A full day in Bogotá covers the hill, the old centre, two museums and a village in the north. The stops are fixed by the tour; the decision you make is which day to do it. This guide is for you if you are planning your days in the capital and want the one that gives you the most out of these eight hours.
The day of the week decides most of it
The two museums in the plan close on different days. The Gold Museum, run by the Banco de la República, is shut on Mondays, including Monday holidays. The Botero Museum is shut on Tuesdays. If you want both, avoid those two days.
Here is how the week looks:
- Monday: no Gold Museum. The day still works, with more time for the Botero, Monserrate or Usaquén.
- Tuesday: no Botero. More time for the gold.
- Wednesday to Saturday: both museums open, with the longest hours at the Gold Museum (09:00 to 19:00, last entry 18:00).
- Sunday: both open, the Gold Museum free for everyone, and the Usaquén market on. The Gold Museum keeps shorter hours, 10:00 to 17:00, which still fits the 11:30 visit.
Public holidays follow the Sunday hours at the Gold Museum. Hours change from time to time, so check the official sites before you go.
What Sunday adds, and what it costs
Sunday is the day the old village of Usaquén fills up. Its flea market, which began in 1990, opens on Sundays from 09:00 to 18:00. Stalls sell handicrafts, ceramics, textiles and pieces made from recycled glass and plastic, with food stalls and live music around them. You reach Usaquén at about 14:00, in the middle of it.
The trade-off is on the roads. Every Sunday and holiday from 07:00 to 14:00, about 127 kilometres of Bogotá's main streets close to cars for the Ciclovía, and fill with cyclists, runners and walkers. Your driver plans around it, but the route to Monserrate and the centre is less direct.
If the market does not matter to you, a Wednesday to Saturday gives you both museums at their longest hours and the roads open to traffic. If the market is the point, choose Sunday and accept a slower morning.
Why the hill comes first
The tour goes up Monserrate at 07:45, before the museums open. The early start gives you the best chance of a view. Bogotá's drier months are January, February, July and August, according to IDEAM, the national weather service, and the rest of the year is wetter, with April the rainiest for number of days. In any month, showers are common, and a morning at the top beats chasing a gap in the clouds later.
The cable car and funicular are not included; you buy the ticket on the day. On weekdays and Saturdays they have started at 06:30, and on Sundays at 05:30; check the current hours before you go. The operator decides which of the two is running.
Pacing the two museums
You have about an hour in each. That is enough if you know what you are going for.
The Botero Museum
In 2000 Fernando Botero gave the Banco de la República 208 works: 123 of his own and 85 by international artists. They form the core of the museum. It is in a colonial house in La Candelaria that was the seat of Bogotá's archbishopric until 1955, and Botero chose the hang himself. Entry is free. If time is short, start with his own rooms and leave the international collection for the end.
The Gold Museum
The scale is the challenge: more than 34,000 gold pieces, plus around 25,000 objects in stone, ceramics, textiles and precious stones. The permanent display is spread over four galleries, from metalworking techniques on the second floor to cosmology and symbolism on the third. In an hour, pick two floors rather than rushing all four. The labels in the permanent galleries are in Spanish and English.
The museum asks visitors to book a time slot on its website in advance, and some rooms close in rotation for conservation work. Book before the day and check which galleries are open. If you want longer in either museum, tell your driver and we skip a stop.
Lunch and the afternoon
Lunch is not included, which leaves you free to choose where to eat. Ajiaco, Bogotá's chicken and potato soup, is the dish to look for. After lunch the car heads north to Usaquén, so the long drive between the centre and the north is done sitting down.
The day ends back at your hotel in the afternoon. If you are flying out that evening, the tour can end at the airport instead; give us your flight time when you book. For the journey in, our airport transfers can collect you from your flight.
What to bring
- A rain jacket and a warm layer. Daytime highs in Bogotá are usually 18 to 20°C, and early mornings at the top of the hill are colder.
- Comfortable shoes for the cobbles of La Candelaria and the summit paths.
- Sun cream for Monserrate and the open squares.
- Your Gold Museum booking, and local cash for the cable car or funicular, lunch, coffee and market stalls.
Children under 12 and adults over 60 enter the Gold Museum free on any day it is open.
Who should think twice
Bogotá is at about 2,640 metres and Monserrate at 3,152. If you landed the night before, eight hours on your feet is a lot. The half-day Monserrate and La Candelaria tour covers the hill, the old quarter and the gold in five hours instead. Travellers with limited mobility can use the cable car, which has adapted access, but the summit paths are uneven.
If you have a second day, the trips out of the city are in our guide to day trips from Bogotá, with the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral the shortest of them.
Questions people ask
Can we walk up Monserrate instead of riding?
There is a stone path of 1,605 steps, open from 05:00 and closed to new walkers at 13:00. It is closed on Tuesdays for maintenance. It would take a large part of the morning, and the tour plan goes up by cable car or funicular.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Choose a Wednesday to Saturday for both museums at full hours, or a Sunday for the market. The stops and what is included are on the Bogotá in a day private tour page. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
