Today I want to share my itinerary for 3 days in Bogota, Colombia with you. This high-altitude capital in South America is known for its colonial-era city center and vibrant cultural highlights.
3 Days in Bogota
Reaching an altitude of 8,300 feet (2,640 meters), Bogota is the third highest capital city in the world. As such, getting off the plane after 4 days in Cartagena was quite a shock.
Despite only being an hour’s flight apart, the thin, chilly air in Bogota was a world away from the turgid heat of its coastal counterpart.
Hotel in Bogota
When my boyfriend and I landed in Bogota, we wrapped ourselves in our warmest clothes and took a taxi to our accommodation, Hotel 101 Park House.
We were in town for a wedding, and our local friends had recommended it as a great place to stay. It was.
Bogota Old Town
We settled into the hotel, which was in a residential area, then started our 3 days in Bogota by heading off to explore the old town.
We strolled by the Capitolio Nacional and the Palacio de Narino, past the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen, and back towards the more modern Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango, admiring the mix of old and new in the city center as we went.
Restaurants in Bogota
That evening we met up with some people who would be at our friends’ wedding that weekend.
We had a great dinner at a Colombian restaurant, where one of the locals recommended ajiaco, Bogota’s specialty of chicken-and-potato soup. It was delicious.
Serenata
After dinner we headed to the home of a friend of the bride’s for a serenata, or serenade. A Colombian wedding tradition, the serenata involves surprising the bride-to-be with singing.
This serenata included both a guitar duo and a full-fledged mariachi band. The groom sang a lot of the songs, which was great.
Aguardiente, the national anise-flavored liquor, flowed freely throughout the evening, giving those not used to the altitude quite a rough morning the following day.
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira
Thankfully my boyfriend and I kept our aguardiente drinking in check. We woke up early the next morning to continue our 3 days in Bogota with a visit to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira.
Carved out of an old salt mine, the cathedral featured a whole bunch of stations of the cross (I was under the impression there were only twelve, but apparently you can add more), beautiful carvings, and a reflecting pool.
Shopping in Bogota
After the cathedral visit, my boyfriend met up with a former coworker from the days when he worked in Bogota. I was left to my own devices at the local mall.
After two hours of primary research, I concluded that malls are fairly similar no matter where they are in the world. I was glad to leave and head to dinner when my boyfriend was done.
Andres Carne de Res in Bogota
Dinner was at Colombia’s most famous restaurant, Andres Carne de Res. We couldn’t spend 3 days in Bogota without going for a meal there.
There’s really no way to do justice to the insanity of this restaurant other than to say that it’s big enough one can get lost in the quirky labyrinth of rooms, dance floors, bars, and halls.
Its low ceilings and long walls are so packed with kitsch they make Buck’s of Woodside look like an austere tribute to Modernism.
The music was loud, the menu came in a box with a jack-in-the-box handle to wind it, and the dancing started early and went late. The food was mainly steak, and the caipirinhas were strong. It was a good night.
Wedding in Bogota
The next day our 3 days in Bogota culminated in our friends’ wedding.
A bus drove us up and over the mountains and out of Bogota. The wedding was at a villa on a farm, complete with sheep, donkeys, and mules dressed in festive flowers for the occasion.
The ceremony was short and sweet, and afterwards the guests gathered for drinks and dinner followed by hours of dancing.
My boyfriend and I stayed as long as our jet lag permitted, then headed back to Bogota so we could wake up early for our flight back to London.
3 Days in Bogota, Colombia
The wedding was the perfect way to finish off our trip to Colombia. But we still weren’t ready to be back in London quite yet.
Our five-hour layover in Miami was useful in that respect, as we spent most of it sipping drinks by a beach bar in an effort to prolong paradise.
Then it was back to London and back to work, leaving us with nothing but a desire to spend another 3 days in Bogota at our earliest possible convenience.
Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!
New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.
Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the A Lady in London blog.
Pin it!