How many stops are on the Art & Museums walking tour in Bogotá?

The Art & Museums route in Bogotá includes 12 curated stops.

How long does the Art & Museums tour in Bogotá take?

The Art & Museums walking tour in Bogotá takes approximately 6 hours at a leisurely pace.

Is the Art & Museums walking tour in Bogotá free?

Yes, Promenario's Art & Museums tour in Bogotá is free to download and use, with full offline support.

🇨🇴 Bogotá, Colombia

Art & Museums in Bogotá

Museums, galleries, and culturally rich collections. Explore 12 curated stops in Bogotá, including Gold Museum, Botero Museum, and Bolívar Square. Highlights include Gold Museum, rated 4.6/5 by 14,679 visitors.

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12 places in this collection

Art & Museums places

12 places in this collection

Image by Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), CC BY-SA 3.0

Gold Museum

The Museum of Gold (Spanish: El Museo del Oro) is a museum located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is one of the most visited touristic highlights in the country. The museum receives around 500,000 tourists per year. The museum displays a selection of pre-Columbian gold and other metal alloys, such as Tumbaga, and contains the largest collection of gold artifacts in the world in its exhibition rooms on the second and third floors. Together with pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile objects, these items, made of a– to indigenous cultures – sacred metal, testify to the life and thought of the different societies which lived in present-day Colombia before the Spanish conquest of the Americas. In 1934, the Bank of the Republic began helping to protect the archaeological patrimony of Colombia. The object known as Poporo Quimbaya was the first one in a collection. It has been on exhibition for 70 years. The Museum is today administered by Banrepcultural. The museum houses the famous Muisca golden raft found in Pasca in 1969, that represents the ceremony of the new zipa (ruler) of Bacatá, the basis for the El Dorado myth. The heir to the chieftaincy assumed power with a great offering to the gods. In this representation he is seen standing at the centre of a raft, surrounded by the principal chieftains, all of them adorned with gold and feathers. After a decade of work, the museum was expanded and renovated in October 2008. With the renovation, the museum organized the permanent exhibition in five rooms with archaeological objects and an interactive room. It also added an auditorium, some temporary exhibitions rooms, a cafe, a restaurant, and a souvenir store.

Image by Felipe Restrepo Acosta, CC BY-SA 3.0

Botero Museum

The Botero Museum also known as Museo Botero is a museum located in Bogotá. It houses one of Latin America's most important international art collections. It sees 500,000 visitors annually, around 1,000 daily, and of those 2,000 students per month. Being in La Candelaria neighborhood of Bogotá, the museum is within close proximity to other important landmarks like the Luis Ángel Arango Library and the Gold Museum of Bogotá. In the year of 2000 the Colombian artist Fernando Botero donated 208 art pieces, 123 of his own making and 85 of other international artists, to the Bank of the Republic. The Museum is administered by Banrepcultural. With this collection, the Botero Museum was founded in the neighborhood of La Candelaria, the historic center of Bogotá, in a colonial mansion that was acquired by the Bank of the Republic and made suitable to house the art collection by Fernando Botero himself. Since November 1, 2000, the museum has been open to the public free of charge. The museum consists 123 works of Fernando Botero and 85 of other artists for a total of 208 works of art. Highlights of the permanent collection include works by Balthus, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Sonia Delaunay, Claude Monet and Henri Matisse.

Image by JuanGris (Lucía Estévez), CC BY-SA 3.0

Bolívar Square

The Bolívar Square (Spanish: Plaza de Bolívar or Plaza Bolívar) is the main of Bogotá. The square, previously called Plaza Mayor until 1821 and Plaza de la Constitución, is located in the heart of the historical area of the city and hosts a statue of Simón Bolívar, sculpted in 1846 by the Italian Pietro Tenerani, which was the first public monument in the city. The history of Bolívar Square dates back to the pre-Columbian era, when the site was part of the Muisca Confederation. The first building on the square, a primitive cathedral, was constructed in 1539, a year after the foundation of the Colombian capital. During the Spanish colonial period, Bolívar Square was the stage for circus acts, public markets and bullfights. The square is surrounded by historical buildings; the Palace of Justice is located on the northern edge and the National Capitol borders the square in the south. The Primary Cathedral of Bogotá and the Liévano Palace, seat of the mayor of Bogotá, are situated on the eastern and western side respectively. Bolívar Square is a main tourist attraction in La Candelaria of Bogotá and the site for various manifestations and protests.

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Image by Lizeth.riano, CC BY-SA 3.0

Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá

The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica Primate of Colombia (Spanish: Catedral Primada de Bogotá), officially the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a Roman Catholic cathedral. It is seat of the Archbishop of Bogotá, Cardinal Mon. Ruben Salazar Gomez. The Cathedral was built four-times in the same place. The first construction took place between 1556-1565 to replace the original thatched chapel, but due to poor foundation it later collapsed. The second construction took place around in 1572, yet the earthquake of 1785 reduced it to ruins. The fourth and final construction occurred between 1807 and 1823. It is said to be built by descendants of Jesuit missionaries. When the Spanish conquerors officially founded the city of Bogotá (changing the original Indian name of the city: Bacata), they established in 12 huts and a hay-church, that -after being totally built- would take the name of Archbishopric Cathedral of Bogotá. The cathedral holds the remains of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, founder of Bogotá. The cathedral, its area 5,300 square meters, is the biggest in Colombia and one of the biggest ones in South America.

Image by Juanjo70000, CC BY-SA 4.0

Casa de Nariño

The Palacio de Nariño (Spanish for Palace of Nariño) or Casa de Nariño (Spanish for House of Nariño) is the official home and principal workplace of the President of Colombia. It houses the main office of the executive branch and is located in the capital city of Bogotá, Colombia. It was dedicated in 1908 after being constructed on the site of the house where Antonio Nariño was born. The design was made by architects Gaston Lelarge, a French-born former pupil of Charles Garnier, and Julián Lombana. In 1980, the structure was rededicated after the construction of additions. The building also houses works of art and furnishings from different periods of the history of art. Its garden houses the Observatorio Astronómico de Bogotá, designed by the Capuchin friar-architect Domingo de Petrés and built in 1802-03.

Image by Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0

Capitolio Nacional

The National Capitol of Colombia is the seat of the National Congress, the highest legislative body of the Republic of Colombia. The capitol was originally designed by Thomas Reed at the request of President Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, it was built between 1848 and 1926 and various architects were in charge. It is one of the most representative constructions of republican and neoclassical architecture in the city. The National Capitol of Colombia was declared a National Monument by decree 1584 of August 11, 1975. The main facade is located on the south side of the Plaza de Bolívar and is made up of two symmetrical lateral bodies and a transparent central body like a portico, consisting of a six-row colonnade of three Ionic-style columns that have two spans in each of its ends, one on top of the other and framed by two protruding bulbs supported by two terraced pilasters. The building is crowned horizontally with a entablamiento that finishes in a cornice with four taps and a balustrade in which vases and palmetas are interspersed. The drainage system at the height of the cornice is adorned with gargoyles with animal heads. In 1938, Ignacio Gómez Jaramillo painted two murals for the Capitolio Nacional in Bogotá. In 1947 for the Inter American Conference, Santiago Martínez Delgado painted a majestic mural under commission of the then director of the OEA, Alberto Lleras Camargo and Conference organizer Laureano Gómez, two men who later became Presidents of Colombia. This mural of the Elliptic chamber National Congress Building, made in the fresco style, represents Bolivar and Santander exiting the Cucuta congress during the creation of the Great Colombia. The mural is considered the most important fresco in the country and the artist's main masterpiece.

Image by Banrep cultural, CC BY-SA 2.0.0

Casa de Moneda

The Casa de Moneda de Colombia (Spanish for Colombian mint) is a Colombian currency museum based in the city of Bogotá. It was founded in 1621 as the mint ('casa de moneda' translates as 'mint'). The current mint is known simply as the Fábrica de Moneda (coin factory). Alonso Turrillo de Yebra arrived in 1621 with royal ordinances that accredited him to create the first Mint in the New Kingdom of Granada, and for this, he rented a low house in the La Candelaria neighborhood of present-day Bogotá to begin the work of reprimand in which, in an artisanal way, the first gold machines of America, known as doubloons, were elaborated among others. You can also find variety in its class or currency types. Almost half a century later, during the reign of Ferdinand VI, the House expands to house the new machines and the production is mechanized to produce circular pieces and better invoices. In 1752, Don Juan Espinosa de los Monteros and Bilbao arrived in Santafé from Seville to serve as faithful of the balance, just as he had done so far in the Royal Mint of Seville. In 1756 Viceroy Solis reopened the House, as can be read in the frieze of its stone cover. The physical structure of the house expands and transforms through three hundred and fifty years into several opportunities. Since the seventies of the twentieth century, recovery works of their original architectural features culminating in 1982 were carried out in the colonial cloister. The numismatic sample illustrates several aspects that are directly related to the currency and history of the property and its various architectural interventions. At the Mint, the visitor will be able to permanently find the exhibitions of the art and numismatic collections of the Banco de la República, and several temporary exhibition halls. The mint was declared a National Monument of Colombia by decree 1584 of August 11, 1975.

Image by Felipe Restrepo Acosta, CC BY-SA 3.0

Santander Park

Santander Park is an urban park located in the center of Bogotá, at the intersection of the Seventh race with Sixteen Street. Before the Republic it was called San Francisco Park because it is next to the convent and church of the same name. Previously it was known as the square of herbs. It is one of the most traditional places in the city, being even cited by some sources as its place of foundation. It stands out for its statue of Francisco de Paula Santander, its fountain and its trees. Its southeast side faces the Environmental Axis. The Gold Museum and the Avianca building are assimilated within its framework. The place was originally called Plaza de las Hierbas (or de las Yerbas) because the regional market was found there, whose beginnings go back to times before the conquest of the continent.

Image by Racso (Oscar Fernando Gómez), CC BY-SA 3.0

Luis Ángel Arango Library

Luis Ángel Arango Library, is a public library located in Bogotá. It was founded in 1958 as a small library with a few books on economics. Today its collection has grown to the point where it has become the country's premier library and has come to be considered to be the most important public library in Latin America. It has over 1.1 million books and 1900 reading places; it received 6.7 million visitors in 2008. It is currently under the administration of Banrepcultural. Books and documents on the following subjects can be found: music, geography, social sciences, economics, arts and humanities, the constitution, rare books and manuscripts, science and technology, and Luis López de Mesa newspaper archives. They also provide audio-visual material. In addition, there is a Concert Hall, reprography service, a cafeteria and parking facilities. The Botero Museum is part of the library. The main entrance features an Athena or Minerva statue. There is also a bookstore in the first floor of the library. The bookstore specializes in books about Colombia, scientific magazines, and literature related to Colombia and its values. The library is named after the lawyer and business man Dr. Luis Angel Arango, who occupied the general manager position of the 'Banco de la Republica' in Colombia, and who was an advocate for culture and literature. The library's architects have included Esguerra Saenz Urdaneta Samper.

Image by Franco MdB, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bogotá Museum

The Bogotá Museum was born as an Urban Development Museum in 1969, but it had a long history of transformations that account for periods of stability, uncertainty, rebirth and strengthening. In 2003, it was reformulated in its concept and transformed into a cultural and citizen space dedicated exclusively to the capital of the country. This change was due to the need to broaden their vision of the city, understood not only as an urban phenomenon, but as the territory in which multiple and diverse heritage sites are constantly being transformed. Similar to other metropolises of the world that have a city museum, the capitals have the Bogota Museum (MdB), a place of reflection on the past, present and future stories of the capital and its inhabitants. The MdB collection has more than 25,000 photographs of various photographic backgrounds, 425 historical plans and 220 objects that account for the social and economic development of Bogotá.

Image by Felipe Restrepo Acosta, CC BY-SA 3.0

Palacio de San Carlos

The San Carlos Palace (Spanish: Palacio de San Carlos; previously Colegio Seminario de San Bartolomé), is a 16th-century Neoclassical mansion in Bogotá. The historic building has been the site of various political, social and academic events. Since December 1993, it has been home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Palace of San Carlos The history of the building goes back to the end of the 16th century when it was built by Archdeacon Francisco Porras Mejia, in 1585. At the time Santa Fe de Bogotá was the capital of New Kingdom of Granada, part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It was occupied by the archdeacon's family until 1605 when it was sold to Archbishop Bartolomé Lobo Guerrero who used it as a Jesuit seminary known as the Colegio Seminario de San Bartolomé. In 1739, the first printing press of Sante Fe was also established here. In 1767, after the Jesuits were expelled from New Granada by Francisco Antonio Moreno y Escandón, acting on orders from King Carlos III, it became the Royal Library of Santa Fe and served as barracks for the Presidential Guard. From 1827 to 1908 the palace was the official residence of the President of Colombia. Then President Rafael Reyes Prieto moved out to the Palace of Nariño where he lived till 1954. From 1954 it again became the residence of General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla and his successors till 1980. In 1980 after the Palace of Nariño was inaugurated as the presidential residence, the Palace of San Carlos was converted to house the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which it still accommodates today. Wall plaque commemorating the assassination attempt on Simon Bolivar. The palace was also the scene of an assassination attempt on Simon Bolivar in 1828. He was attacked when a group of conspirators attempted to assassinate him while he was taking a bath and he escaped through the window with soap still covering his body. His mistress, Manuela Sáenz Aizpuru, who tipped him off and saved him came to be known among Bogotans as 'the liberator of the liberator'. The event became known as the Noche Septembrina (English: September's Night), and it is referenced in Latin in a plaque conspicuously fixed on the wall next to the window through which he escaped. In 1937, properties next to the palace were acquired on the eastern side. The main entrance was added along with a triple storied building to accommodate the offices of the Ministry. Built by the Italian architect Pietro Cantini, the new façade stands close to two other historic buildings on Calle del Coliseo (Calle 10): the birthplace of the poet Rafael Pombo and the Christopher Columbus Theatre. On 11 August 1975, the San Carlos Palace was declared a National Monument.

Image by Ivan Tunja, CC BY-SA 3.0

Museo de Arte Colonial

The Colonial Museum of Bogotá ( Colombia ) was inaugurated on August 6, 1942 under the background of the President of the Republic Eduardo Santos Montejo and his education minister Germán Arciniegas. Its headquarters is the former Casa de las Aulas, a 17th-century building that was the headquarters of the Maximum Society of the Society of Jesus, now Javeriana University and Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé, in Bogotá. The pieces initially exhibited in the Colonial Museum came mostly from the private collections owned by Bogota's high society in the first half of the 20th century. These collections had been formed due to the process of confiscation of ecclesiastical goods initiated by Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera around 1861. The paintings expropriated from the Church were handed over to individuals and some of these in turn were given to different museums as a donation. These initial collections have been gradually complemented by new works received by donation or acquired. Currently the museum has 1577 pieces among which you can find easel painting, textiles, sculpture, furniture, silverware, numismatics, prints and manuscripts. It should be noted that the museum houses the largest existing collection of works by the neo-Granada colonial painter Gregorio Vásquez de Arce and Ceballos, which includes easel painting and a complete series of the drawings attributed to it.

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