TRAVELATINO / COLOMBIA / THE ANDES
Colombia’s capital, a diverse and inspiring city of extraordinary beauty.
Andes · Culture · Gastronomy · 2,640 m
PHOTO · Bogotá skyline / Monserrate · 1920 × 1080
A CITY OF CONTRASTS
Bogotá is Colombia’s capital — and it may look nothing like the Colombia you imagined. Nearly 8 million people live high in the Andes at approximately 2,640 metres (8,660 feet) above sea level, where the city spreads across a vast plateau and the green Cerros Orientales rise dramatically beside it.
Bogotá is a city of contrasts. Colonial streets and centuries-old churches meet contemporary art, creative neighbourhoods and one of Colombia’s most exciting food scenes. Indigenous history, Spanish colonial heritage and modern Colombian life overlap everywhere you look.
PHOTO · La Candelaria
PHOTO · Bogotá skyline
PHOTO · Museo del Oro
Colonial streets. Contemporary art. And the Andes always beside you.
Ride up to Monserrate, a mountain and pilgrimage site at 3,152 metres, and watch the capital stretch beneath the Andes. Then wander through La Candelaria, step into the Museo del Oro, or taste tropical fruits you may never have seen before at Paloquemao Market.
And that is only the beginning. Bogotá is not simply where many journeys through Colombia start — it is one of the places that begins to explain what Colombia really is.
FIND YOUR BOGOTÁ
PHOTO · Monserrate
PHOTO · La Candelaria
PHOTO · Museo del Oro
PHOTO · Paloquemao Market
PHOTO · Ciclovía
A LITTLE FURTHER
The Andes surrounding the capital make it surprisingly easy to exchange big-city energy for sacred lakes, underground wonders and misty high-mountain landscapes.
PHOTO · Guatavita Lake
PHOTO · Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral
PHOTO · Chingaza
PHOTO · Ajiaco santafereño
PULL UP A CHAIR
Bogotá brings together traditional Andean comfort food and one of Latin America’s most exciting contemporary dining scenes.
Ajiaco santafereño. Ajiaco is Bogotá’s traditional chicken and potato soup, made with corn, three varieties of potato and guascas, usually served with avocado, capers and cream.
From local classics to internationally recognized restaurants. El Chato, a contemporary Colombian restaurant led by chef Álvaro Clavijo, was named No. 1 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025. Its menus reinterpret Colombian ingredients through a modern lens.
Keep exploring. Try a Colombian tamal — a corn-based dish steamed in a banana leaf — empanadas, traditional bakeries, fresh fruit juices and Colombian coffee.
And yes, chocolate with cheese. Hot chocolate served with pieces of cheese is a traditional Andean combination. The cheese softens inside the drink, creating one of those distinctly Colombian experiences worth trying at least once.
BEFORE YOU GO
Bogotá is the capital of Colombia
Approx. 7.95 million people
Approx. 2,640 m / 8,660 ft
Cool, mild and changeable
Around 14–15°C / 57–59°F
Layers, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and a light rain jacket
3–4 days
History, culture, gastronomy, art, architecture and nature
YOUR JOURNEY. YOUR RHYTHM.
Create a Colombian experience that is entirely your own.
PHOTO · Bogotá / Monserrate · 1920 × 900
Monserrate is a mountain and religious pilgrimage site overlooking Bogotá. Ride the cable car or funicular to 3,152 metres and watch the city unfold beneath the Andes — especially beautiful as the lights come on at sunset.
Above the city
La Candelaria is Bogotá’s historic district, known for colourful colonial houses, old churches, museums, universities, street art and narrow streets where the city’s past and creative present meet.
History & colour
The Museo del Oro is Bogotá’s archaeological Gold Museum. Its extraordinary collection of goldwork and other objects reveals the rituals, beliefs and craftsmanship of Indigenous cultures from across Colombia.
Indigenous heritage
Paloquemao is a traditional food and flower market packed with roses, herbs, vegetables and tropical fruits. Try lulo, granadilla, guanábana or pitahaya — or simply point to something unfamiliar and ask to taste it.
Local flavours
Ciclovía is Bogotá’s Sunday and holiday recreation program, when major roads become routes for cyclists, runners, walkers and families — a lively way to see how the capital really lives.
The city in motion
Laguna de Guatavita is a high-altitude Andean lake and sacred ceremonial site associated with the Muisca people. Its history helped inspire the legendary story of El Dorado.
Sacred landscapes
The Salt Cathedral is an underground Roman Catholic church built inside the tunnels of a former salt mine in the historic town of Zipaquirá. Vast chambers, stone and dramatic lighting make it one of Colombia’s most unusual experiences.
An underground wonder
Chingaza is a protected park in the Eastern Andes, home to lagoons, mountain forests and páramo — a rare high-altitude ecosystem. Mist, frailejones and wide-open landscapes make the capital feel worlds away.
Into the páramo
