Bogotá
Monserrate Sanctuary
Bogotá is Colombia’s high-altitude capital. La Candelaria, its cobblestoned center, features colonial-era landmarks like the neoclassical Teatro Colón and the 17th-century Iglesia de San Francisco. It's also home to the Museo Botero, showcasing Fernando Botero's art, and the Museo del Oro, displaying pre-Columbian gold pieces.
STAY
FOUR SEASONS CASA MEDINA BOGOTÁ Much of Colombian architect Santiago Medina Mejia’s original building details—stone columns, slanted beam ceilings, hand-carved doors rescued from convents remain. The courtyard, newly covered in glass, connects the original mansion with the neighboring annex and is now the setting for Spanish restaurant Castanyoles offering Iberian ham croquettes, salmorejo soup, and Bilbaína-style grilled fish. After a long day of sightseeing, we recommend the Colombian green coffee wrap at the Spa.
FOUR SEASONS BOGOTÁ A contemporary choice in the Zona Rosa area— steps away from the city’s best shopping, nightlife, and cafés.
CLICK CLACK An eccentric11-floor boutique hotel with a cantilevered exterior wrapped in mesh (look closely and it is actually a street map of the city). The property also features a rooftop burger bar and ground-floor farm-to-table restaurant. There is also a location in Medellín.
THE ORCHIDS In the heart of Candelaria, this boutique hotel in a townhouse is part art gallery, complete with pre-Columbian ceramics, restored 19th-century woodwork, vintage rugs, and shelves of leather-bound books. Each of the six suites, named after an opera, feature a fireplace, a freestanding tub, and writing desks. Book a treatment in the traditional-tiled hammam.
B.O.G. HOTEL In, Cabrera, the glass-and-concrete façade of this hotel gives way to stylish interiors with gold and emerald hues (a nod to Colombia’s precious minerals) and textured cowhide chairs and wood floors courtesy of Portuguese designer Nini Andrade Silva. A restaurant by Chef Leonor Espinosa offers seasonal Colombian cuisine, and there is also a rooftop pool and subterranean spa at the property.
HOTEL DE LA OPERA Bogota’s stately grand dame occupying a pair of colonial homes in La Candelaria. Live music shows are offered on the weekends, and the property offers a spa and two restaurants— La Scala for Mediterranean or El Mirador for regional specialties and cathedral views from the rooftop.
CASA LĖLYTĖ Nestled within the hills of Chapinero Alto, the so-called Williamsburg of Bogotá, is a charming bed-and-breakfast. Featuring a lobby cocktail bar with midcentury modern furnishings and a tangerine-tiled dining room where chef and owner María Angélica Bernal prepares vegetarian cuisine. Up the wrought-iron spiral staircase, works by local artists line the walls.
DINE | DRINK
PAJARES SALINAS Genteel restaurant presenting elevated tapas, seafood, meat dishes, paella & desserts, plus wine. Cra 10 #96-8; pajares-salinas.com
PRUDENCIA Run by a Colombian-American husband-and-wife team Mario and Meghan with a canopy designed by noted Colombian architect Simón Vélez— dining at this restaurant is almost like eating inside of a greenhouse.
EL CIERVO Y EL OSO The Deer and The Bear serves up a modern twist on traditional Colombian dishes in the charming neighborhood of Quinta Camacho.
CATACIÓN PÚBLICA Jaime, the owner, offers tastings and teaches guests about the coffee-making process. His nonprofit also supports farmers and the transition from coca to coffee bean production.
EL BANDIDO BISTRO Live music and strong cocktails are served up here. Pop into Enano next door, which feels like it was transported straight out of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
MINI-MAL Mini-mal began more as an experiment in social development than as a restaurant. Chef Eduardo Martinez, an agronomist by trade, who was working on the Pacific Coast opened the restaurant in order to support the region’s artisanal fishermen, mollusk collectors, and artisanal farmers. Chef Martinez has since shifted his attention toward the Amazon and sells handicrafts and food products from the communities he works with.
ANDRES CARNE DE RES A must-visit for arepas and salsa dancing. Andres Carne De Res, founded by Andrés Jaramillo as a roadside grill in 1982, is now a 5-story dance hall featuring a rock-climbing wall. Latin America’s 50 Best List describes the restaurant as “Alice-in-Wonderland meets Moulin Rouge.” See for yourself at this institution, 45 minutes outside of Bogotá.
MERCADO DE PALOQUEMAO
Get lost among the market’s mountains of lulo fruits, granadillas, and avocados the size of small footballs. Try everything! Colombia is famous for its fresh fruit.
LEO
Indigenous Colombian ingredients including lemongrass-scented rainforest ants, smoked rabbit, velvety cacay nut milk, and tallo leaves are incorporated in the tasting menu by critically acclaimed Colombian chef Leonor Espinosa and her daughter Laura, the restaurant’s sommelier. Pairings include guava wine, made from tart corozo fruit, and coca wine produced with Colombian coca leaves should not be missed.
MISIA
Baskets of arepas and carimañolas (empanada-like patties made with yucca flour) are carried out from behind the open kitchen to the dining room at both Misia locations by Leo Espinosa. An expansive juice menu with over 20 varieties of Colombian fruits are pressed fresh to order here.
RPM RECORDS The cozy café-and-record-store hybrid hosts weekly listening sessions, album release parties, lectures, book readings, and live shows, making it among the most lively cultural venues in the city. They serve coffee from Catación Pública, an organic, fair-trade café, and roaster in Usaquen.
LA ESCUELA RESTAURANTE The place to try ajiaco, the famous chicken-and-potato soup served with avocado made with purple, fuchsia, and red potatoes from 60 Nativas, an eatery with a menu that boasts 60 different types of colorful native potatoes.
RESTAURANTE EL PORTICO
Come for Sunday brunch and order the brevas con arequipe for dessert. The sweet-and-sour delicacy features preserved figs garnished with generous dollops of dulce de leche. Explore the church and stables behind the main dining room afterward.
BOGOTA BEER COMPANY A craft micro-brewery that now happens to be the second-largest, after Bavaria, a subsidiary of SABMiller.
CRITERION A trendy restaurant in Usaquen by the Rausch brothers.
LA FABBRICA An Italian restaurant, perfect for a business lunch.
PESQUERA JARAMILLO Fresh seafood is served here.
LA PUERTA FALSA One of the oldest restaurants in La Candelaria.
CASA VIEJA A chain of Colombian restaurants serving traditional food.
VILLANOS EN BERMUDAS Only a year after opening, the produce-driven restaurant earned a spot on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
LA CASTAÑA An Empanada eatery in Chapinero Alto.
ABASTO A breakfast stop in Usaquen.
TALLER DE TE A tea shop with over 90 botanical blends made from ancestral herbs sustainably sourced from Colombian farmers. In the fragrant outdoor garden, sip an elixir carmín— a root-and-bark infusion of apple, guava, and beet.
DE RAIZ A vegetarian eatery with pitaya bowls.
MESA FRANCA Thursday night is ‘Salsa vinilo y cochinillo’ where they serve up suckling pig and DJ Pantera plays classic salsa all evening on vinyl turntables.
PETUNIA Satisfy your sweet tooth with an alfajore dulce de leche cookie at this café.
SALVO PATRIA Part neighborhood coffee shop, part restaurant and bar that serves traditional Colombian food with a modern twist in a Chapinero Alto townhouse.
INSURGENTES A taco bar with fruit-forward cocktails like the Güero— a libation made with reposado tequila, lemon, and grapefruit juice.
CAFÉ BAR UNIVERSAL Join a crowd of revelers for live music, sangria, and picada— a hearty Colombian dish made with beef, yucca, plantains, and potatoes.
STATUA ROTA The place for an artisanal beer selection.
RIN RIN Late-night DJ sets and Colombian twists on traditional mojitos and daiquiris by mixologists Paola Carrero and Diana Silva are served up here.
LA DESPENSA DE RAFAEL A cozy restaurant by Peruvian chef Rafael Osterling in Quinta Camacho. Start with a pisco sour and after dinner have a nightcap at Bruto bar right next door.
CANTINA Y PUNTO If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, this restaurant serves up fresh ceviche chilaquiles.
TAPAS MACARENA A tiny (only four tables to be exact) restaurant in La Macarena. After dinner, head to El Bembé salsa bar. A word to the wise— a shot or two of aguardiente, and you’ll be dancing in no time.
GRAZIA A French patisserie owned by a husband and wife who used to create desserts at not one, but two Daniel Boulud restaurants.
RESTAURANT CASA A cozy Spanish tapas restaurant serving octopus, croquettes and tuna tartare.
CENTRAL CEVICHERIA A classic seafood restaurant with multiple locations.
HARRY SASSOON Arguably Colombia's most famous chef-restaurateur, Harry Sasson heads up a mini-empire of venues across Bogotá, including a bar, bakery and steakhouse.
OSAKA Japanese-Peruvian fusion fare such as sushi, ramen, seafood & steak served in a polished space.
SUPER RAYO A bar with great cocktails and live music.
BAGATELLE Order the pastry basket for breakfast! bagatelle.com.co
MASA A delicious bakery and restaurant. somosmasa.com
UGLY AMERICAN A New York-style bar and grill in Bogota. Cra. 9 #81-12; takami.co/ugly-american
DON EMILIO The best place for seafood in Bogota. Calle 85 #12 - 43; donemiliomarisqueria.com
ART | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES
CERRO DE MONSERRATE Monserrate has been considered an important sacred place since before the arrival of the Spanish: the local Muisca indigenous people called the mountain quijicha caca or ‘grandmother’s foot’, and considered it important to their religious traditions, due to the fact that the sun rises directly behind the mountain during the solstice in June. During the colonial period, the Brotherhood of Vera Cruz built the religious retreat at the top of the mountain, which they named after the Morena Virgin of Montserrat near Barcelona in Catalonia. Today, you can visit the shrine of El Señor Caído by knee (as the pilgrims do) or via funicular (our choice) for unparalleled views of the city.
MUSEO DEL ORO One of the most visited tourist highlights in Colombia, The Museum of Gold contains more than 55,000 pieces of gold and other artifacts.
MUSEO BOTERO The Botero Museum houses one of Latin America's most important international art collections, the works of Colombian artist Fernando Botero
MUSEO INTERNACIONAL DE LA ESMERELDA A small museum in a skyscraper offering raw emeralds on display & information on the gem's history in Colombia.
SALT CATHEDRAL OF ZIPAQUIRÁ An underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground in a halite mountain near the city of Zipaquirá in Cundinamarca, an hour away from Bogotá.
LAKE GUATAVITA A small body of water in a forest-fringed crater, a sacred site to the Muisca people, who cast elaborate gold offerings into its depths, inspiring the legend of El Dorado and several ill-fated attempts to drain the lake. The area has hiking trails, and the nearby town of Guatavita has a craft center to shop for local goods.
SHOP
JOHANNA ORTIZ Shop lively prints and sophisticated silhouettes that portray barefoot glamour by Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz.
SILVIA TCHERASSI Located in one of the most prominent shopping destinations in the Colombian capital, shop the Colombian designer’s signature ruffled dresses.
BOOTS ‘n BAGS A 30-year-old family-owned leather goods store with many locations within Colombia.
USAQUEN FLEA MARKET A bustling weekly gathering of outdoor vendors selling arts, crafts, food, gifts, and entertainment in the trendy Usaquen district.
LAURA LAURENS A designer who crafts capsule collections from Colombian military fabrics.
TRAMA CASA DE CREADORES A multi-story mansion with a myriad of shops— from Portable’s selection of metallic combat boots to designer Lia Samantha’s vibrant Afro-Colombian skirts and dresses.
KAFTAN A streetwear brand considered to be the father of all independent brands in Colombia.
CASA CICLO An apothecary shop where owner Camilla Curiel crafts organic skincare products like honey-based body scrubs and aloe vera, hibiscus, and rose shampoos and conditioners.
NADA A convivial bookstore and publishing house that often plays host to intimate readings and exhibitions by local authors and artists.
LAETITIA Infused with joy. Ethically produced in Colombia.
LA PERCHA An independent clothing store. Cl. 71 #10-47, Chapinero; lapercha.com.co
BA HUE A concept store. Cl. 70 #11a-12; ba-hue.com
CASA PRECIS A woman’s clothing store. casaprecis.com
WASH SWIMWEAR A woman’s swimwear store. CASA SANTAMARIA, Cl. 79b #7 38 Local 201
ST. DOM The premier women’s concept clothing boutique in Colombia. Cl. 79b #8-40; stdom.co
LEAL DACCARETT Handcrafted by artisans in Colombia. Sustainable ready-to-wear brand. 17 primer piso, Cl. 80 #90; lealdaccarett.com
DANIELA SALCEDO A jewelry design brand. Cl. 81 #1262; danielasalcedo.com
ROSÉ A concept store. Ave Calle 82 # 12 - 18
PALMACEA A swimwear store. Cra 10 #80–12, Chapinero; palmacea.com.co
LOBO ROSA A woman’s clothing store. loborosa.com
SHOWROOM VERDELIMON A Colombian sustainable swimwear brand. Cra. 12 #84-27; verdelimon.co
PEPA POMBO A unique Colombian fashion brand. pepapombo.us
MALA FAMA An independent woman’s clothing store. Cra. 14 #83-52; malafama.co/en/home
PAPEL DE PUNTO A Colombian knitwear brand. Cl. 70a #9-86, Chapinero
MALVA A woman’s clothing store. Cl. 81 #12- 62, Chapinero; malvaonline.com
EL RETIRO A popular, posh shopping mall with many designer stores. elretirocentrocomercial.com
ANDRES OTALORA A Colombian fashion designer known for his elegant and modern designs. Centro Comercial El Retiro, Cl. 82 #11-75 Local 2-178, Chapinero; andresotalora.com
ESPECIA A womenswear designer with handmade details, embroidery, textures, and unique prints. Cl. 81 #11 - 94 LOCAL 112, Chapinero; especia.com
MARIA VILLAMIL A womenswear designer with unique designs.
DIVINA CASTIDAD A fashion accessories brand. Cra. 18 #84-24; divinacastidadofficial.com
MERCEDES SALAZAR Earrings, Bracelets, Necklaces, Rings, Bags, Kits.mercedessalazar.com
CARLO CARRIZOSA Slow-focused, sustainable fashion brand, crafted in Bogotá, Colombia. carlocarrizosa.com
CENTRO COMERCIAL ANDINO The Centro Andino is a shopping mall located in the El Retiro neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia. It is one of the largest shopping malls in Bogota and Southern America. Centro Andino consists of both a business center and a shopping mall with a size of 19.486 m² and 17.316 m² respectively. Cra. 11 #82-71; centroandino.com.co
DANIELA BATTLE A woman’s clothing store. Cl. 81 #11-94