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Atlantis Plaza
New and attractive, this houses Bogotá's most modern cinema complex.
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Camarín del Carmen
One block south of Palacio de San Carlos is another fine colonial building, Camarín del Carmen, which was originally a Carmelite convent. It's now a cultural center with its own 500-seat auditorium, which features theater, cinema and other performances.
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Capilla del Sagrario
The Sagrario Chapel, on the same side of the plaza as the Catedral Primada, was built in the second half of the 17th century and has preserved its mannerist-baroque facade, which is considered to be one of the best examples of arquitectura santafereña . The chapel boasts a Mudejar vault and six large paintings by Gregorio Vásquez.
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Capitolio Nacional
On the southern side of the Plaza de Bolívar stands a monumental stone building in neoclassical style, the Capitolio Nacional, which is the seat of Congress. It was begun in 1847, but due to numerous political uprisings was not completed until 1926. The facade facing the square was designed by English architect Thomas Reed.
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Casa de la Moneda
Next door to Donación Botero, another historic building which served as the Mint gives room to several permanent exhibitions.
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Casa de Nariño
Beyond the Capitolio Nacional is the Casa de Nariño, a neoclassical palacelike building erected at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the official home of presidents from 1908, but in 1948 it was attacked and damaged after the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán and only restored in 1979.
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Catedral Primada
The Catedral Primada is a monumental building standing on the site where the first mass was celebrated after Bogotá's foundation in 1538. The original church was just a small thatched chapel - a more substantial building was erected in 1556-65, but collapsed soon after due to poor foundations. In 1572, the third church went up, but the earthquake of 1785 turned it into ruins. Only in 1807 was the massive building - that stands to this day - initiated and it was successfully completed by 1823.
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Cerro de Monserrate
To get a view of Bogotá from dizzying heights take the teleférico (cable car) or funicular to the top of Cerro de Monserrate (3160m/10,400ft), the mountain overlooking the city center. On Sunday it's a popular local pilgrimage to the church on the summit, which displays a statue of the Señor Caído (Fallen Christ), to which many miracles have been attributed. It's also busy from dawn til about every morning, crowded with local joggers and dog-walkers.
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Donación Botero
Colombia's most famous artist, Fernando Botero, donated 123 of his own works, including paintings, drawings and sculptures, to this outstanding collection. Alongside his pieces are works by international artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Miró, Dali, Renoir, Matisse and Monet. The audio headset tour gives you a great overview.
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Edificio Liévano
The whole western side of Plaza de Bolívar is taken over by the French-style Edificio Liévano, which is now home to the Alcaldía (mayor's office). The building was erected between 1902 and 1905.
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Iglesia de La Concepción
The Iglesia de La Concepción, the second-oldest existing church in Bogotá (after San Francisco), is noted for its extraordinary Mudejar vault, brought from Seville and installed in the presbytery.
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Iglesia De La Veracruz
The Veracruz Church is known as the National Pantheon because many of the heroes of the struggle for independence have been buried here. Of the 80 patriots executed by the Spaniards in Bogotá between 1810 and 1819, most have found their resting place in La Veracruz.
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Iglesia de San Diego
A lovely whitewashed church built as part of a Franciscan monastery at the beginning of the 17th century. At that time it was well outside the town; today it is surrounded by the forest of high-rise buildings that form the Centro Internacional.
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Iglesia De San Francisco
Completed in 1556, the Church of San Francisco is Bogotá's oldest-surviving church. It is rather sober from the outside, but the interior is elaborately decorated. Of particular interest is the extraordinary 17th-century gilded main altarpiece, which is Bogotá's largest and most elaborate piece of art of its kind. Also of note are the Mudejar ornamentation of the ceiling under the organ loft, and a collection of side altarpieces. The church is always full with worshippers.
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Iglesia De San Ignacio
The Church of San Ignacio was begun by the Jesuits in 1610 and, although opened for worship in 1635, it was not completed until their expulsion in 1767. It was the largest church during the colony and perhaps the most magnificent. Today it's one of the most richly decorated churches and houses a wealth of artwork, including numerous colonial paintings.
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Iglesia de Santa Clara
Today open as a museum, the Church of Santa Clara is probably the most representative of Bogotá's colonial churches. Built between 1629 and 1674 as a part of the Poor Clares Convent, the church is a single-nave construction topped with a barrel vault painted with floral motifs. The walls are entirely covered with paintings (more than 100 of them), statues of saints and altarpieces, all dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
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Iglesia del Carmen
The most recently built church in Bogotá's colonial quarter, the Iglesia del Carmen was inaugurated in 1938. It's an impressive piece of architecture, resembling a colorful wedding cake. The interior boasts fine stained-glass windows and a mosaic of the Virgen del Carmen over the high altar.
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Iglesia La Tercera
The Iglesia La Tercera is remarkable for its fine stone facade and, inside, for altarpieces carved in walnut and cedar.
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Jardín Botánico José Celestino Mutis
The Jardin Botanico Jose Celestino Mutis botanical gardens have a variety of national flora from different climatic zones, some in gardens and others in greenhouses. To get there take a bus running along the Autopista El Dorado (the bus to the airport will let you off near the gardens).
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Mirador Torre Colpatria
For another impressive bird's-eye view of the city, although quite a different one, go to the top of the Colpatria Tower. The 360-degree lookout atop this 48-story, 162m-high skyscraper (completed in 1979) provides excellent views in all directions.
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Museo Arqueológico
The Archaeological Museum features an extensive collection of pottery from the country's major pre-Columbian groups, confirming the high technical level and artistic ability achieved by local Indian cultures. The museum is housed in the Casa del Marqués de San Jorge, a beautifully restored 17th-century mansion and an outstanding piece of local colonial architecture known as arquitectura santafereña .
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Museo de Arte Colonial
The Museum of Colonial Art was inaugurated in 1942 in a great 17th-century building, which was originally a Jesuit college. It features paintings, carvings, furniture, silverware, books and documents from the colonial era.
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Museo De Arte Moderno
Opened in the mid-1980s in a modern, spacious building, the Museum of Modern Art focuses on various forms of visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography) from the beginning of the 20th century until the present. There are no permanent collections on display; all rooms are given to frequently changing exhibitions by national and sometimes foreign artists.
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Museo de Trajes Regionales
Museo de Trajes Regionales displays costumes from different regions of Colombia.
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Museo del 20 de Julio
The Museum of Independence is in a colonial house called the Casa del Florero, on the corner of Plaza de Bolívar. It was here on July 20, 1810 that the Creole rebellion against Spanish rule broke out. The museum has memorabilia (documents, paintings, personal objects etc) recalling that important event, a milestone in the struggle for independence, which was achieved nine years later.
