🇨🇴Bogotá
A big, grey, cold-mornings capital on a plateau 2,640 m up, with a colonial core, a gold museum and a food scene most visitors fly straight past. It asks for more street sense than Medellín and gives back more than its reputation suggests.
Mid-range figures, per person
Per person, no flights — those are just below. The mid-range figure is researched; budget and luxury scale it, so treat the two as rough. The trip calculator and hotels below break the day down properly.
Fares are into Bogotá, the main hub; Medellín and Cartagena also have direct flights from Florida and a few other US hubs. From Europe, Avianca flies London–Bogotá direct, and Iberia and Air Europa connect via Madrid. Ranges are typical fares booked 1–3 months out, checked mid-2026 — school-holiday peaks run higher, and patient shoppers beat the bottom end.
Prices checked · how we work these out
Entry & visa
Not for US, Canadian, UK, EU or Australian passports: you get up to 90 days visa-free, extendable to 180 days in a calendar year. Complete the free Check-MIG form on Migración Colombia's official site between 72 hours and 1 hour before your flight in, and again before flying out — the lookalike sites that charge for it are not official. Canadians pay a reciprocity fee on arrival. Rules can change, so check your government's advice before booking.
Visa rules turn on your nationality and change often — always confirm the current requirement for your own passport with an official government source before you book.
Quick facts
Money & what things cost
Cards are widely accepted in the north of the city — Chapinero, the Zona T, Usaquén — and in supermarkets and chains; street food, small bakeries, markets and many La Candelaria places want cash. Colombian ATMs charge foreign cards a flat COP 12,000–30,000 ($3.60–9) per withdrawal, and some have low per-withdrawal limits, so take out larger sums less often, from machines inside malls, supermarkets or bank branches — never on the street after dark. Decline the ATM's dollar conversion. A card terminal asking '¿cuántas cuotas?' (how many installments) wants the answer 'una'.
What locals earn
| Typical monthly income (national) | ≈ COP 1.8–2.5 million ($550–750) | Bogotá earns above the national average; more than half of workers nationally are informal. |
| Minimum wage (2026) | COP 1,750,905/month ($530) | Up 23% in 2026, plus a COP 249,095 transport allowance for low earners. |
Food & drink
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Corrientazo (set lunch) | COP 15,000–25,000 | $4.50–7.50 |
| Ajiaco (chicken and potato soup) | COP 25,000–45,000 | $7.50–14 |
| Casual restaurant, per person | COP 35,000–60,000 | $10.50–18 |
| Mid-range dinner in Chapinero, per person | COP 70,000–140,000 | $21–42 |
| Tinto · specialty coffee | COP 1,500–3,000 · 7,000–12,000 | $0.45–0.90 · $2.10–3.60 |
| Beer at a bar | COP 7,000–14,000 | $2.10–4.20 |
Transport
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| TransMilenio ride (2026) | COP 3,550 | $1.10 |
| TuLlave card | COP 8,000 | $2.40 |
| Taxi, minimum fare (2026) | COP 8,000 | $2.40 |
| Taxi or Uber, airport → Chapinero | COP 40,000–60,000 | $12–18 |
Sights
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Monserrate cable car or funicular, return | COP 35,000 (Sundays 21,000) | $10.50 (Sundays $6.40) |
| Museo Botero | Free | Free |
| Salt Cathedral, Zipaquirá (foreign visitors) | ≈ COP 125,000 | ≈ $38 |
Where to sleep & what it costs
| Tier | Per night | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel dorm | COP 40,000–80,000 ($12–24) | Most are in La Candelaria; a few better ones in Chapinero. |
| Budget hotel | COP 130,000–220,000 ($40–67) | Check for hot water and extra blankets — nights are cold. |
| Mid-range hotel | COP 250,000–450,000 ($75–135) | Boutique hotels in Chapinero Alto and around the Zona G and Parque 93. |
| Luxury | COP 750,000+ ($230+) | International hotels in the north around the Zona T and Parque 93. |
Been recently? Check our prices
One tap per figure. Check-ins reset whenever this guide is re-priced, so they only ever vouch for the numbers you see here.
Trip cost calculator
$159 per person per day · 4 nights of lodging (Mid-range hotel)
A rough estimate from this page’s daily budget and hotel prices — not a quote. Lodging assumes one room for the group; flights use the midpoint of the Getting there ranges above.
Getting around
- From the airport
- El Dorado (BOG) is 20–45 minutes from Chapinero depending on traffic. Use the official taxi rank outside arrivals, where you're given a printed slip with the estimated fare, or order an Uber — expect COP 40,000–60,000 ($12–18) either way. There's also a free shuttle bus to the Portal El Dorado TransMilenio station, but with luggage it's not worth the saving.
- TransMilenio
- Bogotá has no metro yet — the first line is still under construction — so the city runs on TransMilenio, a network of red articulated buses in their own lanes. It's fast and COP 3,550 ($1.10) a ride, paid with a TuLlave card (COP 8,000) bought at station windows. It's also crowded and a pickpocket's workplace at rush hour; wear your backpack on your front.
- Uber, DiDi & taxis
- Ride apps are the sensible default, especially at night, and sit in the same legal grey zone as elsewhere in Colombia — drivers may ask you to sit in front. Yellow taxis are metered and fine when ordered by app or through your hotel. Don't flag one on the street, particularly at night.
- On foot & by bike
- La Candelaria, Chapinero and Usaquén are walkable, but they're far apart. Every Sunday and public holiday morning, over 100 km of main roads close to cars for the Ciclovía — rent a bike and join the city.
Map
Drag to look around, or open Google Maps ↗ · Apple Maps ↗
Neighborhoods to stay in
- Chapinero (Alto and the Zona G)
- The best first-timer base: good restaurants and cafés, reasonable safety, and midway between the old town and the north. Chapinero Alto is quieter; the streets toward Carrera 13 are livelier and rougher.
- Zona T & Parque 93
- The affluent north: malls, international hotels, nightlife and the safest-feeling streets. Comfortable, a bit generic, and a 30–40 minute ride from La Candelaria.
- Usaquén
- A former village swallowed by the north of the city, with a colonial square and a Sunday flea market. Pleasant and quiet; far from the old town.
- La Candelaria
- The colonial center with the museums and backpacker hostels. Fascinating by day, but many streets empty after dark and street crime is higher — stay here only if you're comfortable taking an Uber even for short trips at night.
Things to do
Museums & old town
Views & day trips
Restaurants
Nightlife
Tipping & etiquette
- 'No dar papaya' — don't give papaya, meaning don't make yourself an easy target — is the city's first rule. A phone out on the sidewalk or on a café table is papaya.
- Bogotanos are more formal and reserved than people on the coast. Use 'usted', greet shopkeepers, and expect politeness to be taken seriously.
- Hot chocolate comes with a slice of cheese, which you drop into the cup. Ajiaco comes with capers, cream and avocado on the side, added to taste.
- Dress in layers and in darker colors: the weather changes by the hour, and locals rarely wear shorts in the city.
- On TransMilenio, let people off before boarding and give priority seats to older passengers — people will notice if you don't.
How to spend a trip to Bogotá
The altitude and the distances both shape a trip here: keep the first day gentle, and group each day by area, because crossing the city can take an hour.
One day covers the old town and the view, which is the core of Bogotá. Keep it slow; you'll feel the altitude.
- MorningMonserrate by cable car while the sky is clear. Ride rather than walk, and take the top slowly: it's 3,152 m.
- MiddayDown to La Candelaria: Plaza de Bolívar, then ajiaco at La Puerta Falsa.
- AfternoonThe Museo del Oro, then the Museo Botero around the corner.
- EveningUber north to Chapinero for dinner, rather than staying in La Candelaria after dark.
Three days is what this guide recommends: the old town, the north, and the Salt Cathedral day trip, with an easy start for the altitude.
- Day 1La Candelaria at an altitude pace: Plaza de Bolívar, the Museo Botero and La Puerta Falsa, then an early night.
- Day 2The Museo del Oro in the morning, Monserrate in the afternoon if it's clear, and dinner in Chapinero or at Leo.
- Day 3The Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá, returning via Andrés Carne de Res in Chía for a long night out.
Bogotá rewards a slower pace but doesn't need five days of sightseeing. Take a fourth day for the north, then move on.
Safety & common scams
Bogotá needs more street sense than Medellín, but the areas visitors spend time in — Chapinero, the Zona T, Usaquén and La Candelaria by day — are fine with normal big-city care. Phone and bag theft is common, including armed muggings for phones, and the advice is simple: hand it over, don't resist. La Candelaria and the center empty out at night; use an Uber even for short distances after dark there. As elsewhere in Colombia, the most serious crime targeting foreigners is drugging and robbery set up through dating apps or strangers in bars, which the US and Canadian governments warn about in Bogotá by name. The US advisory for Colombia is Level 3, 'Reconsider travel', mainly for rural regions that don't include the capital. Altitude is the other risk: go easy for the first day or two.
Scams to know
- Paseo millonario — you hail a street taxi, accomplices get in, and you're driven between ATMs until your accounts are empty. Order every ride through an app or your hotel, and never flag one on the street.
- Dating-app setups — a new match picks the bar or asks to come to your place, and you're drugged, often with scopolamine, then robbed. Meet in busy public places and keep new people away from where you sleep.
- Fake police — men in plain clothes, sometimes with a badge, ask to check your cash or cards for counterfeits. Real officers don't do this; decline and walk into a shop or hotel.
- The spill distraction — someone squirts sauce or liquid on you, a helpful stranger starts cleaning it, and a third person takes your bag. Walk away and clean up later.
Emergency numbers: 123 is the national emergency line for police, ambulance and fire. Tourist police have posts in La Candelaria and other visitor areas.
Phone & internet
Claro has the best coverage, with Movistar and Tigo close behind. Buy a prepaid SIM at an official store in a mall with your passport and ask them to register your phone's IMEI — foreign phones on Colombian SIMs are blocked after about 20 days if unregistered. An eSIM from Airalo or Holafly avoids that. Data is essential here: you'll use ride apps for most journeys.
First-timer FAQs
How bad is the altitude?
At 2,640 m most people notice it — breathlessness on stairs, a headache or poor sleep for the first night or two, and alcohol hitting harder. It's rarely more than that at this height. Take the first day slowly, drink water, go light on alcohol, and leave Monserrate at 3,152 m and its walking trail until day two or three.
Is Bogotá safe?
In the parts visitors use, and with the right habits, yes. Theft is the main problem, so keep your phone out of sight, use ride apps rather than street taxis, and avoid La Candelaria's quieter streets after dark. Be wary of dating-app meetings and drinks from strangers.
What should I pack?
Layers and a rain jacket. Days are around 18–20 °C and can swing between sun and rain within an hour; nights drop to single digits and most buildings have no heating.
Bogotá or Medellín?
Medellín for weather, ease and a gentler first stop; Bogotá for museums, food and a proper capital. Most first trips fly into one and out of the other, with Cartagena on the coast as the third stop.
How many days do I need?
Three: one for La Candelaria and the museums, one for Monserrate and the north, and one for the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá. Give yourself an easy first day for the altitude.
Similar cities to consider
Temples on sea cliffs, surf that suits beginners, and a Hindu island culture that turns every morning into a small ceremony. This guide covers the southern beach belt — Kuta to Uluwatu; inland Ubud has its own guide.
Twenty-odd million people, the last standing Wonder of the ancient world at the end of a city bus route, and a brand-new museum built to hold Tutankhamun. Loud, hot and exhausting, and nowhere else is quite like it.
A volcanic moonscape of fairy chimneys and cave dwellings, best seen from a wicker basket at sunrise while a hundred other balloons drift silently around you.
Bogotá or…?
Side-by-side cost comparisons with the other Colombia guides — and its rivals abroad.