It’s golden: The Gold Museum is one of Bogota’s biggest attractions. |
BY MARK CHESNUT
In my article The Best of Bogota, which was published recently in IN Magazine, the inflight magazine of LAN Airlines, I highlighted the perfect weekend vacation in Colombia’s capital. After my own recent visit this year, I decided to come up with my own personal list of favorite reasons to visit. So if you’re looking for some fast reasons to head to Bogota, look no further.
1. The Food: Bogota’s dining scene continues to impress. Among the best during my most recent visit were Leo Cocina y Cava, which serves contemporary Colombian cuisine in a stylish small setting and Andres DC, the lively city branch of the legendary Andres Carne de Res, which is located outside the city limits.
2. The Art: The Bohemian arts district called La Macarena is welcoming an increasing number of interesting small galleries, and also has some fun restaurants serving international cuisine. Be sure to visit Valenzuela Klenner, a gallery that exhibits contemporary art, and Galería Mü, a gallery that is billed as the city’s first to focus solely on photography. Read my detailed post about La Macarena here.
3. The Salt: The Catedral de Sal — the Salt Cathedral — is a subterranean wonder that opened in 1995. It’s an incredibly designed religious site about an hour and a half from the city. Step underground and you’ll feel like you’ve walked into a science fiction movie.
4. The Museums: the Museo de Oro, which was recently renovated, continues to amaze with its thousands of gold artifacts from pre-Columbian cultures. Also check out the Museo Botero, which exhibits the work of Fernando Botero, one of Colombia’s most famous artists.
5. The View: No first visit to Bogota is complete without a visit to Monserrate, a 10,341-foot mountain that soars above the city. The cable-car ride to the top is a lot of fun after dark, and the Santuario del Señor Caído de Monserrate is a picturesque little chapel at the top, sitting nearby the elegant Casa San Isidro, where you can dine by candlelight on French cuisine.