Perched high in the Andes at over 8,600 feet, Colombia’s capital of Bogotá sprawls for 613 square miles across the mountaintop’s savanna. Despite its soaring altitude and the surrounding area’s hilly terrain, this South American metropolis is surprisingly flat, making it ideal for biking.
Bogotá encourages cycling with nearly 400 miles of ciclorrutas, which are protected bidirectional bike paths. The city goes even further on Sundays and holidays for Ciclovía, created in 1974 as a municipal protest against car congestion. During Ciclovía, main thoroughfares are shut down to traffic, becoming exclusively accessible to cyclists and pedestrians. Routes during Ciclovía also transform into stages for entertainment and venues for exercise such as yoga and aerobics.
The extensive web of bike-friendly pathways, as well as the deep-rooted respect for cycling culture, make Bogotá perfect for exploring on two wheels. And there’s no need to ship your Trek down, as many hotels offer bike rental services. Numerous shops dotting the city also rent bikes by the hour, day or week, along with providing baby seats, padlocks, water bottles and helmets (though you may want to pack your own in your luggage). Additionally, bikeshares are available throughout Bogotá, especially near the city-operated TransMilenio stations.
Bike tours focused on history, culture, gastronomy, street art and more are also easy to book. Before you go, here’s everything you need to know.
The Neighborhoods
Located close to Bogotá’s center, the artsy Teusaquillo neighborhood has tree-lined streets filled with Tudor-style homes, museums, chic shops and independent theaters. The district is punctuated with plenty of green spaces, including Simón Bolívar Park, notable sports spots like El Campín (the country’s premier football stadium) and other high-profile venues devoted to basketball, volleyball and tennis.
Just to the east of Teusaquillo is the bustling, boho-vibed neighborhood of Chapinero. Cooler-than-cool and stylishly scruffy, Teusaquillo is home to countless dive bars, fashion boutiques, artisan bakeries, concert venues and bistros specializing in organic and vegan fare. Near the center of the district is what’s locally known as “Chapi Gay” — where there are a plethora of LGBTQ+ friendly bars — as well as Theatron, which has been described as Latin America’s largest gay club. Foodies particularly flock to Chapinero because it’s home to Zona G, an eight-block “gourmet zone” bursting with high-profile fine dining restaurants that showcase the cutting edge of Colombian cuisine.
Proceeding northward, the Zona Rosa district is Bogotá’s party central, the perfect spot to enjoy a memorable night out on the town. The city’s “pink zone” is packed with hip nightclubs, buzzy bars and venues featuring DJs spinning all night. The neighborhood also has a lot of allure during the daytime thanks to its glitzy shopping malls and bounty of designer stores that feature local retailers and fashionable international brands.
Bordered by the Eastern Hills in the upper northern reaches of the city, Usaquén feels removed from Bogotá’s hustle and bustle, as it’s easily accessible to the countryside and Colombia’s natural beauty. But the district has much to savor, including picturesque colonial architecture, entertainment venues, must-visit markets, Country Club de Bogotá (the city’s largest golf club) and the Torca-Guaymaral Wetland. Beloved by gourmands, the neighborhood also has an ample presence of casual bistros, brewpubs, charming cafes and upscale restaurants that ensure great dining options, no matter your mood.
Street
Art
In 2011, 16-year-old Diego Becerra was shot in the back and killed by police as he ran away from a wall he was spray painting. A law enforcement cover-up of the killing resulted in massive protests throughout Bogotá, ultimately leading to the decriminalization of graffiti in 2013, and a formal apology a decade later from the Colombian government for the murder and cover-up.
Out of these terrible circumstances emerged a vibrant street art culture. These works are not simply eye candy, though you should always have your camera ready. They are political statements and conversation starters, addressing everything from climate change and government corruption to women’s rights and the plight of Indigenous people.
Though street art can be seen throughout the city, there are two areas visitors must check out. Nicknamed the “Open Air Museum of Bogotá,” Calle 26 (Street 26) is lined with a colorful mishmash of graffiti and government-commissioned murals. Sunday is the best day to visit the area since the street is closed to traffic as a part of Ciclovía. Also worth checking out is the La Candelaria neighborhood, home to an al fresco collection of head-turning, mind-spinning art.
Wherever you go, keep an eye out for the works of some of the country’s most notable street artists, including Stinkfish, who creates large-scale stencils of faces from photographs and then accentuates them with colorful shapes, swoops and swirls. Influenced by Colombia’s precolonial cultures, Guache (which translates as “warrior” in the language of the Indigenous Muisca people) has a penchant for oversaturated colors, native animals and natural elements. And DJ Lu operates as Colombia’s answer to Banksy, creating compelling pieces addressing the social and political issues of the day.
Colombian Coffee
No trip to Colombia would be complete without coffee…lots and lots of coffee.
Lucky for javaphiles, there’s a strong coffeehouse culture brewing in Bogotá. Scene-setting Varietale sources beans from around the country, which are transformed into beloved light roasts at their Chapinero shop — a renovated home with plenty of cozy crannies and a verdant garden (there are another eight locations scattered throughout the city, including at El Dorado International Airport).
At El Pergolero, customers can perk up on classic beverages along with specialty sips such as a trio of filtered coffees, iced lavender lattes and espresso tonics. A charming shop near Bogotá’s center, the cafe is plastered with pastels and gorgeous greenery that add a serene feeling to the coffee drinking experience.
Don’t miss out on Amor Perfecto, trailblazers in the country’s specialty coffee scene since its founding in 1997. The cafe’s flagship Chapinero location features a coffee lab, where you can watch small-lot sourced Colombian beans go through the roasting process.
Last, but definitely not least, is third-wave coffee house Azahar. Founded in 2010, Azahar sources its beans directly from farmers. Azahar has two locations in Bogotá as well as one to the west in the city of Armenia.
Cathedrals and Museums
Gleaming skyscrapers and modern urban sprawl dominate Bogotá’s skyline, but the city’s majestic cathedrals draw the eye.
At the heart of the old colonial district is the Iglesia de San Francisco, a 16th-century Catholic church, where visitors can step inside the stone basilica and marvel over its gleaming gold leaf altar and statue of Jesus that is bedecked with real hair. One of South America’s oldest cathedrals, Iglesia de San Francisco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Only a few blocks away from the cathedral is the largest religious structure in the city, Catedral Primada de Colombia. Built between 1807 and 1823, it houses the remains of Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, the founder of Bogotá. And just around the corner is the Florentine Gothic-styled Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen, the interior and facade of which is adorned with an unmissable white and brick-red striped design.
To further explore the country’s culture, visit the city’s museums. Start at the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art, home to over 3,600 works from prominent artists throughout Colombia, Latin America and beyond. Offering a robust schedule of rotating exhibits, film screenings and workshops, it is a must-visit for art aficionados — as is Museo de Botero, which is devoted to one of Colombia’s most famous painters, Fernando Botero, renowned for his gracefully oversized figurative paintings and sculptures.
History buffs will love the National Museum of Colombia. Housed in a former prison, it has an impressive collection of 20,000 pieces of art, artifacts and historical documents.
If you’ve got a thing for bling, head to the Gold Museum. With a collection of more than 34,000 gold artifacts sourced from around the country, it’s the most extensive collection of pre-Hispanic gold work in the world.
City Parks
Bogotá is spruced up with lush green spaces where people can commune with nature without leaving the city limits. The crown jewel is Parque Simón Bólivar, a 990-acre expanse in the city’s center featuring cycling and running trails, a lake, the Virgilio Barco Public Library and an area for open-air concerts (where rock groups Radiohead, The Cure and Pearl Jam have all performed).
Another gem is Parque Nacional Enrique Olaya Herrera, known simply as Parque Nacional. Situated between La Candelaria and Chapinero, the park includes the soaring slopes of Cerros Orientales (Eastern Hills), which are beloved by hikers and diehard runners. Also not to be missed is Parque El Virrey. A verdant corridor running east-west through the city, more than 60 species of birds have been spotted on the nearly 100 tree species flourishing in the park.
Though the area’s humedales (wetlands) are not officially parks, 15 protected areas represent much of the Bogotá River’s watershed and serve as the home for more than 70 species of birds. This includes short-eared owls and Stygian owls, as well as mammals and reptiles such as thickhead ground snakes, yellow-shouldered bats, Brazilian guinea pigs and green dotted tree frogs. Two wetlands that stand out are Humedal La Conejera and Humedal de Córdoba, which are popular stopovers for migratory birds.
The José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden isn’t a true park either. However, it’s worth stopping by to wander through the greenhouses, past the flower displays and into its picturesque garden that blooms with over 70 species of roses.
Towering 10,000 feet above Bogotá, Monserrate Hill offers an unparalleled panoramic view of the city, the perfect vantage point to watch the sun setting over the Andes. Though it is inaccessible to cyclists, it can be scaled on foot, via the cable car or by riding the funicular (a tiny train moving nearly vertically up the mountainside).
Explore Culinary Offerings
Bogotá is home to one of Latin America’s most exciting restaurant scenes — from casual cafes and homespun holes-in-the-wall to forward-thinking boundary pushers and high-end establishments of haute cuisine.
Begin your day with arepas at Abasto — with locations in the Usaquén and Quinta Camacho neighborhoods — where the disc-shaped corn cakes come stuffed with ingredients from local farmer’s markets. The restaurant’s extensive morning menu includes everything from chilaquiles and tostadas to pancakes and acai bowls. Another great option is La Puerta Falsa, owned by the same family since 1816. Its iconic tamales, almojábanas (cheese bread) and ajiaco soup crafted from chicken and potatoes are must-haves at this no-frills, tradition-bound favorite.
When lunchtime rolls around, consider pedaling over to Los Troncos, an old school Bogotá chain showcasing empanadas from around the country — including their beloved pipián, which is plumped up with potatoes and beef that is spiked with spicy peanuts — as well as tamales and other regional favorites. For a modern-minded take on a piqueteadero — which is a roadside restaurant specializing in grilled meats — head to Chichería Demente, which occupies a gorgeous, converted home from the 1920s. The open kitchen brims with grills sizzling with organic chickens, dry-aged beef and Flintstones-worthy pork tomahawks.
For a primo plant-based experience, rock out at Elektra Punk & Food, a brash, neon-lit fast-food joint decorated with street art and concert posters, and featuring punchy music powered by such punk legends as the Clash and the Violent Femmes. And no trip is complete without a stop at Doña Elvira, a 90-year-old cafeteria-style restaurant serving traditional Colombian fare like braised flank steak, beef tail stew, pig trotters and chopped pork ribs.
Dinnertime presents an abundance of choices. For a deep dive into Colombian culture presented through the lens of contemporary cuisine, visit Leo. Chef Leonor Espinosa’s exquisite tasting menu is powered by unique ingredients sourced from across the
country — from crocodile and culona ants to bijao (a banana-like plant) and mañoco (cassava flour) — and can be complemented by local fermented beverages. While at Leo, head upstairs for more drinks at La Sala de Laura, a cocktail bar overseen by Espinosa’s daughter, Laura Hernández, which utilizes house-made spirits inspired by the country’s diverse biomes. Another worthy supper spot comes from Colombian celebrity chef Harry Sasson, whose namesake restaurant specializes in oversized cuts of meat along with memorable sides like fried plantains with avocado cream and spicy corn with smoked butter.
