the middle of making renovations to many of its exhibits. These updates include the addition of English descriptions in some places as well as a free English audio guide. The audio guide that is currently available covers two of the exhibits. The narration is top-notch and does a great job of explaining the artifacts to those not fluent in Spanish. To listen to the audio guide, you will need a device that can pull up the audio guide webpage. The museum provides a Wi-Fi connection, so travelers who don’t have a cellular data connection can still access this guide. Remember to bring your own headphones so that you can enjoy them as you walk the museum.

Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao

There are lots of markets around the world that have sprung up to cater to foodies and tourists. This isn’t one of them. Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao is an authentic Colombian market. You will be surrounded by vendors selling fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats, fish, flowers, and a number of other items in the traditional Colombian fashion. Fully expect to be in a large crowd where you sometimes have to push your way through groups of people to get to other areas inside the market. While this stop may not be for everyone, it is a great educational and eye-opening experience for how a lot of people sell and buy their groceries.

The Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao is organized with like stalls together. When entering the market through the Avenida Cuidad de Lima entrance, visitors will find themselves in the vegetables and flowers area. As you go further into the market, you will find other areas like fish, meat, eggs, poultry, and dry goods. There are also a few cafés intermixed within the market stalls. Take some time to wander through the many stalls. The market is laid out in a grid so don’t worry too much about getting lost. There are exits on every side of the market, and you can walk along the edges until you find the front exit.

Museo del Oro

The Museo del Oro (or Museum of Gold) is a collection of information on the origins and making of gold by civilizations from the Colombian area. In addition to the information on the making of gold, the museum possesses thousands of gold artifacts, jewelry, and ceremonial tools.

The museum drives home how many civilizations used gold and designed art of gold in this area of the world. Visitors walking through this museum can easily imagine how many of the conquistadors’ reports of civilizations filled with gold came to be. The museum does a particularly good job of describing where gold is mined in the area. The descriptions also include several of the technical processes that ancient civilizations used to form the gold. The increasing expertise in gold shaping was also demonstrated in the artifacts on display.

After completing the exhibits on the making of gold, the museum mainly shows off pieces and collections from various time periods. In my opinion, there isn’t as much to look at in these parts of the museum. An observation of these collections at face value is all that is likely required. There is also a lot of repetition in designs which is an interesting fact when considered around the hundreds of years of civilization on display. However, it does create a repetitive museum experience on some of the upper floors. You should not feel bad about moving through these sections quicker than the previous floors.

Day 3

Salt Cathedral and Zipaquirá

Located an hour outside of Bogotá is the small town of Zipaquirá. Zipaquirá is home to the famous Salt Cathedral – a cathedral that was carved into the remnants of a completed salt mine. Because it is a decent drive away, you will need to rent a car or join a tour group to see it. Because this is the only activity outside of Bogotá and because Colombian traffic can be fairly erratic, it makes sense to join a tour group. I recommend something similar to this Salt Cathedral and Zipaquirá Guided Tour tour I took when I visited Colombia.

The above link is an affiliate link to Viator. Obviously do your own research and select the tour that is right for you. If you do decide to go on the linked tour, using the affiliate link above supports this website at no additional cost to you so that I can continue to write this content. Thanks!

The Salt Cathedral is an active Roman Catholic church built into a salt mine over 600 feet underground. The mine shafts bring visitors first through the stations of the cross. Each of these has been hand carved into the rock and salt of the mine. The 14 stations of the cross are not traditional representations of the stations, but rather symbolic depictions. For example, the stations representative of Jesus falling along the way to crucifixion are crosses with more numerous and wider cracks for each successive fall. Each of the stations is carved into its own alcove in the mine which creates small chapels for each station.

The Salt Cathedral ticket includes an audio guide that is well done. It provides histories on the making of these structures and insights into the symbolism and architecture chosen. The audio guide includes headphones, but they aren’t the best quality. If you prefer to use your own, they need to be compatible with a 3.5 mm audio jack.

At the end of the stations of the cross is a dome carved into the mine. This indicates the beginning of the entrance to the cathedral. From here, visitors descend through a narthex and a choir balcony overlooking the cathedral prior to reaching the bottom of the mine. At the bottom is the cathedral which has three main chambers. Each of these chambers is dominated by a set of structures intended for a purpose. The first chamber displays Christ’s birth (in a manger scene) as well as several baptismal fonts/pools. The second chamber is the main worship space and is constructed much like any other church. This chamber includes large benches for seating, a huge cross carved into the mine, a wide altar, and a pulpit. The final chamber is a rosary chapel.

At the end of the Salt Cathedral is a commercial area. This area has a theater that shows some of the making of the cathedral. In addition, there are several shops where sculptures, trinkets, and other items made of salt are sold.

Overall, the Salt Cathedral is a large-scale piece of art. It’s amazing what the miners were able to accomplish in turning a salt mine into something so beautiful. It is also special to be located so far underground and we able to experience something like this. This is one of only a couple such places in the world, so definitely partake of the opportunity if you have the chance.

The final stop included in most of these tours is the town of Zipaquirá. This stop is primarily a lunch stop. Most tours will stop at a large café that features traditional Colombian dishes but also cater to tourists. I encourage you to experiment and be adventurous trying several of the local dishes. Much of experiencing a local culture includes trying the local food.

Travel to Cartagena

The first three days of the Colombian vacation are complete. This itinerary moves on to the warm and vibrant city of Cartagena next.

There are several flights going between Bogotá and Cartagena at all times of the day. Pick a late enough flight in the evening that the return from the Salt Cathedral and Zipaquirá doesn’t jeopardize making the flight. The return from this guided tour covers a good distance, and traffic isn’t uncommon.