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Bogotá Region

Colombia's trendy and metropolitan capital has everything one might want carved within its urban fabric – outstanding food, vibrant nightlife and a cavalcade of culture are but a few reasons to remain. However, this high-altitude playground sits at 2640m, so most bogotanos looking for a break from the city also look for warmth, fleeing for lower elevations further afield. Outside the capital district, there are also significant changes in landscape, where you can find lakes, waterfalls, cloud forests, mountains and a maze of small towns and villages, many of which hold on to their colonial fabric. Whether you're looking for mesmerizing underground cathedrals forged from salt, legendary cities of gold or a challenging climbing route or two, bidding Bogotá adios and exploring the surrounding department of Cundinamarca ain't a bad way to come down from on high for the day.

Explore Bogotá Region

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Latest Stories from Bogotá Region

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Bogotá Region.

  • Museum

    Museo del Oro

    Bogotá's most famous museum and one of the most fascinating in South America, the Gold Museum contains more than 55,000 pieces of gold and other materials…

  • Museum

    Museo Botero

    Even if you've never heard of Fernando Botero, you'll probably recognize some of his highly distinctive paintings of oversized (read: chubby) characters,…

  • Church

    Iglesia de San Francisco

    Built between 1557 and 1621, the Church of San Francisco is Bogotá's oldest surviving church. In the atmospherically dark interior, with its extravagant…

  • Church

    Catedral de Sal

    Zipaquirá's stunning Catedral de Sal, 190m underground, was carved by removing 250,000 tons of salt; the resulting space is cinematically lit and packs a…

  • Plaza

    Plaza de Bolívar

    The usual place to start discovering Bogotá is the giant concrete Plaza de Bolívar, the heart of the original town. What it lacks in green foliage it…

  • Museum

    Colección de Arte

    Most of Banco de la República's permanent art collection, which features 800 pieces by 250 different artists spread over 16 exhibition halls at two…

  • Historic Building

    Casa de Nariño

    On the south side of Plaza de Bolívar, beyond the Capitolio Nacional and reached via Carreras 8 or 7, this is Colombia's neoclassical presidential…

  • Museum

    Museo Nacional

    Housed in the expansive, Greek-cross-shaped building called El Panóptico (designed as a prison by English architect Thomas Reed in 1874), the Museo…

  • Church

    Museo Santa Clara

    One of Bogotá's most richly decorated churches, the Santa Clara is also its oldest (along with Iglesia de San Francisco). Deconsecrated in 1968, it was…

  • Museum

    Museo Militar

    This two-floor museum is run by military guys in fatigues, and features playful models sporting the history of military uniforms (note the 'antiterrorist'…

  • Museum

    Casa Museo Quinta de Bolívar

    Bringing a bit of the country into the middle of high-rise Bogotá, this lovely historic home–museum is set in a garden at the foot of the Cerro de…

  • Plaza

    Plazoleta del Chorro de Quevedo

    No one agrees exactly where present-day Bogotá was founded – some say by the Catedral Primada on the Plaza de Bolívar; others say here, in this wee plaza…

  • Museum

    Museo Histórico Policial

    This surprisingly worthwhile museum not only gets you inside the lovely ex-HQ (built in 1923) of Bogotá's police force, but gives you 45 minutes or so of…

  • Park

    Parque Metropolitano Simón Bolívar

    At 360 hectares, the Parque Metropolitano Simón Bolívar is slightly larger than New York's Central Park, something that more than a few of the weekend…

  • Theater

    Teatro Colón

    The Teatro Colón, with its adorable Italian-style facade, has had various names since its birth in 1792; this latest version opened as Teatro Nacional in…

  • Church

    Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen

    With Spanish colonial architecture dominating the historical centre, this peculiar Gothic-style church, adorned with Byzantine and Arabic art, is a rare…

  • Museum

    Casa de Moneda

    This historic museum inside the Banco de la República complex houses the Colección Numismática as well as the Colección de Arte. The former exhibit starts…

  • Gallery

    Espacio KB

    One of several edgy art galleries that have sprung up in San Felipe, Bogotá's next cusp-of-cool barrio, this house-turned-gallery is a magnet for the city…

  • Historic Site

    Site Entrance

    Entrance to Laguna de Guatavita, the sacred lake and ritual center of the Muisca people. Guides on the 90-minute circuit tour are compulsory and included…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Bogotá Region.