Bogotá

Bogotá

Mercado de La Macarena

This open-air weekend market along Carrera 5 is lined with stalls selling empanadas, tropical fruits, artisan cheeses, and freshly squeezed lulo juice. Arrive hungry and let the kids point to whatever looks interesting.

Bogotá

Restaurante Casa Santa Clara at Monserrate summit

At the top, this colonial-style restaurant inside a former convent serves traditional Colombian dishes including ajiaco and bandeja paisa in a setting that feels genuinely historic. The portions are generous and the views from the terrace tables are unforgettable.

Bogotá

Andrés Carne de Res DC (Usaquén branch)

The Usaquén location of this legendary Colombian restaurant is a colorful, theatrical space decorated floor-to-ceiling with folk art, masks, and hanging lanterns that children find completely mesmerizing. The menu covers everything from grilled meats and arepas to fresh ceviche, and the early dinner crowd is calm and family-friendly.

Bogotá

Crepes and Waffles on Calle 85

After a full day outdoors, this beloved Colombian chain restaurant in the Zona Rosa area serves sweet and savory crepes, waffles, and enormous ice cream sundaes in a relaxed setting that never fails to please tired kids. The chain sources ingredients from women-led cooperatives across Colombia, a story worth sharing with older children.

Bogotá

Heladería Mimo's on Calle 53

Stop at this beloved local ice cream chain for scoops of tropical Colombian flavors like maracuyá, guanábana, and mora before heading back for the evening. It has been a Bogotá family institution for decades and the prices are very family-friendly.

Bogotá

Café de la Candelaria

This cozy café tucked into a colonial house on Calle 11 serves arepas, hot chocolate with cheese, and fresh fruit juices at very reasonable prices. It is a calm spot to sit down after the museum before the afternoon walk.

Bogotá

Museo del Oro (Gold Museum)

Start your trip at one of the most visited museums in South America, where over 55,000 pre-Hispanic gold pieces fill three floors of beautifully designed galleries. Kids are especially wowed by the darkened Offering Room where hundreds of golden figurines glow under spotlights.

Bogotá

Plaza de Bolívar and the surrounding colonial blocks

Walk the main square of the historic center, where the cathedral, the Capitol, and the Palace of Justice face each other across wide cobblestones that kids can run across freely. Street performers and pigeon flocks are a reliable hit with younger children.

Bogotá

Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO)

MAMBO hosts rotating exhibitions of Colombian and Latin American modern art in a compact building that does not overwhelm kids with its scale. The sculpture garden out front gives children space to move around between gallery rooms.

Bogotá

Parque de la Independencia

A large urban park just steps from the market where families spread out on the grass, rent pedal cars, and watch street musicians perform near the iconic Planetarium dome. It is a great late-afternoon wind-down spot before heading back to your hotel.

Bogotá

Teleférico de Monserrate

Ride the cable car up to the 3,152-meter summit of Monserrate for sweeping views across the entire city, a trip that takes about four minutes and genuinely thrills kids of all ages. Go early on a weekday to avoid long queues and catch the clearest skies.

Bogotá

Cerro de Monserrate hiking trail (descent)

If your kids ages eight and up are up for it, walk the stone-paved pilgrim trail back down through eucalyptus forest instead of taking the cable car, a roughly 45-minute descent with good footing. Younger children should take the gondola back down while older siblings enjoy the hike.

Bogotá

Maloka Museo Interactivo

Bogotá's flagship interactive science museum has over 500 hands-on exhibits covering physics, biology, and technology spread across a massive dome-shaped building, and it is designed entirely around children. The full-dome IMAX theater inside shows nature and space films that kids consistently rate as a highlight of the whole trip.

Bogotá

Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis

A short taxi ride from Maloka, this 20-hectare botanical garden contains a butterfly house, a Andean forest trail, and a highland wetland that kids can walk beside on wooden boardwalks. Entry is inexpensive and the garden is rarely crowded on weekday afternoons.