Fun things to do in Bogotá

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My driver/guide was thinking of where to bring me next in Bogota and I said I did like going to Parks and so he brought me to this huge park in the middle of the urban area –the Simón Bolivar Metropolitan Park .
In 1986, Pope Paul IV's visited this area of Bogota and a mass was celebrated – these grounds later became this park loved by Bogotenos. And I enjoyed the green expanse and the wonderful trees, ponds/lakes and little fountains.
The park is actually formed by five minor parks: The Simon Bolivar, El Salitre, Parque de los Novios, Unidad Deportiva El Salitre and Jardín Botánico José Celestino Mutis.
It was drizzling a little when I visited and so here were not too many people, but the huge park does have an amusement park, aqua-park, Children's Museum and even a coliseum.
Other important events held here included shows of Metallica, Roger Waters, Iron Maiden and each year, they celebrate Rock al parque. Bogotenos do love music!

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I like visiting Military Museums and this one in Bogota was nice. I am not sure if this is also called the Armed Forces Museum of Bogota, but what I do remember is the FAC2008 Aircraft perfectly preserved. There are other planes that would appeal to plane enthusiasts.

The Army room has a lot of firearms, the Navy room has naval ship models and then of course, the Air Force Room. It was nice walking through the rooms and then finally going out to see the planes. It does not take too long to see this place, but you will enjoy taking pictures.

I think when I went there was no entrance fee, because I don’t remember having to pay (must have been a special day?)

Tues- Sunday 0900-1600

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The northern district of Bogotá is a more upmarket area with residential areas, hotels, restaurants shopping centres, bars and night clubs. The area between Carreras 11 - 15 and Calles 81 - 84 is the Zona Rosa, where you find many of the night clubs and bars.
During my first visit to Bogotá I didn’t visit this area, but the second time I visited I came here to walk around and to buy a book to read in English. I found books at Tower Records in Atlantis shopping centre.

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The Bogota Cathedral is located on the Plaza Bolivar, and the structure is a good example of colonial religious architecture. Rebuilt in 1807 - 1823, the cathedral offers paintings of the most known painter in colonial Colombia Gregorio Vasquez de Arce y Ceballos (1638-1711). Also within lies remains of Gonzálo Jiménez de Quesada, Spanish Conqueror, founder of Bogotá. The plaza in front of the church is a famous for tourists to take pictures at.

Teatro Colón's full name is "Teatro de Cristóbal Colón" (Christopher Columbus) and was opened in 1892, exactly 400 years after Columbus set foot on American soil. To commemorate this anniversary - and to remain faithful to Columbus Italian roots - an italian architect was chosen to design this theatre: the florentine Pietro Cantini. The theatre is now the national theater of Colombia and has recently been declared national monument, too.

And what about its architect? Cantini found fame and fortune in Colombia and never returned to his native Italy. In Bogota you can see other buildings designed by him: the Capitolio Nacional de Colombia, the temple of the Libertador, the Hospital of San José, the dome of the Iglesia de Santo Domingo, the Chapel of Santa Isabel in the Cattedrale Primada, the Collegio Sagrado Corazón, the first Plaza de Toros of the city and some streets. He died in Suesca (Cundinamarca) in 1929.



It is the national theater of Colombia and was declared national monument by Decree number 1584 on August 11, 1975. It is considered one of the most important monuments within the artistic field of the country. Through the years, new cultural programs have been developed such as the "Ciclo Colón Electrónico" by young artists with their electro acoustic and electronic music, the Children's Sunday Matinee, Concerts of the National Symphony orchestra of Colombia, plays, a variety of musical concerts, opera and zarzuela with national and international groups, guided tours and a great variety of artistic expressions.
Address: Calle 10 No. 5-32 Tel: 284-7420 284-2378

Plaza Bolivar is the main square of Bogota and it's located in the historical candelaria district. it is named after Simon Bolivar - El Libertador - who managed to free cColombia from the Spanish conquerors and gave birth to the gran Colombia, together with Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama (which back then used to be a province of Colombia).

The square is surrounded by 4 imposing buildings - not all ancient or ancient-looking. The first building is the Catedral Primada, then you have the Capitolio Nacional (the seat of congress, formerly the Viceroy's Palace.), then again the Alcaldía Mayor (known as Liévano Building,now functioning as the Bogotá's town hall) and finally the Palacio de Justicia (recently damaged) which will house in the future the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the State Council and the Judiciary Higher Council.

The Catedral Primada is the main cathedral of Bogota... it stands on Plaza Bolivar (named after Simon Bolivar, El Libertador) exactly on the spot where the first mass was celebrated after the city's foundation in 1538.

It is built in different styles: the main building is prevalently neo-classical while the lateral chapels are in classical style. The adjoining Capilla del Sagrario (built in the 17th century) has a baroque facade. Next door you can find the Palacio Arzobispal, where the Archbishop lives.

Inside the cathedral you can see the grave of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1509–1579), a Spanish explorer and conquistador in Colombia. While in Colombia he gathered great amounts of rices, in particular gold and emeralds - but blew it all away and died poor. Some scholars have suggested that he may have possibly been a model for Cervantes' Don Quixote.

The Iglesia San Agustín is another fine church in the Candelaria district. It was first built in 1575 but about 50 years later the church was badly damaged. The one that you see now was built in the second half of the 17th century (1637-1668).

While outside it's beautiful, inside it's even better: there is an excellent example of carved choir stalls with stylized paintings of saints above the chairs in the back row. Take a note, also of the statue on the left of the main altar: it's the Virgen de Chiquinquirá, patron saint of Colombia.