The capital city of Columbia, Bogota is located more than 8000 feet above sea-level, on a leveled plateau, in the Andes. Like any other city, the streets of Bogota too are dotted with numerous galleries, museums, theatres, cathedrals, gardens and lakes. However, each has its own unique magnificence and its beauty is matchless!
The Gold Museum is certainly the foremost to be on your itinerary. The spectacular exhibits, with 34,000 eye-catching, dazzling exhibits, in the form of scintillating jewelry, exotic masks, bracelets, collars, jars, pectorals and pottery of the pre-Columbian period can make anyone a kleptomaniac! An interesting chamber is the Golden Room, with over 8,000 gold pieces! The museum is closed on Mondays.
A colonial house, housing the famous flower vase, Museo 20 de Julio - La Casa del Florero, gained prominence, after the vase became instrumental in delivering independence to the Creoles. The Presidential Building is an impressive building, built in the beginning of the 20th century and restored in 1979. The Palace’s interiors are splendid, with a fine collection of Colombian paintings. It is here that the changing of the Presidential Guard takes place!
Banco de la República, Calle is considered to be the best endowed library in Latin America, with research rooms, three reading rooms, art galleries and a marvelous concert hall. The main attraction is the exhibition of plastic arts, with 130 works of Fernando Botero-the great Columbian artist. There’re also exhibits from legendaries like Picasso, Bacon, Henry Moore and the like.
Your trip to Bogota is incomplete without a visit to the statue of Simon Bolivar- the man responsible in liberating Columbia. The statue is cast in bronze, by the Italian artist Pietro Tenerani and stands tall at the heart of the Plaza. The Simon Bolivar Metropolitan Park’s main attraction is the amusement park and water kingdom, replete with artificial lakes, a coliseum and a Children’s museum. The parks have staged concerts for Roger Waters and Metallica.
La Quinta de Bolivar is a colonial mansion of the 1800s. It’s today a museum, showcasing cannons, medals, weapons and uniforms of Bolivar. In fact, the mansion was gifted to Bolivar in gratitude for the victory of the Spanish!
The José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden is another spectacular complex spanning 19 hectares, home to several species of plants from the Andes, large Oak trees and wild orchids. You can spot the Migrating fowl that frequents the waterfalls. Within is a library, research and informational buildings and an auditorium.
The Church of Santa Clara is one of the many colonial churches in Bogota. The building also has a museum, exhibiting a spectacular collection of religious art, wood carvings, paintings, and ornaments. A concert hall within the building stages many concerts too.
The National Cathedral is significant, as the place where the first mass was held after Bogota was founded in 1538! Exhibited are many relics and a tomb of the city’s founder-Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada. The monumental magnificence reflects the neo-classical and classical style.
The La Capilla del Sagrario is a 17th century façade, with Baroque exteriors and interiors. Yet another worth mentioning is El Palacio Arzobispal, which is home to the Archbishop and many clergymen. The church’s bronze door leading to the entrance looks elegant and majestic.
