Top 3 museums worthwhile visiting while touring La Candelaria in Bogota

The Old Bogota, La Candelaria, is the historic neighborhood in downtown Bogota. Colombia’s capital was founded there in 1538, and 475 years later, La Candelaria still retains much of its colonial atmosphere.

La Candelaria houses several universities, museums, 400-year-old churches, and government buildings. There is a lot to do and here are our top 3 museums worth visiting.

1. The Gold Museum (Museo del Oro): Why visit The Gold Museum? Because you won’t see this magnificent collection of goldwork anywhere else.

The Gold Museum collection is one of the biggest in the world, with more than 33,000 items of gold and emeralds and other precious materials crafted in pre-Hispanic times.

The gold museum is also part of the Google Art Project, you can check the virtual gallery here http://g.co/artproject/b65g

For more information about El Museo del Oro check our post.

2. The Botero Museum (Museo de Botero)
Why visit the Botero Museum in Bogota? It is an excellent collection you can visit for free.

It showcases the artwork of renowned Colombian artist, Fernando Botero.

Donated by the artist himself, the museum displays 208 pieces, 123 of his own and 85 by international artists. The collection is available at no charge to the public, except on Tuesdays which is closed.

The Botero museum is also part of the Google Art Project, you can check it here http://g.co/artproject/zsqu

3. Banco de la Republica Art Collection

With more than 5000 art pieces, The Banco de la Republica Art Collection is open to the public free of charge.

It showcases artwork from Colombian, Latin-American, and European artists.

There are a lot more museums to visit in La Candelaria. Which one is your favorite?