We left as other times to a chosen destination, but this time we would have a stopover of almost a full day in Bogota. Far from being a problem, it was a great opportunity to dedicate those hours to the Colombian capital, and I assure you that we did not regret it. Bogota is a big city with a lot to see, so we chose to visit the historic neighborhood of La Candelaria.
Indice:
How we travel from Bogota airport to La Candelaria
Suitcases
We arrived at El Dorado airport in the morning, before noon. The checked bags were going directly to the final destination but we had carry-on bags and did not want to make the trip with them for convenience. At the airport you have luggage storage that works 24 hours a day, it is on the second floor of El Dorado and costs $15000 Colombian pesos (about 4 or 5 dollars) for 12 hours.
We changed money right there, at the money exchange at the airport. Now we are ready to go to La Candelaria, Bogota.
Transportation to La Candelaria
From the airport to the city you have about 15 km, a half hour drive, of course it was Sunday, the cab driver told us later that on weekdays the traffic is heavy and can take longer. From the airport you have a bus that makes the trip but we opted to take a cab, from the airport itself, the ones in line, the ones authorized by the airport, we paid around $25000 Colombian pesos (COP) (u$s 8).
If you have a few days to stay in the city it is ideal, Bogota is a magnificent city. SEARCH FOR HOTEL IN BOGOTÁ
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Tour of La Candelaria, Bogota
The Gold Museum
The first stop was the Gold Museum. It has exposed pieces of goldsmithing and pottery of the indigenous cultures of the pre-Columbian era, has more than 30,000 pieces made of gold and is well worth the tour.
Being Sunday the entrance was free and for that reason it was very congested, but we were able to take advantage of it anyway. On Mondays it is closed, the entrance fee for the rest of the days is $4000 Colombian pesos (1.25 dollars approx.).
Craft Gallery of Colombia
A few steps away from the museum we found the Artisan Gallery, it is something that luckily we did not miss. The colorfulness of all the handicrafts for sale there is wonderful, we found some very beautiful creations, so we brought some of them back with us. We recommend taking a tour even if you are not looking for souvenirs to take back with you, but you will surely be tempted as we were. La Candelaria in Bogota continued to dazzle us.
San Francisco Church
We continued the tour, and its crowded streets were the main attraction for us, the colorful city is very striking, it has a very special charm.
One of the first buildings we see is the San Francisco church, a Catholic church built between 1550 and 1595.
Independence Museum – House of the Flower Vase
Arriving at the Plaza Bolivar we find in one of its corners the museum of the Independence Casa del Florero. This colonial house is related to one of the most important events of the country, the Cry of Independence on July 20, 1810. Inside you can appreciate objects related to the independence of Colombia.
Bolivar Square and Primada Cathedral
As we were saying, our steps had already reached the Plaza Bolivar, and if so far everything had seemed magnificent, what appeared before our eyes was… simply wonderful. Bolivar Square is the main square of Bogota, and in it we find as we said the Cathedral Basilica Metropolitana Primada de Colombia, the Palace of Justice, the National Capitol, the House of the Ecclesiastical Chapter, and the Archbishop’s Palace. The image of the cathedral with the mountains in the background is worth the visit to the city, it is something wonderful.
And what is also not to be missed is the interior of the cathedral, it is worth going inside and seeing how monumental it is.
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A walk through La Candelaria and a stop to taste its typical dishes.
After many photos in the square, walking around admiring all those buildings, we started the walk through the narrow streets that start from there. We are again dazzled by the colorful, with street artists, it is something that we recommend in many places, but getting lost in the streets … is the best plan.
It was time to stop to eat something, we were a little tired but we could not stop looking and admiring every corner. The gastronomic offer was a lot and we decided to try a typical dish, so we went into one of the restaurants and ordered a Bandeja Paisa, I assure you it was very delicious, and if you are visiting Bogota I advise you to order it.
Mint Museum
We arrived at the Casa de la Moneda museum, where the first gold coins were minted in America in 1621. Inside we can take a tour through the history of the house, a beautiful colonial house by the way, and the numismatic collection of the Banco de la República.
This tour of La Candelaria was fascinating, Bogota had so much to offer, and we had so little time.
Botero Museum
Here we arrived at the museum that I liked the most of those we could see, remember that we made a tour of the Candelaria of only a few hours since we were on a stopover, no doubt we have to return to spend a few days to visit this beautiful city more in depth.
But as I was saying, in this museum we find works of this magnificent Colombian painter and sculptor. If you have to choose few museums to see due to lack of time, I suggest that this one should be on the list to visit.
Quevedo’s jet
Plazoleta el Chorro de Quevedo, framed by colonial buildings has a very particular charm. A place to add to the tour of La Candelaria.
Climbing Monserrate hill
Unfortunately, that is what we lacked. But it would have been a nonsense to want to do so many things in a few hours, and we believe we were not wrong, because it is a magnificent place and deserves to dedicate a lot of time to it. So as we are going to return to this charming city we will do it next time.
Conclusion and return
Bogota is a charming city, the little or much that we were able to walk around La Candelaria left us in awe and made us have plans to return to spend a few days.
Already tired and after having a good coffee, which was what we were missing, we took another cab to the airport.
Already on board the plane, ready for take-off, we could not stop marveling at this city.
EXTRAS: MAP AND VIDEO
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links.
