A guide to the best neighbourhoods of Bogotá, Colombia

There is a huge number of Bogota neighbourhoods, so we’ve provided a brief guide to the vibes of each one we spent a lot of time in. Hopefully this will help you decide where to stay in Bogota and which parts of the city to visit, and we’ll also tell you about the key area on the tourism map that we actually don’t recommend you stay in.

Needless to say, when it comes to where to stay in Bogota, as well as where to spend your days exploring, we stick to the safer Bogota neighbourhoods.

You can feel things get rough as soon as you step into a bad area, so if that happens just turn right back around! If you’re worried about keeping out of trouble in Bogota, head over to our post on safety in Bogota for 16 tips on how to stay out of trouble.

We lived in the capital for 7 months all in all, so once you’ve worked out where to stay in Bogota, we’ve got you covered for the rest of what you need to know:

• Bogota 101: Essential know-how for a visit to Bogotá, Colombia
• Amazing things to do in Bogotá, Colombia
• Where to find the tastiest food in Bogotá
• Best workspaces for digital nomads in Bogotá
• Epic day-trips and weekend breaks from Bogotá

Spanish-speakers, please forgive us in dropping the tilde off Bogotá, it’s only for SEO purposes! [We hate ourselves.]

Getting to grips with Bogota’s Estrato System

In this post, we’re going to go through the best Bogota neighbourhoods, and the areas that you’re most likely to hear about as you look for accommodation in the city, but if you want to know about the general safety of a barrio that isn’t included in this ‘ere guide, there is another way that you can make an estimation.

All cities in Colombia use an estrato system. This is a way of decided how much tax residents pay based on the wealth in the area. Estratos run from 1 to 6, with 6 being the most affluent.

In estrato 6 Bogota neighbourhoods, due to the wealth of the population, you can expect to see armed guards everywhere, high police presence, electric gates and 24/7 doormen for every apartment. Some, such as Usaquén, even have drone surveillance to crime-check the area.

In poorer Bogota neighbourhoods, expect very little of this, so security is more up to you as an individual.

Introduced in the 80s, the estrato system has become a way to classify and even enforce class in society; it’s been known for some people to refer to each other by their estrato as a way of determining their place, and some argue that lower estrato people may lose out on well-paid jobs because interviewers use ‘where to you live?’ as a first question to predict the kind of background and class the interviewee has.

But to the average tourist, it is a fair indicator of the level of safety you can expect from certain Bogota neighbourhoods (or most other cities in Colombia), and is therefore a fair indicator of where to stay in Bogota. It’s easily Google-able, so if you’re not sure of an area, that’s a simple place to start.

For most of your searches though, you’ll probably end up seeing a lot of the below Bogota neighbourhoods. We’ll go through their vibes so you can choose where to stay in Bogota that’s best for you!

Where to stay in Bogota: barrio breakdown

Chapinero

Chapinero is a huge-feeling barrio of Bogota that encompasses a lot of small areas put together, which can vary a lot in vibe and quality. The Chapinero neighbourhood is particularly good for bars and clubs, check out the nightlife in Bogota guide for more on this.

Very generally speaking, the further North you go in Chapinero, the nicer the areas become.

We’ve tended to stay South to feel in the action and get cheaper rent. For example, we lived in a £125pcm house-share around Marly, which was perfect for us with very local vibes outside, but due to its proximity to Carrera 14, didn’t feel 100% safe at night.

If you’re only visiting for a short time there’s not much point in staying in the rougher side of any of the Bogota neighbourhoods!

Is Chapinero, Bogota safe?

With common sense, yes. In Chapinero, we would advise you avoid staying on Carrera 7 (more commonly called Septima) or Carrera 14 (Avenida Caracas).

These main roads have buses and taxis roaring down them at all hours, they’re generally pretty dirty and they’re known as streets where you find the strangest of people ambling about, so night times can bring some odd sights and sounds.

However, walking down Septima or Caracas during the day and early evening is fine – and you shouldn’t miss out on Arepas Jimmy el Hambriente on Carrera 14 with Calle 44!

So, from roughly South to North, here are some of the most notable Bogota neighbourhoods to stay and visit within the barrio of Chapinero:

1. Javeriana & Marly (estrato 4)

True student-ville. There’s a ridiculous number of universities around this area, so the majority of people you’ll see out and about are young and educated.

Here and Chapinero Central (which we’ll get to in a bit) are where you’re most likely to find student housing in Bogota, so if you’re on a year or semester abroad in Colombia this is where to stay in Bogota.

The vibe is buzzy on a weekday, and Calle 41 with Carrera 8 lights up on a Friday night, when drinking in the small bars and restaurants reaches a peak. Make sure to check out Varietale for excellent coffee and Zarzamora for a fantastic Menu del Día lunch if you’re ever in the Javeriana neighbourhood!

If you decide this is where to stay in Bogota, it’s best to be towards the north, on the edges of Chapinero Alto (which starts around Calle 44) than Santa Fe, as this area has a reputation for being sketchy.

2. Chapinero Alto (estrato 4)

This is a neighbourhood of quality high-rise apartments built up into the foothills of the mountain, and for many Bogotá natives it’s an aspirational place to live.

For this reason, when you search for where to stay in Bogotá, you’ll come across many accommodations claiming to be in Chapinero Alto, when in fact they’re in the much less aspirational Chapinero Central or Javeriana, west of Septima (Carrera 7).

Though Google Maps puts Chapinero Alto as a very small area around the military university, it’s a term loosely used by locals to describe the nicer, higher-priced areas east of Septima, between around Calle 44 and 65.

3. Chapinero Central (estrato 3)

Chapinero Central holds a plethora of cheap-cheap shops along Carrera 12, and is also close to the Zona T/Zona Rosa bars and lots of shopping malls.

We don’t really recommend this as a place to stay in Bogota if you’re just visiting, but it’s a really good area to mooch around to soak up local life during the day.

At night, clubs such as Odem attract party-goers from all over the city.

4. Zona G & Rosales (estratos 5-6)

A particularly leafy part of Chapinero, with foreign embassies and high-end hotels. While you might not be able to afford to stay here, one of the places we kept coming back to was Juan Valdez Originés on Calle 70 #6.

The Originés store is a flagship for the Colombian coffee chain, and it is BEAUTIFUL. From conference rooms and hot-desks to sofas and a rooftop terrace, Juan Valdez Originés hits the spot for digital nomads and chillaxers alike. Perfect for an afternoon of digital nomad life in Bogotá!

There are also plenty of fancy restaurants in the Zona G & Rosales areas, and the zone is pretty safe.

5. Chapinero Norte & Quinta Camacho (estratos 3-4)

When we were first trying to work out where to stay in Bogota for ourselves, North Chapinero/Quinta Camacho is where we planted ourselves. Away from the main road, it’s a mostly quiet choice of Bogota neighbourhoods, with mostly gated houses instead of high-rise apartments.

Quinta Camacho is a great place for after-work dinner and drinks in cosy, slightly more upmarket bars (Wu Dumplings & Beer followed by drinks at El Mono Bandido or Huerta Bar is a great combo).

It’s also home to one of the CoWo workspaces, and nearby in La Porciúncula you’ll find another co-working space at the new Selina Hostel.

During our very first visit to Bogotá back in April 2018, we stayed in Republica Hostel, which was chilled, homely and had a really great breakfast (the way to our hearts). There isn’t much space in the dorms, but the beds themselves are large and super comfy. There is also Fulano, a party hostel nearby, which you don’t have to be a guest of to join in the festivities.

6. Zona T, aka Zona Rosa (estratos 5-6)

Zona T is always hustle and bustle, and it’s where to stay in Bogota if you want to be right in the action.

It’s one of the smattering of Bogota neighbourhoods that are known for shopping, with several large shopping malls and some non-Latin favourites such as Forever 21, Pull&Bear and Bershka. I replaced all the clothes in my backpack in one day in Zona T (more of a necessity than a luxury by that point).

[Sidenote: If you want to do some SERIOUS outlet shopping (including Adidas, Nike, Koaj & H&M), we do however recommend you take a taxi out West to the Multiplaza in Ciudadela La Felicidad. It’s not in one of the Bogota neighbourhoods that we’d suggest as an option for where to stay in Bogota, but a smashin’ place for a shopping spree.]

Zona T is famous amongst Bogotá neighbourhoods for coming alive at night, with restaurants, bars and clubs opening their doors to locals dressed up for an evening on the lash, which is why it’s lovingly known as ‘Zona Rosa’.

In terms of nightclubs, Morena is a great rooftop club to get your fix of reggaeton. A slightly less dolled-up night is Gringo Tuesdays at Vintrash, which starts at 4pm as an intercambio / language exchange and then turns into a pretty good nightclub from 8pm till the early hours of the morning (just be careful of your things and don’t leave your drinks unattended – hello, sitting ducks!).

See more of my nightlife suggestions for Bogotá here.

Just opposite the small park in Zona T, there is an excellent craft beer place called El Sindicato with a whole spectrum of beers to try and some expert staff to help you choose, and El Oso is another bar to check out while you’re in the area.

Zona T in Bogota is not the cheapest place to eat or drink – it’s definitely more aimed at affluent students and young professionals – but there are at least plenty of options to choose from.

On a random note, there isn’t much drainage in Zona T, so when it rains heavily you can expect the roads to become literal rivers.

7. Parque 93 (estrato 6)

The northernmost and therefore swankier end of Chapinero, this is definitely where to stay in Bogota if you want a bit of the Colombian high life.

Don’t expect to find a cheap, local-feel menu del día around here; this is among the best Bogota neighbourhoods for those who want all the mod-cons and can’t live without their Starbucks fix.

If you do decide that this is where to stay in Bogota for you, hotels will be pricier, too, but you have the advantage of being in a very safe area with lots of mid- to high-end bars and restaurants to choose from. The best accommodation in Parque 93 on a budget is Selina 93, which is just a couple of streets from the main park and is much higher quality than your typical hostel.

It’s in Parque 93 that you’ll find Gaira Café, a nightclub with a slightly older crowd. It’s owned by the famous singer Carlos Vives and offers incredible live Latin-fusion music and galleries from which to watch real salsa in action. Drinks are pricey on Colombian terms, but still cheap compared to London, and the night is always incredible.

If you’re in Parque 93 on a Saturday or Sunday, you absolutely must reserve a table for the Click Clack Hotel Brunch – it’s insaaaaaane with unlimited cooked-to-order food and drink with no time limit for 95,000 COP (£24). Oh, how the other half live!

You may also be tempted to stay in nearby Chicó Norte, which is über-safe and extremely quiet, but it’s also a very corporate district so you would struggle for things to do and see. There is another CoWo co-working space here.

Barrios Unidos

We stayed here for a brief amount of time when renting an apartment big enough to also fit Andy’s brother while he came to visit. For the most part, the recommendation is not to stay in Barrios Unidos.

It’s not very clean, there’s not much to see and the area is scattered with strip clubs and everything that goes with them. Staying in Barrios Unidos was not the safest we ever felt in Bogotá.

It is, however, home to some super-local tejo bars, so worth a trip when you’re in a group (via taxi, please!).

Teusaquillo

Teusaquillo is another larger barrio, sort of the westerly equivalent of Chapinero. If you’re searching for where to stay in Bogota that will be quiet and not too costly, Teusaquillo definitely offer some Bogota neighbourhoods to consider, though it’s probably more suited to long-term stays than short tourism visits.

Some of the most lively parts of this barrio are Galerias and Quesada.

Galerias & Quesada (estratos 3-4)

Galerias is the hub that buzzes around Calle 53, while Quesada is a more chilled, less happening buffer between Galerias and Chapinero. These are great options for where to stay in Bogota if you’re looking to really immerse yourself in everyday life.

These areas are in no way beautiful, but they scream local life in a very real part of the city.

You can find anything from wedding dresses to year-round Christmas trees on la 53 (a perfect place to find tinsel for your first Christmas away from home!), and there’s plenty of simple menu del día restaurants on the streets that branch off from it, with some of your most typical no-frills Colombian food in the city.

At the western edge of Galerias, you’ll come to a neon-lighted strip of local bars, karaoke houses and clubs which looks a little like Magaluf. It’s very rare to see a foreigner down there, but not particularly unsafe.

For recommendations on where to stay in Bogota’s Galerias & Quesada barrios, we’d suggest sticking to the Eastern side of la 53, just for its proximity to Chapinero and therefore the rest of the things to see in Bogota, Colombia.

There aren’t many hostels in Bogota’s Galerias area, nor in Quesada, but if you’re travelling with a bigger budget or staying in Bogotá a little longer it’s a great place to find a reasonably priced 1 or 2-bed apartment. We’ve had lovely longer-term stays at Apart Studios Charles 52.

Is Teusaquillo, Bogota safe?

If staying this side of Septima, don’t wander too far north. From around calle 60 and above (where Teusaquillo meets Barrios Unidos), the area starts to become very dodgy, with plenty of rubbish on the streets, prostitution and pay-by-the-hour motels. It’s a dirty part of the city and one we didn’t feel too safe to be staying in.

Usaquén (estratos 5-6)

Usaquén has a really residential vibe, and it’s definitely one of the old-money Bogota neighbourhoods. The barrio actually goes super far north into the countryside but we’re focusing on the area around Parque de Usaquen in this post as the place to be.

Go any more North within the neighbourhood of Usaquén and you’re going to feel pretty out of the city and we wouldn’t particularly recommend it – though admittedly for some people this is very appealing, so there is now a growing pool of expats living up in the area of Cedritos.

Even the area around Parque de Usaquen is a little further out of the city than we would normally look when choosing where to stay in Bogota, but the chance to sign up for a gym, have a local bakery and fruit/veg store whilst also being close to the square with bars and restaurants (and not a gringo in sight!) was exactly what we needed after 8 months of hostel-life.

The bars in Usaquén are actually pretty cool, and they have one of the larger Crepes & Waffles restaurants we’ve seen, which equals no queues!

The area is known for its Sunday artisanal market, which lines the streets in every direction. Expect to find handmade, quality gifts and pieces for your home rather than tacky souvenirs at the Usaquén market.

We decided Usaquén was where to stay in Bogota when we had a 2-week solid consultancy project to work on.

We chose a 1-bedroom apartment through AirBnB as a base, and absolutely loved feeling like we had a home again. This AirBnB actually made our list of favourite accommodation in South America.

Is Usaquen, Bogota safe?

It’s among the safest of Bogota neighbourhoods! Obviously, don’t drop your guard entirely, but you certainly won’t be feeling quite so on-edge here as some of the other barrios of Bogotá.

La Candelaria

This is usually the answer when tourists ask where to stay in Bogota, Colombia. La Candelaria’s main draws are that it’s close to most of the points of interest, and the area’s architecture is beautifully colourful.

Plazoleta del Chorro de Quevedo is the perfect square in which to have an arepa dinner and try the Colombian alcoholic drinks chicha or canelazo.

If in this area, we also recommend checking out Café Atico on Carrera 2 (an alley off the Plazoleta, pictured below) – the bar-lady is nuts but wonderful once you talk to her properly.

Here, Police ID checks are probably the most strict of all Bogota neighbourhoods due to the high amount of tourism, so even if you look 35 you will need to have a hard copy of proof of age on you to enter a bar, or else the bar owners may turn you away.

There are a few small dance bars such as Café Rosas that aren’t too far a walk from here and are open much later.

La Candelaria probably has the highest concentration of hostels of any Bogota neighbourhoods, and its the opinion of most travel guides that this is where to stay in Bogota.

A hostel that caught our eye was the Fernweh Photography Hostel, a space for creatives to meet, get inspired and sleep in a reasonably-priced bed. There are also Selina and Masaya Hostels in this area which are always a sure win.

Is La Candelaria safe? (Or why not to stay in Bogota’s most popular area)

That’s right. Our advice on where to stay in Bogota is not La Candelaria. But isn’t that where all the tourist activity is, we hear you cry?!

Exactly. Those visitors who do stay in this area feel they have little reason to ever leave it, and our theory is that this is why Bogota has such a bad reputation amongst those who only stay a few days.

La Candelaria is one of the Bogota neighbourhoods that seem particularly affected by homelessness, and we’ve seen tourists being strongly hassled by those living on the streets several times. Coupled with this, thieves know that this is the area in which the tourists hang around, so quite frankly you’re a sitting duck in La Candelaria.

At night, the area isn’t so pleasant and you need to be especially on your guard.

For reference, the main tourist area is estrato 3, but it’s surrounded by estrato 2s.

Are the southern Bogota neighbourhoods safe?

Essentially all urban Bogota neighbourhoods south of La Candelaria (highlighted on the map below) are a no-go for safety – and the barrios to the west of the area aren’t too fun, either.

Though just a few blocks from the idyllic-upon-first-appearance historical centre, we saw some real craziness on the streets in La Cruces at just 7pm when we drove through in a taxi (we were only there because our local friend didn’t want to visit her mate in hospital on her own since the area is so dangerous after dark).

It’s not even a question as to whether this is where to stay in Bogota.

We ventured to the southern Bogota neighbourhoods a few times during the day to catch buses without much issue (like when going to hike to La Chorrera waterfall), but you really need your head screwed on for this part of the city, so leave your goddamn fanny-pack at home, lads.

And although one of the real hillside Bogota neighbourhoods, Egipto, is becoming popular as Bogota’s answer to Comuna 13, you should not be heading up there without a local (as in local to the barrio) guide – like this one.

But it doesn’t have to be like this! Instead, get yourselves out to the quiet, leafy suburbs to the North where the city is more developed and the thieves aren’t out hunting for tourists, and spend a little extra cash on cheap taxis to other Bogota neighbourhoods to get the most out of your time here.

You can still have a very authentic experience and support local businesses (in truth, a huge number of the businesses in La Candelaria are owned by foreigners anyway).

Deciding where to stay in Bogota can have a massive impact on your view of the capital, so pick wisely and enjoy the city to its fullest! I promise you it’s beautiful, despite a poor rep!

 

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Now that you’ve reached the end of this guide to where to stay in Bogota, don’t miss:

• Get to grips with the essential basics for a visit to Bogotá, Colombia
• 16 safety tips for Bogotá, Colombia
• The best spots for nightlife in Bogota
• Amazing things to do in Bogotá, Colombia

 

 

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Last Updated on 25 October 2022 by Cuppa to Copa Travels