Bogotá with Kids: Gold Museums, Gondola Rides, and Street Arepas

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ciclovía Sunday Ride

Every Sunday, Bogotá closes over 120 kilometers of major roads to cars and opens them to cyclists, skaters, and joggers in one of the largest urban cycling events in the world. Rent bikes from one of the pop-up stands along Carrera 7 and ride as a family through the city for as long or as short as you like.

Usaquén Sunday Flea Market

The cobblestone streets of the Usaquén neighborhood host a sprawling artisan and antiques market every Sunday morning with hundreds of stalls selling handmade jewelry, leather goods, ceramics, and Colombian crafts. Kids enjoy the performers and the browsing, and it is a genuine place to find meaningful souvenirs.

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.

Cascada La Chorrera hike

About 45 minutes from Bogotá by car, this trail through cloud forest leads to the tallest waterfall in Colombia at 590 meters, and the two-hour round-trip walk is suitable for kids ages seven and up with good shoes. Guides at the trailhead are affordable and highly recommended for navigating the path and identifying local wildlife.

Parque Ecoturístico Los Arrayanes picnic stop

On the way back, this small ecotourism park near Choachí has covered picnic shelters, a trout stream, and a small zip line circuit that younger children can enjoy without technical gear. Staff sell fresh trout dishes prepared on-site, which make a satisfying lunch after a morning of hiking.

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.