USEFUL INFORMATION
We have prepared the following information which contains practical advice as well as useful data so that when you arrive to Bogota you feel right at home. Here you will find information on visas, documents you need, transportation in Bogota, emergency numbers and much more.
Getting around
- The eastern boundary of the city is constituted by the chain of mountains called "Eastern Hills". Monserrate and Guadalupe hills are special landmarks.
- Urban nomenclature is based on a system of perpendicular streets to the hills from east - west and parallel to the hills they race south- north.
- To the north the number of the streets goes up and to the south they decrease.
- Streets, meanwhile, increas westward and decrease toward the east.
Weather
- Bogota is located in the Andes mountains at 2.640 meters above sea level, with the benefit of spring-like weather throughout the year.
- Through out the day the average temperature is 14 ° C (57 ° F) and at night 10 ° C (50 ° F).
- Its mountainous weather is completely unpredictable. You can dawn with a shining sun and in the course of an hour you'll have a torrential rain. Usually at night the temperature drops. It is recommended that you always leave prepared with a coat or jacket.
Currency exchange
- The official currency of Colombia is the Colombian peso ($), it is issued by the Bank of the Republic. The foreign exchange must be made solely in exchange offices, airports, hotels and banks, never on the street.
- The exchange rate fluctuates daily and its official reference is the US dollar. If you enter to Colombia with Colombian or foreign legal currency in cash, and in whole it is more than ten thousand dollars of U.S. Dollars (US $ 10,000), you are obliged by law to declare it on the Declaration of Luggage and Money form that you must fill out to enter to the country. Not doing so will result in the retention of the money and the imposition of corresponding penalties.
Electric Power
The electricity voltage throughout the country is 110 volts. The electric outlets are of the American type, with a two planes input pin. In the market you can buy adapters and power converters.
National and international numbers for calls
For an international Long Distance from a landline you should dial: 005, 007 or 009 + country code + area code + desired phone number.
* The indicative of Bogota is 1.
Transportation in Bogota
Taxis in Bogota
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Radio Taxi: +57 (1) 288 8888
- Taxi Real: +57 (1) 333 3333
- Taxatélite: +57 (1) 222 2222
- Taxis Libres: +57 (1) 311 1111
- Taxi Express: +57 (1) 411 1111
The following apps allow you to request safe taxis from your mobile smart phone:
For your own safety, please do not take any street cabs. Specially at night.
Transportation to and from the airport, destinations outside the urban perimeter, taxi services at night and holidays have an added cost.
Please remember that it is much harder to find a taxi in rush hours (from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.). If you need to move around during any of these times please request your taxi with enough anticipation.
Transmilenio
The bus transportation works with red colored buses that consist of two joined cabins by a bellow. Stations are situated approximately every 500m through out the designated routes. You can find more information at
www.transmilenio.gov.co.
Car rental
If you are going to rent a car, you need to make sure you have the following documents: international pass, passport and a credit card.
With the purpose of improving transit flow, certain cars have a restricted circulation two days a week.
The car plates that end with even-numbers have restrictions on even days and plates ending in odd numbers on odd days.
Bike ways
On Sundays and holidays, between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., 121 kilometers of the main roads of Bogota become bikeways, walkways where only bicycles, people on skates or simply walkers can circulate.
This program is model in South America. Its infrastructure enables, each week, about one million (1,000,000) users to practice different types of physical activity.
Cycle Routs
Bogota has an extensive network of cycle routes, with over 344 kilometers covering virtually the entire city.
You can walk the streets in a fun, safe and healthy way. At certain times, and for a lot of destinations, you can do it faster with bike rides than with any other means of transport.
DESTINATIONS
Historical center
Since the sixteenth century, when the first buildings were erected, the La Candelaria has kept its character as a political, administrative and religious center.
Its steep streets still retain the names that evoke centuries of Spanish colonization. A valuable architectural heritage, represented in old houses with heavy gates, interior, solar courtyards and thick walls. The traditional neighborhood of La Macarena or Zona M is known for its bohemian character, where bars and restaurants are located with friendly atmosphere.
Unmissable in downtown Bogota:
- Monserrate Hill
- Botero Museum
- National Museum
- Casa de Moneda
- Bolivar plaza
- Gold museum
Usaquen
Located north of Bogota you can find the neighborhood of Usaquén. For many years it was an independent town of the city, where the estates of the wealthiest families of Bogota society lived.
In the 50s, it was annexed to the city to become a neighborhood where cobblestone streets and colonial houses mixed with modern architecture.
Many of the houses of the late 1800s, still retain its colonial architecture and today operate as exclusive restaurants, bars and coffee.
Every Sunday and holidays the craft flea market take place, where the most creative and quirky characters are located. These are dedicated to the manufacture of crafts, jewelry, antiques and curios items.
T zone
Its name comes from the walkway cobblestones that are T-shaped. In here you can find the traditional Zona Rosa, with the most renowned restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, boutiques of major Colombian designers, casinos, bars and nightclubs in the city.
During the day the atmosphere is great for shopping, stopping at restaurants and cafes. At night a party atmosphere envelops the area with the bars and clubs of different styles and an environment where fun and dancing are the primary objectives. Nearby is the Parque de la 93, surrounded by first class hotels with a variety of restaurants and cafes, a favorite place for young executives who work in the area.
G zone
Located in one of the most elegant neighborhoods of the city, in the G or Gourmet area are the most prominent restaurants, many of them of renowned Colombian and foreign chefs.
In addition to delighting your palate with traditional Colombian dishes and the most exquisite international and fusion cuisine, the exclusive atmosphere of the area and decoration stands out in it’s establishments.
In this sector you can find the main financial center of the Capital, as well as a first class hotel offers.
MUSEUMS. Bogota has preserved in its museums the legacy of the past in both its colonial and republican architecture and its cultural richness.
- Gold Museum, the largest goldsmith exhibition in the world.
- National Museum of Colombia, a symbol of historical and cultural heritage of Colombia.
- Botero Museum contains 208 works donated by Fernando Botero.
- MAMBO, houses the most comprehensive collection of works of modern and contemporary art Colombiano.
- Casa de Moneda, representing more than 3,000 works by artists of around the world and organized in 14 rooms.
CHURCHES. True architectural and art pieces dating from colonial times until the early twentieth century.
Cathedral of Colombia
The Cathedral of Colombia, is a church of Roman Catholic worship consecrated to the Immaculate Conception. Its neoclassical building is located a few meters from the Plaza de Bolivar and is home to the Archdiocese of Bogota. Because of its historical significance, architectural and cultural value it was declared a National Monument.
San Francisco Church
The Church of San Francisco, built 20 years after the founding of Bogota, is an architectural treasure. In its rich ornamentation inexhaustible artistic work of carvers, sculptors, craftsmen and national and foreign painters are summarized. The beautiful white facade of the Church, stands out among the modern buildings of the city center. It was built in the mid-seventeenth century and was known for it’s attention to the poor and sick and for the gift of miracles.
Santa Clara Church / Museum of Colonial Art
The Church of Santa Clara and now Museum of Colonial Art, is of high cultural interest. The building built during the middle of the seventeenth century is located in the historic center of the city and was part of the cloistered convent of Poor Clares. Today it houses the museum of religious art that bears it’s name.
The Museum preserves the original decoration of the church, composed of baroque altarpieces, oil paintings of the seventeenth and eighteenth century polychrome images of braised and bulk, mural painting and Moorish latticework. It is considered one of the most important architectural and artistic colonial jewels of the period of the country.
The Santa Clara collection is composed of 112 easel paintings, 24 sculptures, nine altarpieces and numerous murals. its golden dome has 948 pentafolias and his collection of archangels stand out. More information:
www.bogotacb.com