Hi. I initially planned a pretty extensive trip around South America, that was until I found out that the intra-continental air pass (South American air pass) is extremely restrictive, in short supply and is even expensive. The reality is that I need to downsize my itinerary and your sincere opinions will help me with my ultimate decision. Bogota is specifically the focus.
While most well-known travel guides describe Bogota as a surprisingly (relatively) modern place (despite the wealthier northern district and poorer southern counterpart), is home of great nightlife and food and otherwise no longer presents any more dangers than most popular US destinations, these same guides don’t really adequately describe the city from a sightseeing point-of-view. These guides only really write that the city has a “pleasant”/“interesting” district known as La Candelaria. I went online to check out photos. Much of the city seems to consist of modern office blocks while other districts seem pretty run down. Most importantly for my taste, it doesn’t seem like Bogota is filled with a high concentration of colonial attractions, squares, etc. However, being that I am simply nosing around online, I COULD BE completely wrong here. Normally I would just go, but the related travel constraints are a bit much…but I’ll do it if it is worth that effort.
I have never been to Bogota but I know many of Latin America’s gorgeous urban centers (meaning sizeable areas with beautiful colonial sights): Cuzco, Quito, Buenos Aires (although different obviously), Rio de Janeiro (different again), Salvador in Brazil (again different), Cartagena, Guanajuato, San Juan, Havana, etc. Bottom line: Do you personally think Bogota ranks among the continent/region’s greatest colonial destinations or is it just not of that caliber? Of course, this is all opinion. On a side note, although I saw several unattractive photos of Bogota, I did find these nice ones below:
http://wikitravel.org/en/File:Bogota_street.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Street_in_Bogota.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/PanoramaPlacaBolivarBogota.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LaCandelaria.jpg
How Does Bogota Compare to Latin America’s Great Colonial Cities?
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We spent two months in Colombia last winter - about a week of that altogether in Bogota. In my opinion Bogota is not as nice as Cuzco, Quito, Cartagena,and Guanajuato, all of which I've visited. The gold museum in Bogota is fabulous. We went to a few good restaurants. It was fun going to the top of Monseratte. We enjoyed our time there. But found the rest of Colombia much more interesting/beautiful (small towns and countryside. ) We liked Medellin better - though there's not much colonial anything there.
We felt comfortable in Bogota - the city didn't feel threatening.
We stayed at a popular b&b in Candelaria. That particular street had its charms but was also kind of down at the heels. Lots of dog poop, eg. Beer guzzling students (not that I wasn't once one) Other streets in Candelaria looked better. We also stayed sort of midtown - ish 59th Street or so as I recall. And we visited some friends farther nort in the swanky (but not particularly "charming") northern condo area. So we enjoyed getting to know the city, but if you go expecting something that looks/feels like the colonial cities you mentioned, think you'll be disappointed. .
glover,
That you so much for your great feedback. Discussion forums really need more people like you. Thank you.
I'd disagree somewhat with the previous reply. The natural setting of Quito is nicer than Bogota, but the Candelaria is far more colorful - street after street of reds, greens, purples, orange, etc... Of the ones you've mentioned that I've been to, I'd definitely put Bogota above San Juan and Rio - in terms of the colonial center.
There are two parts of the Candelaria - the Plaza de Bolivar, where the president's house, parliament and supreme court are located, and another part a bit further north where the hostels are. The first is heavily secured, the second is not a place to walk around at night.
Borrowing a bit from my trip report last year:
The Botero Museum is highly recommended. It's open on Mondays when most museums are closed and it's free. The gold musuem is also worth a visit. There is also the police museum, where you get tour led by an 18 year old police recruit, the military museum, the national museum, and the modern art museum, all of which were just ok. All of these are located either in the Candelaria or within walking distance. The Iglesia de Santa Clara, located right in the Plaza de Bolivar, is quite beautiful.
You can also take a day trip north to Zipaquira. Very nice colonial town with a sunny plaza, cathedral and palm trees. Very nice people. The salt cathedral is worth a visit, even if it feels a bit like an amusement park. Nearby is the village of Nemocon where there is little to see but it is beautiful town. Multicolored colonial buildings on one side, bright green fields with cows on the others, with the mountains topped by gray storm clouds in the background. Absolutely beautiful.
I'd definitely stay in the Candelaria, much closer to the sites and much more atmosphere. The areas around the Universidad Nacional and the Universidad de Los Andes are fun to walk around (during the day). You can easily get up to the restaurants and malls up north by taxi or transmillenio.