The Salt Cathedral is the shortest trip out of Bogotá and the one most people fit in. It is a church cut into an old salt mine under the town of Zipaquirá, north of the capital. This guide is for you if you are deciding when to go, whether to take the weekend train or a car, and what to expect underground.
Morning or afternoon
The tour leaves at 07:00 or 13:00. The cathedral opens every day from 09:00 and closes in the late afternoon; check the official site for this year's hours.
- The 07:00 start reaches Zipaquirá before the doors open. You have a coffee on the main square first and go underground close to opening time. Local guidance is to arrive early if you want a calmer visit, and this is the slot that does it.
- The 13:00 start suits a late breakfast or a morning flight into Bogotá. You go underground in the middle of the afternoon and are still out well before closing.
The busiest week of the year is Holy Week. The cathedral is a working church, and over Easter it holds masses in its naves and a Way of the Cross along all the stations. If your dates fall then, expect more people, and check the official site for the schedule of services before you go.
What you see underground
The visit is a walk downhill and back up through galleries cut in the salt. The main route is the Way of the Cross: a tunnel 386 metres long and 13 metres high, with fourteen stations carved in salt and stone. It leads to the three naves and a dome 11 metres high and 8 metres across.
There is also a separate miners' route that goes down to 180 metres. Its passage is 1.5 metres wide and 2.2 metres high, and it takes 35 minutes to an hour. At the other end of the site, the brine museum shows the tanks and pump rooms used to dissolve the salt, and the machinery used to cut rock salt in the 1960s and 1970s.
Plan on one to two hours underground, depending on your pace and how long you stop at each station. Our tour gives you two and a half.
Guided or on your own inside
The cathedral runs its own guided tours in Spanish and English. Your driver waits outside while you go in. If you would rather set your own pace, you can walk the route without one. If you want the story behind the stations and the mine, join a guided group.
The weekend train, or a car
You can get to Zipaquirá without a car. A tourist train runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. It leaves from the Gran Estación and Usaquén stops in the morning, and the whole outing takes about eight and a half hours; check the current timetable before you plan around it. Tickets are sold at the station counters and online.
The train crosses the city and heads north into the Sabana, and if the ride itself is what you are after, it is a good way to go. It does fix the day: weekends only, more than four hours in Zipaquirá whether you want them or not, and back late in the afternoon.
The car gives you the cathedral on any day of the week in six hours, from your door, at the start time you choose. Allow an hour or more each way by road, and longer with Bogotá's traffic on the way back. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to book or bring
- Your ticket. The entrance is not included in the tour. Tickets bought online are single use and valid for 180 days from purchase, so you can buy before the day and keep your plans open.
- A warm layer. Underground it stays at around 14°C. After a walk round the square in the sun, that feels cold.
- Closed shoes. The floor is uneven in places.
- Local cash for coffee on the square and small purchases.
Who it suits, and who should choose the route carefully
The main route suits most travellers, including older ones. It slopes downhill and back up, but it is wide and walked at an easy pace.
Think twice about the miners' route if you do not like tight spaces. At 1.5 metres wide it is much narrower than the main galleries. The main route alone is a full visit.
If you have another day, the Lake Guatavita day trip goes to the crater lake of the El Dorado legend. The two can be combined into one long day; ask us and we will price it. For all the options, read our guide to day trips from Bogotá.
Questions people ask
Is it a real church?
Yes. It was built so that the town could pray for the miners who died working in the mine, and services are still held in its naves, most visibly at Easter.
Is there anything for the more active?
The site has a climbing wall and a 300-metre zip line, and there is an underground bike ride that has to be booked in advance, with your own bike and helmet. None of these is part of our tour, so tell us if you want time for one.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the half day
Pick the morning slot if you want to go underground near opening, or the afternoon one if you need the morning free. The timings and what is included are on the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral private tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
