Colombia
Falling in love with Bogota in 3 days
There is so much to love about Bogota in Colombia it’s hard to know quite where to begin. We’re often asked what our favourite place has been on our travels, and while neither Ade nor I can name one particular city the place that surprised us the most, that we keep coming back to, was Colombia, especially Bogota.
So let’s start with one of our highlights from Bogota and it’s not a place but a drink. As the sun goes down and the streets begin to fill with the nighttime crowd grab a cup of Canelazo, at least, that’s what we did. Every night.
It’s the kind of drink that warms you from the inside. In Bogota, men and women push carts laden with syrups and spices through the streets of the old town making Canelazo not just a drink, but a full experience. We had a couple before dinner each night and one or two after dinner it was so good.
And while we’re on the subject of food, if you’re looking for somewhere to eat head to El Son de los Grilos. The Candelaria Hotel Boutique, where we stayed, provided us with all sorts of tips and this was one of them.
The place was lovely, full of character, the steak was amazing and the waitress spoke excellent English.
Wander to Narino Palace, you can’t go inside the actual palace but they’ll let you into the gardens out the front for a look. Don’t be put off by the guards, they’re generally pretty helpful.
At Bolivar square stop and wonder at the life and activity taking place in the city centre before heading over to Santa Clara church, make sure you go behind the main altar to the Ave Maria altar.
Pop into San Francisco Church on your way past. You’re not allowed to take photos inside here but the altar – all in gold – is stunning and well worth a look. Don’t be put off by the graffiti on the outside.
And just when you think there’s nothing here but churches, or once you’re all ‘churched out’ head over to the Museum de Oro, (Museum of Gold). There was far too much gold inside for Ade, but it is interesting learning about metallurgical skills across South America. We come from Melbourne with Ballarat and Bendigo gold mining towns just up the road, but this gave us a completely different perspective and taught us a lot about the mining process and how gold develops.
One of the touristy highlights of Bogota apparently is Monserat, perched high on a hill overlooking the city. But on your way to the Monserat cable car stop in at Casa Magola Beundia for a coffee and a hot chocolate (the chocolate with marshmallows is really good here) and an empanada. Or a beer depending on the time and your inclination.
We stumbled across a band playing a concert organised by the University of the Andes in the streets as we reached the edge of the city, so we stopped to listen for a few minutes before continuing to the Monserat ticket office. (Fun fact: we bumped into the band when we arrived at the airport in Mexico City so told them, through broken Spanish and English, how much we enjoyed their music. They were stoked, of course, and had to take a selfie with Adrian as a memento.)
Take the cable car up to Monserat which will give you beautiful views across the mountains and the greater Bogota region. The cable car can get quite crammed with tourists, so if you’re claustrophobic or don’t like heights, perhaps take the funicular, or walk up, instead.
Once at the top, marvel at the views over Bogota, admire the beautiful gardens, wander through the avenue of stores selling the usual trinkets and of course head inside the church for a look.
I didn’t think the church was particularly interesting, not compared to some of the churches in the old town, but the actual site is beautiful and the views across Bogota are amazing.
At the bottom, as you head toward the University of the Andes’ grounds, detour to your right and stop in at Colo coffee roasters. I don’t drink coffee but really enjoyed the espresso chai – I could taste both the chai and the coffee in it and still enjoyed it. And Ade says the coffee was excellent. But then, this is Colombia, you’d expect good coffee here.
If you’re feeling hungry and ready for dinner, head to La Puerta Falsa. This place has been around for hundreds of years and in the one family for more than 200. You’ll find the current owner behind the counter greeting customers with a smile. There was quite a queue when we first wandered past but when we went back a few hours later we didn’t have to wait too long. It’s a tiny restaurant, but the food, and the ambience, is worth the wait.
Our final day in Bogota is all about the street art. Head to Plazoleta Chorro de Quevedo and to Vallejo’s de las brujas – alley of the witches.
Wander down Carrera 1a, turn left at Calle 12c and left again into Calle del Embudo. This was one of our favourite alleys in Bogota. We spent more than an hour here checking out all the amazing street art.
When you’ve photographed every piece of art and admired all the quirky buildings, wander down to Jaguar Coffee House. Pop in for a coffee and a hot chocolate and watch them roasting beans in the coffee lab. You’ll feel like you’re in your living room at home but with a barista on hand to make your coffee.
Whatever you do don’t miss Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen church. We tried three times to go to this church before finally finding it open. It was worth the effort. The outside is kind of looks like a gingerbread church, or a church made from candy canes, and inside it is one of the most beautiful and unique churches we’ve seen.
You’ll want to stop all along the way to admire buildings and streetscapes in Bogota. It really is a beautiful city.
And despite the abundance of street stalls and local artists we weren’t pressured or beseeched to look at people’s wares. We did, of course, buy some local items – it’s good to support the local economy, after all. But never felt pressured.
In some parts of old town Bogota we found a strong military presence particularly around official buildings and the President’s palace. Coming from Australia, it’s quite unusual for us to see a military presence in any city, so it always takes us a little by surprise. Despite the guns, they were generally pretty friendly.
There are a lot of churches and museums (and university buildings) in Bogota and while they were beautiful and fascinating, our favourite thing was to wander the beautifully coloured streets.
Read about snorkelling in Colombia here.
Read more about our adventures in South America here.
Fast Facts
We travelled in April 2026.
We stayed at Candelaria House Boutique. It was beautiful. One of my favourite places to stay in South America.
We were here for three nights
Was it long enough? I could definitely have stayed longer, it’s such a beautiful city, but three days was long enough to check out the highlights and to wander.
Highlights: Vallejo’s de las brujas – alley of the witches (anything witchy gets me every time), Calle del Embudo and Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen church. Oh, and all the streetscapes
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