Bogotá: The Pumping (He)art of Colombia

By Connected Horizons

Bogotá is a fascinating metropolis full of surprises at every corner. How couldn’t we fall in love with it? Discovering the murals of La Candelaria, checking out the amusing Botero Museum and overlooking the city skyline from the height of Monserrate are just a few amazing activities to do in Colombia’s capital.

This morning we take an early bus from Villa de Leyva to Tunja and then from Tunja’s main terminal another (much bigger) bus heading straight for Bogotá. Although the road between these two cities remind us of those bumpy rides connecting Munnar to Thekkady in India (and the driver also contributes a lot), it only takes us 3h to reach the Salitre Bus Terminal in Bogotá.

Well, hard to call it that! The terminal is immense and just to reach the exit it can take you a good 5min walk to the other side! Remember that even though you’re gonna see plenty of taxis line full of people cueing for them, there’s no need to take one to get to the center (or anywhere you’re going); just walk out of the terminal, reach the gasoline station, cross the 6-lane road and at the first junction you’ll see plenty of buses passing by. Here’s a map to help you find the way:

[tp-custom-map id=”4593″ width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Long before reaching Bogotá, everybody suggested that La Candelaria neighbourhood was the right place to be, if we wanted to experience an artsy and local environment outside from the city noise but still close to the city center. And so we went ahead and booked a place there! Our hostel was the Casa de Montaña, a beautiful bohemian and overwhelmingly artsy house located just 5min walk from the hot touristy zone of the capital. On top of the place being managed by two lovely down-to-earth owners (and their two lovely pig pets), the house also features a beautiful terrace with commanding views on all Bogotá!

La Candelaria is a great place to stay not only because you’re central but anytime you fancy you can just wander around the streets and discover a new colourful mural you missed a couple of minutes earlier. Art is all!


Streets of la Candelaria

Believe it or not, most of the tourist attractions in the area can be reached with a 10min walk from anywhere in La Candelaria. Starting from the Plaza Bolivar you can walk to the museums area (Gold Museum, Botero Museum complex & City’s museum) and check out the pedestrian Carrera 7 for some street art vendors, books & more!

Botero Museums

Carrera 7

Plaza Bolivar

Random Book fair

If you fancy some walking, you can also head up to Monserrate (or take the cable car) and enjoy the views over the city (on Sunday’s there’s 50% discount on tickets!).

Also, if you really wanna see the more artsy block of town, don’t forget to visit the Chorro de Quevedo, a narrow street full of artists, hippie shops and a little plaza where you can sip a drink while listening to some stand-up comedy. Unmissable!

Whenever you’re done wandering around the streets of the center and prefer heading out from the big city for a while, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a couple of activities that would keep you busy. For those more “into-the-local-culture” folks spending the day in Zapiquirá to explore the salt park and its curios underground Salt Cathedral! On the other hand, landscape and nature junkies can take a bus to the famous Salto de Tequendama to visit a breathtaking (and smelly) waterfall just off the main highway.

You can spend a day, couple of days or even weeks exploring the city area and its surroundings and of one thing we’re sure… Bogotá will always have something new for you to see.


PLANNING A TRIP TO COLOMBIA? CHECK MORE POSTS BELOW!


[pt_view id=”db48597kjy”]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *