3 Best Sights in Bogotá, Colombia

In 2000, world-famous artist Fernando Botero made headlines when he donated dozens of works from his private collection to Colombia. Botero's artwork interprets his subjects from a distinctly Latin American standpoint—Colombians affectionately refer to him as "the man who paints fat people." Many of his subjects are well-known in Colombia, especially in his native Medellín. The collection includes 123 of his own paintings, sculptures, and drawings. Equally impressive are his donation of 85 original works of renowned European and North American artists. This part of the collection, practically a review of art history since the late 19th century, includes original pieces by Corot, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Dalí, Chagall, Bacon, and de Kooning.

Bogotá's phenomenal Gold Museum contains an astounding collection of pre-Hispanic Colombian artifacts, with more than 34,000 gold pieces (in weight alone worth $200 million) and more than 20,000 ceramics, textiles, and semiprecious stones. The pieces on display represent more than 2,500 years of civilizations including the Musica, Nariño, Calima, Tairona, and Siní. There are four permanent exhibitions that take visitors through ancient metallurgical technique and the ceremonial, political, and religious uses of gold in pre-Hispanic society, as well as providing insight into a culture informed by a unique mythology and cosmology. Most of the gold is in the guarded top-floor gallery, along with the largest uncut emerald in the world. All the exhibitions are bilingual, and free English tours are available Tuesday through Saturday at 11 am and 4 pm; entry to the museum is free on Sunday—and it gets crowded.

Considered one of the oldest opera houses in the Americas, this masterpiece of baroque architecture---inspired by the Parisian Palais Garnier---was designed by Italian architect Pietro Cantini and inaugurated in 1895. The exterior facade reveals little of the opulence inside, a breathtaking display of delicate ornamentation dominated by the frescoes of the six Greek muses painted by Italian masters Filippo Mastellari and Giovanni Menarini. Try to catch a performance for the full experience, or take a tour available Wednesday and Thursday at 3 pm and Saturday at noon and 3 pm. Tours in English are possible, but must be organized in advance through the website.