According to beautypically, Bogota is the capital and largest city of Colombia. It was founded in 1538 by the Spanish conquistadors on the site of an Indian settlement of the Chibcha tribe. The city was named Santa Fe de Bogota: Santa Fe meant the Christian feast of the Transfiguration (August 6, on this day the Spaniards founded a new settlement), and Bogota was the name of the last ruler of the Chibcha Indians. Over time, only the last part of the name remained; however, from 1991 to 2000, the capital of Colombia bore the original compound name.

Unlike other cities in Latin America, where you can still see buildings from the times of the Spanish conquerors, there are practically no monuments of that era (16-17 centuries) in Bogotá. The fact is that the history of Bogota is a lot of revolutions, wars, armed uprisings that continued until the second half of the 20th century. and destroyed most of the historical buildings.

In the city center, a neoclassical theater and a church from the 17th century have miraculously survived. Iglesia de San Francisco. See harvardshoes for Colombia travel package.

In Bogotá, there are museums unique for all of Latin America, where you can see, for example, gold from the pre-Columbian era or paintings by Cubist and Impressionist artists.

How to get to Bogota

El Dorado International Airport is a 20-minute drive from the city center. All domestic flights (from Cali, Cartagena and Medellin) arrive at the Puente Aereo terminal, which is equipped with wifi.

You can get to the center by: 1) an official taxi: first you need to find a counter at the airport, select the desired direction, and take a printed “coupon”, which will indicate the cost of the trip. Then go out to the taxi stand, show the coupon to the driver, tell the address. It is necessary to pay at the end of the trip and only the amount that is printed in the “coupon”. Typically, a trip to the center will be between 25 and 30,000 COP. 2) by bus, the stop of which is located a few meters from the exit from the airport. The fare is 3600 COP.

Districts of Bogotá

The city is divided into four regions:

• South is the poorest part of Bogotá
• Center (El Centro) – the historical area of ​​​​the city with many attractions and a business district
• the area of ​​El Occidente, where the upper strata of Bogota society live, there are many parks and sports facilities
• and the North – the most modern part of the city with shopping centers, boutiques, cafes and nightclubs

In addition to this division, Bogota officially includes 20 districts:
the most touristic La Candelaria with colonial buildings, churches and picturesque streets;
Chapinero, in the north of La Candelaria, is the more modern part of the city with office buildings, hundreds of shops and restaurants;
Teusaquillo will appeal to sports fans, it is here that the famous Bogotá stadium, the Olympic water complex, Simon Bolivar Park are located – the venue for all open-air concerts, and many museums and a botanical garden will appeal to the “second halves” of amateur athletes;
the bohemian Macarena district with art galleries and the best restaurants in the capital;
Parque de la 93, visited only for its trendy cafes and wild nightclubs;
San Victorino, located in the heart of the city, opposite the TransMilenio’s station. There are inexpensive shops selling everything in a row;
Usaquén is the northernmost district, home to all the major attractions and traditional architecture of the capital.

But it is better not to visit the following areas for tourists: Antonio Nariño, Bosa, Ciudad Bolívar, Engativá, Fontibón, Kennedy, Los Mártires, Puente Aranda, Rafael Uribe Uribe, Suba, Sumapaz, Barrios Unidos and Tunjuelito.

Bogotá Hotels

Budget hotels in Bogota can be found in the La Candelaria area, where most of the youth hostels of the capital “live”, in which friendly and talkative tourists from all over the world settle. The historic city center and main museums, as well as some decent nightclubs, are within walking distance. However, despite the fact that this area is considered relatively safe, you should not walk here alone in the evening and take a lot of cash with you.

A safer area is Zona T or Parque de la 93, but the hotels here are much more expensive. But in these areas there will never be a problem with a taxi at 6 in the morning: in almost every building there is a nightclub, whose guests just like to disperse only in the morning.

Mid-range hotels can be found near universities (for example, Chapinero Neighborhood) or in the historic city center.

Entertainment and attractions

The main square of Bogota, Plaza Bolivar, is interesting for the statue of the first President of Colombia and the Cathedral of the Cathedral. Not far from it is the Presidential Palace, where the ceremony of changing the guard of honor takes place every day at exactly 17:00. In addition, the buildings of the National Capitol, the National Conservatory and the National Symphony Orchestra, the Columbia Academy, the National University of Colombia, as well as numerous museums of the city deserve attention in the capital: the Gold Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Arts and Folk Traditions, the Museum of Traditional Art, the Museum of Urban development, the Museum of Colonial Art, the Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of Science and Technology, the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Religious Art, the Museum of Numismatics and the Simon Bolivar House Museum.