Typical colombian stuff & souvenirs, Bogotá

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For souvenirs look for the shop El Zipa, in the shopping centre Unicentro (on 2nd floor). Very nice and not expensive. Replicas (gold) of "la balsa" the raft from the El Dorado legend, (Muisca culture), see Lago Guatavita. The original can be seen in the Gold Museum in Bogota.

Hacienda Santa Barbara is also a nice shopping centre, built around an old hacienda. On sundays there is a nice outdoors craft market 1 block away from the shopping centre, in Usaquen.

Info updated February 2011.

farmers market (plaza de mercado)

What to buy: You can go to a farmers market (plaza de mercado) and buy coffee (beans or grinded) for very cheap price and of course is the best coffee in the world

What to pay: around 2 dollars for a pound

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Telonius is a small shop very close to Platypus hostel so I was passing by several times a day. I was first attracted by the unusual mural on the outside wall of a building. Then one day, it just started to rain, I went inside and was pleasantly surprised at a great assortment of beautiful and original pieces of arts and crafts. I met the friendly owners, Patricia and Saúl, and they told me that they travelled to different parts of Colombia to collect them.

The interior of the shop is nicely painted as well. Walls are in different colours and decorated by several paintings of the same style as the mural of the facade. A relaxing music is coming from the background.

What to buy: Everything in the shop is made of natural materials. You can get an assortment of original knitwear, paintings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings, bags and other things.

I bought a nice knitted scharf/neckerchief (picture 2). The price was 35.000 COP.

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Buying souvenirs is somehow tricky. If you look for a particular thing it's always smart to buy it in the place of its origin. You usually not get only better selection but also the price. But sometimes it's just not very handy to carry all the staff with you, especially if the trip is longer and off-track. In this case it's better to do your shopping in the city of your departure.

Bogotá has way too many arts and crafts shops, flea markets and souvenir stores where you can buy souvenirs. Some of the best and centrally located are:

Galería Artesanal de Colombia
Calle 16 No. 5-60
(in front of Museo del Oro)

Galería Artesanal Colombia Linda
Carrera 7 No. 23-49

Centro Colombiano de Artesanias
Carrera 7 No. 22-66/78

Mercado de San Alejo is probably the best flea market. It's held every Sunday between 09:00am and 05:00pm on Calle 24 with Carrera 7.

What to buy: You can find everything from jewellery, bags, hats, scarfs, table clothes, hammocks, basketworks, paintings and other pieces of art, musical instruments, pirate music CDs and film DVDs and many more.

I bought a nice pair of Mafaldas shoes (60.000 COP) and some typical sweets (cocada and coffee cookies).

What to pay: very affordable

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Colombia produces first-grade precious stones and the emeralds are among the most perfect in the world. Bogotá is the main emerald trade centre. Due to their extraordinary quality, colour, purity, size and hardness, Colombian emeralds are considered unique in the world. Prices vary a lot; transparency, cutting and carat weight are major value indexes. Emeralds should only be acquired in well-known jewellery shops and certificate is always requested.

Every large shopping centre in the city contains at least a couple of joyerías (jewellery shops) although the main cantre for emerald shopping is in and around Carrera 6 between Calles 12 and 13, in Centro International, where there are at least 90 shops. Galeria Cano in Centro International and Centro Comercial Andino (Carrera 11 No. 82-52) sell emeralds as well as gold jewellery using stunning pre-Columbian design taken from the Museo del Oro. The emerald bourse in Avenida Jiménez is also recommended. But never buy from street vendors on that Avenida or in the vicinity of the Gold Museum.

What to buy: emeralds and gold jewellery

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Centro Colombiano de Artesanias and Colombia Linda are shopping centers for souvenirs and any kind of artscraft you can imagine. Their small shops and stalls are packed with every kind of artesanias, clothes, hats, bags, jewelery, baskets, decorative articles, musical instruments, cheap CDs, paintings and a thousand more items to have a pick. I found a lot of small gifts for my friends. I even found a stall with clever educative games which I was looking for!
Prices are really good and quality is not bad.

Centro Colombiano de Artesanias is on Carrera 7 #22-66/67 tel: 3364709
Colombia Linda is on Carrera 7 # 23-49.

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Pasaje Rivas is not a modern shopping centre but consist of many small shops along narrow passageways. At this market you can find a lot of different things like souvenirs (for example hammocks for a good price) and a lot of handicraft, handmade furniture and things for the home. It is a nice place to walk around in for a while watching all the different things for sale and the people.

The best place to shop for typical Colombian crafts is in a mini mall across the street from the Gold Museum. Very good quality stuff at rather low prices. Typical items include replicas of 'chivas' - bright-painted Colombian rural buses, Indian pottery, models of patios of typical Colombian houses, figurines of donkeys with coffee bags (with or without Juan Valdes), shirts and sweaters, gourmet coffee, reproductions of gold artifacts, etc. In many places they give you as a gift a Colombian flag bracelet.

What to buy: All of the above. Prices are really good - almost everything is under US$5.

What to pay: really cheap considering the work that went into them. and they are actually Colombian, not made in China.