Things to Do in Bogota

La Candelaria is Bogota’s historic quarter. Its streets, charmingly dilapidated and brightly colored, are packed with interesting churches and colonial architecture.

Cachacos pride themselves on their partying stamina. And, while many of the clubs and bars of La Candelaria and the Zona Rosa are legally obliged to shut at 3am, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding somewhere that flaunts the law and rumbas and salsas it way long into the morning.

Ajiaco and mazamorra are local specialties that demand to be tried. These delicious, hearty stews can be ordered for very little in some of the city’s scruffier restaurants, cafés and food stalls

In all honesty, despite growing enough of the stuff, Colombian coffee is not always the best. However, with one of Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s astounding novels to keep you company in a quiet corner of a café or bar, you won’t even notice, and the stifling afternoons will fly by!

Burrowed 200m into a mountain and surrounded by fourteen other separate chapels (each representing a different station of the cross) the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira is staggering. About 50km to the north of Bogota, Zipaquira makes an excellent daytrip from the city.