Bogotá is Colombia's capital district, a high-altitude Andean metropolis of roughly eight million people spread across a plateau at 2,640 metres (8,660 ft). The city pairs a dense colonial core in La Candelaria — home to the Gold Museum and the Botero collection — with the glass towers of the northern business districts, a 200-kilometre cycle network, and the green wall of the eastern mountains rising directly behind the historic centre.
Cultural orientation
Essential context for travellers.
Bogotá is a capital of 8 million people sitting at 2,640 metres on the Andean savanna, and its culture mixes Muisca indigenous heritage, Spanish colonial Catholicism and a fast-moving contemporary arts and music scene.
Rolos (as Bogotá natives are known) are formal and courteous by Colombian standards: greetings are elaborate, the polite 'usted' is used widely even among friends, and titles such as 'señor', 'señora', 'doctor' and 'ingeniero' matter.
The altitude, not the latitude, sets the rhythm — the city is cool and often wet, layered clothing is normal, and the first day is best taken slowly.
Culture here is heavily subsidised and public: dozens of museums are free or cost a few thousand pesos, the city runs enormous free festivals in Parque Simón Bolívar, and 120 kilometres of roads close to cars every Sunday morning for the Ciclovía..
Do's and don'ts
Quick guide to local norms.
Do
- Greet with 'buenos días' or 'buenas tardes' before making any request, and use 'usted' with people not yet known well
- Carry layers and a light rain jacket, since afternoon showers are common all year at 2,640 metres
- Take the first day gently and drink water, as altitude affects many visitors arriving from sea level
- Try ajiaco santafereño, a tamal with hot chocolate and cheese for breakfast, and a street tinto
- Use registered apps or hotel-called taxis after dark rather than hailing on the street
- Visit the free museums on Sundays, when the Museo del Oro admits everyone at no charge
- Book a table on Friday and Saturday nights at popular restaurants and rumba venues in Zona Rosa and Parque de la 93
- Carry small banknotes, as street vendors, market stalls and small cafes often cannot change a COP 50,000 note
Don't
- Don't make jokes about cocaine, cartels or Pablo Escobar; the subject is exhausting and offensive to most Colombians
- Don't walk unfamiliar streets late at night with a phone in hand, particularly around La Candelaria and Chapinero
- Don't assume Bogotá is hot; it sits on a cool Andean plateau and evenings drop toward 8C
- Don't drink heavily on the first night at altitude, as alcohol hits noticeably harder above 2,600 metres
- Don't photograph people in markets, protests or neighbourhoods without asking first
- Don't confuse Colombian Spanish courtesies with Mexican or Spanish ones; 'a la orden' is the standard offer of service here
- Don't skip the voluntary 10 percent service charge question at restaurants by simply walking out; staff are required to ask and the tip is customary
- Don't expect punctuality at social events, and do not arrive early to a private home invitation
Local customs
Traditions and practices you'll encounter.
Etiquette by setting
How to navigate everyday situations.
Useful phrases
A few words go a long way.
Buenos días
Good morning
BWEH-nos DEE-as
A la orden
At your service / How can I help
ah lah OR-den
¿Cuánto vale?
How much is it?
KWAN-to VAH-leh
Un tinto, por favor
A small black coffee, please
oon TEEN-to por fa-VOR
¿Me regala la cuenta?
May I have the bill?
meh reh-GAH-lah lah KWEN-tah
Qué chévere
How cool / great
keh CHEH-veh-reh
No dar papaya
Don't give anyone an easy opportunity (stay alert)
noh dar pah-PAH-yah
¿Dónde queda...?
Where is...?
DON-deh KEH-dah
Con mucho gusto
With pleasure (the standard reply to thanks)
kon MOO-cho GOOS-to
Hace frío
It is cold
AH-seh FREE-oh
Religion & spirituality
Understanding faith in Bogotá.
Items:
- Faith
- Roman Catholicism
- Presence
- The dominant tradition and the shaper of the historic centre. Catedral Primada dominates Plaza de Bolívar, the Iglesia de San Francisco on Avenida Jiménez is the city's oldest surviving church, and the sanctuary of El Señor Caído on Monserrate draws pilgrims who climb the trail on foot, especially in Holy Week and on the first Sunday of each month.
- Faith
- Evangelical and Protestant churches
- Presence
- A large and visible minority, with major congregations across Chapinero, Kennedy and the southern localities, and a strong presence in Colombian media and politics.
- Faith
- Muisca ancestral belief
- Presence
- The pre-Hispanic tradition of the Bogotá savanna survives in place names, in the Laguna de Guatavita offering legend that gave rise to the El Dorado myth told at the Museo del Oro, and in chicha-drinking customs revived in La Candelaria.
- Faith
- Jewish, Muslim and other communities
- Presence
- Smaller established communities maintain synagogues and mosques mainly in the northern localities; Colombia's constitution guarantees freedom of worship and Bogotá is religiously plural in practice.