Bogota

Introduction

Church of Maria del Carmen, Bogota

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Bogota is the capital and largest city in Colombia with well over 7 million people living in the city and more than 10 million in the metropolitan area. It is located in the central mountainous part of the country on a plateau at a height of 2,640 metres, which makes it one of the biggest cities in the world at this altitude, together with Quito, La Paz and Lhasa. The city has been inhabited for almost 500 years. Today it is the economical and cultural heart of the country and has good infrastructure for travellers. Still, while it is much more safe than it used to be, crime can be a problem in the city. However, with the normal precautions you shouldn't worry too much about the stories you hear outside Colombia.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

With the majority of the city being Catholic all major Catholic holidays are celebrated.

Weather

The climate is mild yearround and because of its height it is never very hot and humid like most other cities in the tropics. The dry period is from December to March with clear days, frost is possible at night and during the day it is pretty warm. It is never warmer than about 28 degrees Celcius. During the June-August period it is relatively dry as well, but cloudy and windy conditions rule the city and temperatures vary less than during the sunnier dry period.

Getting There

By Plane

El Dorado International Airport (BOG), located 15 kilometres west of Bogota, is the base of the Colombian national airline Avianca. Avancia has flights from Bogota to countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States and Madrid. To the latter, Iberia has flights as well. Air France flies to and from Paris.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Colombia is: 59
To make an international call from Colombia, the code is: 005

Post

4-72 is the unusual name of Colombia's postal service. They have post offices throughout the country, which are open usually from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday and sometimes on Saturday mornings as well. That doesn't apply to all offices though, only the larger ones in the big cities. But for example along the Caribbean coast, offices tend to close between noon and 2:00pm. But even at the ones that are officially open all day long, it might be difficult to get anything done during those hours. For domestic services, sending letters and postcards is mostly reliable but takes days, for international services don't hold your breath. Eventually, a postcard or letter might arrive in the country of destination but it's almost not worth it. For parcels, you are better off using companies like FedEx, DHL or UPS.