Fun things to do in Bogotá

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One of the top museums in Bogota is the Museo del Oro, the Gold museum - with a large exhibition of gold artefacts from 500 B.C up to the Spanish conquest of Colombia.

The building that houses the Museo del Oro is temporarily closed for renovation - but it is still possible to see its most significant pieces in the Museo de Arte del Banco de la República (on the 2nd floor), located opposite the Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango and right before the Donacion Botero.

The selection that you can see aims at covering the most important gold jewels and sacred objects of all native populations that used to live in Colombia. of particular interest are the gold crowns tat were used by the rulers of each population

The museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. every day except on Sunday, when it closes at 5 p.m. It's closed all day on Tuesday and entrance is free. Photos are allowed, provided you don't use a flash.

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Candelaria is the gem of the city and the main attraction for tourists. Plaza Bolivar is the principal square surrounded by beautiful colonial buildings. You can wander in the streets for ever. Most museums and colonial churches are here. Candelaria is home to many Universities, small typical local restaurants, coffee shops, theaters, churches and colonial houses. It is usually flooded with students and tourists. Walk with care but not with fear. Its charm will conquer you very easily.
Particularly beautiful is the section between Calles 9 and 13 and Carreras 2 and 5.

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Don't miss my Travelogues Candelaria 1 and Candelaria 2 for more beautiful photos...!

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Plaza de Chorro de Quevedo is on the west side of Candelaria 3 blocks from Platypus hostel and The Park of the Periodistas there is a lovely little square. The soft afternoon light gives it a special romantic character as the youthful crowd starts gathering in happy small groups. A lot of students as well as tourists frequent it after sunset. Others are already chatting with their friends over an early dinner in the pretty lively restaurants. Many come here to have a relaxing cup of coffee or a first drink for the evening in the nice bars listening to the soft sounds of music. On the west side of the square there a couple of cafe-restaurants, Cafe Color Cafe has cappuccino, tasty crepes, local food , and cocktails including the typical 'canelazo'. Next door is a nice cafe and music bar called Pequena Santaje. On the east side of the pretty square is a lovely small church where occasional street vendors are quietly standing in front of their stalls and youngsters are chatting leaning on the tiny church.

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Botero is one of my favourites so I had to visit this museum which houses a great collection of his work donated to the city of Bogota. He donated these paintings and sculptures on the condition it would be free and that he should oversee the construction of this wonderful museum housed in a restored colonial building. Paintings of other world famous painters are also in display, such as Monet, Picasso, Dali, Toulouse-Lautrec, Max Ernst and more.
Open Mon-Sat 9:00am-7:00pm and Sundays 10:00-5:00pm

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This church was constructed between 1550 and 1567 by the Franciscans. It is the oldest church in Bogota. In the great earthquake of 1785 it was greatly damaged and it was finally restored in 1794.
The outside is simple and solid but the interior is elaborately decorated. Its main altarpiece is the largest and most elaborate altarpiece in Bogota. The ceiling has also nice Spanish-Moorish ornamental work and gold covered columns.
It is on the corner of Avenida Jimenez and Carrera 7.
Next to it there are two more important churches, Church of Vera Cruz and La Tercera.

'Bibliotecha Luis Angel Arango' is a huge complex of buildings and halls housing most of the city's cultural treasures and holding concerts, temporary or permanent exhibitions and other cultural events. It is supported by the Banco de la Republica .
In the 1st floor of the North wing you will find la Casa Republicana with a collection of musical instruments, the library, a beautiful concert hall, and an event center. On the 1st floor of South wing are the Casa de Moneda and the Museum of Botero. The Casa de la Moneda includes 11 halls where a short history of Colombian money is given through the collection of local money, old safes, and minting tools. On the 2nd floor is the Museo del Arte del Banco de la Rebuplica and the library, open 8:00-8:00 every day and 8:00-4:00 on Sundays. On the 3rd floor there are concert halls. The museums and temporary exhibitions are open 9:00-7:00 every day and 10:00-5:00 on Sundays and holidays.
It is a large multi-level building which covers a whole block so there are different entrances around leading to the different parts.
Calle 11 No 4-42 (collection of Art of Repuplican Bank)
Calle 11 No 4-93 (monetary collection)
Calle 11 No 4-21 (collection of Musical instruments in the Sala de Musica)
Calle 11 No 4-14 (Museo de Oro- there was a temporary exhibition of the most important items of the famous Museo de Oro which was being renovated, until 1st of Aug 2008. There were gold items from the tombs of San Agustin and Tierradentro of extreme beauty, exquisite jewels, tools, ceremonial utensils)
The entrance is free.
www.banrep.org/museo

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After staying in downtown the first night in town, we moved to Zona Rosa, an upscale neighborhood in the northern part of the city for the next few nights. The neighborhood is full of shops, fancy malls, restaurants and clubs and, along with Park 93, is a safer alternative for being out at night. It's easy to find good hotels here, although it's wise to make reservations in advance as this is probably the most popular area for visitors to stay. Finding good food, even food from various parts of the world, isn't a problem here. I can't say that you'll feel like you're in an authentically Colombian neighborhood if you stay here, but considering how cheap taxis are, it's probably best to play it safe and stay in this northern part of town.

The Andino Mall is just one of the malls here and you'll find all the fancy shops you'd find in most places around the world. If shopping isn't your thing, you'll find a casino as well as plenty of good bars to find a drink or to dance or party it up at night.

Park 93 is located north of downtown on Calle 93 between Carreras 11 and 13 and is one of Bogota's most exclusive areas. You'll find a pleasant park (pictured here) surrounded by bars, shops, hotels and coffee shops. This is an excellent and relatively safe area to find a hotel or to hang out at night. It's also a very short cab ride from the equally popular Zona Rosa neighborhood.

We hung out here one evening and checked out a couple bars and met some friendly locals.