I went to Bogotá in February 2020. Pressed up against mountains to the east, this city stretches out from them onto a great plain. I was very struck by the commercial vibrancy of the city. I walked a lot, and it felt like every time you needed something, it was for sale within metres of where you were standing. Streets clogged with stores and people on the sidewalks selling all manner of goods. A highlight for me was bicycling on a fine Sunday for the Ciclovía, which just felt genius.
Photo List (Total 482 Photos)
Click bolded headers below to view, or click "just the best" for quick tour
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Central Bogotá (223 photos) - This huge gallery is everything in the central city. It starts at the Plaza de Bolivar, which is surrounded by formal buildings like the Capitolio Nacional. There are a few photos from the general area around the Plaza, including some lovely historical buildings. The gallery then moves to some of the lower end retail areas between Carreras 7 and 10, where I found busy streets selling books and fruit stands. Then the gallery takes us along Carrera 7, a busy commercial pedestrian street. It includes visits to the Gold Museum, and then towards the west, up the hills to the mountains, where there are a cluster of different universities. It returns to Carrera 7, and includes visits to the Botero Museum and Museum of Modern Art. It ends at the Parque de la Independencia and the cluster of skyscrapers on Carrera 7 and the Avenida El Dorado.
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Candelaria (26 photos) - This historical area is really part of the central city, and I suspect some of my photos in the first gallery could also belong here. As you move up the mountains from downtown, the streets become less built up and have more consistently low-scale historical architecture, dotted through with cafes and hotels.
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Ciclovía (23 photos) - The Ciclovía is an event that happens every Sunday, where major streets across the city are closed, and used for bicycle traffic. I rented a bike in Candelaria and cycled for hours on a beautiful afternoon, and this was absolutely a highlight of the trip. Some of my photos from riding around ended up in other galleries, so this set of photos is mostly from the areas south of the downtown, which were a little rough around the edges in parts.
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Bogotá from on High (24 photos) - I was devastated when, on my last day in town, I discovered that Monseratte was closed. This mountain has a funicular ride offering views of the city from a mountaintop. I had gone early in the morning to head up the hill, and I did find some fine views nearby on my route there. When I found it closed, I did manage to score a driver who took me to the top of the Cerro de Guadalupe, which also offers nice views.
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North and West of Downtown (104 photos) - This gallery has a bunch of different destinations. It starts with the Paloquemao Market, which is some blocks west of downtown, and continues north with some photos along Calle 26 and the Cementeria Central. There are photos of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the nearby botanical garden and some major parks, as well as my walk home along Calle 63.
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Chapinero (58 photos) - This area north of downtown is where my hotel was located. This gallery is a mishmosh of commercial views of the area, which was quite a vibrant commercial district; there are a number of restaurant shots since I ate out here quite a bit, and there are shots of my nights out in the gay area.
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Zipaquirá (24 photos) - I went out of town one day, to the nearby small centre of Zipaquirá, with it's famous salt cathedral. I honestly found the attraction a little underwhelming, but I very much enjoyed the company of my driver and seeing some of the countryside from the car. Also a single photo of the airport.
