Bogotá beckons to budget-friendly travelers.
In the Colombian capital, public transportation is cheap, and much of the city’s art and entertainment offerings require neither a ticket nor a tuxedo – as they play out on the street.
Those on a budget will also find a wide network of funky, reasonably priced hostels, especially in the centrally located Candelaria neighborhood. (We especially love the Cranky Croc.) After you’ve squared away your accommodations, continue to stretch your budget by taking in these fabulous Bogotá experiences – all of them totally free.
1. Pedal, stroll or jog through the streets during Ciclovia
A genius idea first hatched in 1974, Ciclovia transforms Bogotá from a snarling knot of traffic jams into a bona fide biker’s paradise one day per week.
Every Sunday between 7am and 2pm, 127km (79 miles) of the city’s streets are given over exclusively to cyclists, runners, walkers, rollerbladers and any other car-less wanderer. Over 1.5 million people regularly take part, making for a high-spirited and festive atmosphere, with street-side stalls, free outdoor exercise classes, bike repair stations (also free) and spontaneous entertainment.
Planning tip: Taking part will cost you the price of a bike rental, or absolutely nothing if you bring your own. You can rent bikes from Bogotá Bike Tours in Candelaria.
2. Have a look around (while resisting impulse purchases) at Mercado de las Pulgas
Of Bogotá’s numerous flea markets, this Sunday affair in the northern neighborhood of Usaquén is undoubtedly the best. Yet “flea market” is a bit of a misnomer: not everything sold at Las Pulgas’ various stalls is secondhand, with artisanal items for sale running the gamut from handmade jewelry to figurines crafted from old Venezuelan bank notes. Even if you’re not buying, it’s worth dropping by to savor the bustling weekend atmosphere amplified by the car-free streets of Ciclovia (you can cycle all the way from Candelaria). Many Bogotanos decamp here for Sunday brunch.
Planning tip: The market is adjacent to the Plaza Central de Usaquén and takes place every Sunday between 9am and 5pm.
3. Ascend the steep path to Cerro de Monserrate
If you can skip the cable car and funicular train and use your own two feet to climb the steep paved path to the summit, a visit to Cerro de Monserrate won’t cost a thing. (Snacks and energy drinks to power you up will cost extra, of course.)
The winding path to the top of the city’s sentinel mountain snakes upward for 2.5km (1.5 miles), delivering exhausted hikers to a 3125m-high (10,252ft-high) hilltop complex anchored by a basilica and ringed by various trails, food outlets and extravagant viewpoints.
Planning tip: The path is open 5am until 1pm; most locals get a very early start. If you want to stay on top until later in the day, the cable car is open until 11:30pm (5:30pm Sunday).
4. See gold for free on Sundays at the Museo del Oro
The dazzling Museo del Oro is Bogota’s headline sight and arguably the world’s finest gold museum. From Tuesday to Saturday, you’ll have to pay to see its treasures – but on Sunday, entry is free. The caveat? Locals have long cottoned on to this, so be prepared for long lines and plenty of company as you roam the exhibits.
Planning tip: Arrive at 10am on Sundays to avoid the longest queues.
5. Absorb the street art found everywhere
Bogotá is one of the most graffitied cities in the Americas, and there’s barely a street or thoroughfare in the downtown districts that doesn’t sport at least one tag, stencil or mural. In more recent times, the city has even created an official “Distrito Graffiti” near Puente Aranda, where a collection of utilitarian warehouses has been given over to talented local artists.
It’s relatively easy to wander around on your own and absorb the murals (Candelaria’s Plazoleta del Chorro de Quevedo is a good place to start). For a fuller understanding of the best works and the artists behind them, join a free graffiti tour.
Planning tip: Tours set off twice daily from the Parque de los Periodistas; look for the person with the blue umbrella. The tours last around 2 hours and tips are appreciated. Online reservations are encouraged.
6. Listen to storytellers in Plazoleta del Chorro de Quevedo
Bogotá’s most atmospheric square is smaller, grittier, and more charismatic than the monumental Plaza de Bolívar. Take a seat on the steps of the whitewashed San Miguel del Príncipe hermitage or pull up a chair at one of the bars and cafes opposite and you won’t have to wait long for something entertaining to happen. Like a circle of hacky-sack players, a roving musician or two, a group of local students comparing tattoos…you never know what to expect. On Friday afternoons at around 5pm, Spanish storytelling sessions convene outside the church.
Planning tip: Come back in the evening when young people pile in and out of the bars that line the narrow alleyways nearby.
7. Dip into the churches of La Séptima
Bogotá’s main drag, Carrera 7 (colloquially known as La Séptima), is punctuated by a string of free-to-enter churches that hide copious riches behind their sometimes-austere facades.
The Catedral Primada, the city’s main church on Plaza de Bolívar, is more impressive for its size than its interior; still, among its draws is the tomb of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, who founded modern Bogotá in 1538. More elaborate on the inside, the Iglesia de San Francisco, the city’s oldest church, is stuffed with a dazzling array of gold-leaf altarpieces, ornate pews and other baroque finery. Next door, the Iglesia de la Veracruz is home to many important tombs, while the Iglesia La Tercera sports walls lined with mini wooden altars.
Planning tip: Come to La Séptima on a Sunday for Mass, then peruse the stalls of the street’s flea market afterward.
8. View rotund figures at the Museo Botero
Part of a complex of art museums belonging to the Banco de la República, the Museo Botero is filled with the instantly recognizable works of Colombia’s greatest painter, Fernando Botero. Mixing his distinctive paintings of cartoonish, wide-bodied subjects with items donated from his private collection (including works by Picasso, Klimt and Matisse), it is one of the finest art museums in South America. Wonderfully, every visit to the collection is free of charge.
Planning tip: Reserve time for the Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia, dedicated to Colombian and Latin American art, which is part of the same cultural complex as the Museo Botero and also free to visit.
9. Spend an afternoon wandering the San Felipe Art District
A work in progress, San Felipe is Bogotá’s evolving art district. Starting in the mid-2010s, this one-time hub of auto shops and residential houses has acquired a more creative veneer, drawing visitors who find a fertile mix of galleries, workshops, cafes, bars, artisanal ice-cream makers, bookstores and tertulias (literary gathering places). In the past few years, streets have been traffic-calmed, and prominent murals and sculptures have given the neighborhood a colorful visual appeal.
Planning tip: Of the 20 or so galleries in the district, the majority are low-key free-to-enter places where you can meet and chat with the owner-artists. The district is centered around a park at the nexus of Calle 75 and Carrera 22.