A 16 hour layover in Bogota. Worth it to leave the airport?
Posted by shockedpikachu123@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 20 comments
On my way to Rio next week, I have a very long layover in Bogota. I’m 50/50 on whether I should leave the airport. Is there anything worth seeing in that amount of time? Or would it be too rushed? I’d probably grab some coffee, lunch and maybe see a museum. I’ve been to Cartagena and Medellin. I know Bogota has a different vibe. It’ll also be Christmas Eve so I have to be mindful of the traffic. Those who’ve been there, do you think it’s worth it to see?
2nd_Chances_@reddit
what idd you end you up doing? I have a 19 hour layover in march but i really want to visit the salt cathedral AND Montseratte
shockedpikachu123@reddit (OP)
You can do it! I ended up going to Montserrat. But word of advice when you get off the plane, i don’t recommend going straight up. The elevation made me extremely nauseous and lightheaded
2nd_Chances_@reddit
ah nice!! so glad you were able to make it work! I am looking at a private tour-- I am probably just a baby and nervous about safety and wanting to pay extra to get transported to and from ..
shockedpikachu123@reddit (OP)
That’s a good option! In case you don’t book it , you can take an Uber from airport to the center and walk around!
2nd_Chances_@reddit
ahh got it! the issue is I want the cathedral stop which is 54 KM from the airport! but I think I have plenty of time! thank you so much!!
kkillip@reddit
We had an 8-hour layover and left. Had a great time! Totally worth it.
zanimowi@reddit
Same thing happened to me last week. Took an Uber to Montserrate. Then walked along the center.
shockedpikachu123@reddit (OP)
Did you pack light carryon? I need to see if bogota has lockers!
zanimowi@reddit
There's a place where you can store your luggage at the airport, for $5 per bag. Look for servicio de guardaequipajes.
Dreboomboom@reddit
16 hour layover....YES leave the airport and explore Bogota! There are so many things to see there and you'll be fine. Here's a vid on what to avoid:
https://eightify.app/summary/travel-and-culture/stay-safe-in-bogota-colombia-avoiding-dangerous-neighborhoods
robxburninator@reddit
Bogota is absolutely beautiful, the food is fabulous, and while I'm betting most things will be closed/half closed, you can still see some absolutely stunning things. You can wander through many historic districts, get seriously the best coffee, and eat some of the most delicious and inexpensive food in latin america. Absolutely go into the city.
If I were you, I would lean into being there on xmas eve. I was there at easter and it was an AMAZING experience. SO many cool things to see and do because the country is so rooted in catholicism. I had the unfortunate honor of spending easter in poland as well and it was just.... completely closed. Nothing was open. Different sides of the same coin I guess.
shockedpikachu123@reddit (OP)
Another person here mentioned the salt cathedral near bogota. I looked it up, absolutely STUNNING. I just don’t know how to get there from the airport lol. I know Colombia goes HAM on Christmas. I’m just going to do the MIG form and then play it by ear. Thank you for the recommendation!
robxburninator@reddit
I haven't been in a few years, but at the time we were asking restaurants/coffee shops/etc. to hire cabs for us. Not sure if this is still the case, but it honestly was super cheap.
Iam_Paco@reddit
Yes, i’ve done it with only 6-7 hours. Traffic is bad but you can still do a lot of things
Routine_Chapter_9099@reddit
I love Bogota and will be in Colombia for 2 months starting in January 2024. I might just stay in Bogota for a month as I did all the big(and smaller) backpacker stuff the last time I was there.
So I say try to head out and do stuff BUT on Christmas Eve it's hard to gauge what might be "open" etc. (not sure it even matters)
Like others have mentioned, If you could get to the La Candelaria historic district I think you would like wandering around and taking in some sights if nothing else.
NArcadia11@reddit
I would wander the streets of an active war zone before I willingly spend 16 hours in an airport. I’ve never been to Bogota but 16 hours is so much time to explore a city. You should definitely do it.
Ok-Deal-6366@reddit
Lol
Traditional_Agency60@reddit
Yes leave the airport. You will be bored if you don’t.
As great as the Botero Museum, Gold Museum, Simon Bolivars Home, and the gardens were. I wish I had gone to the Salt Cathedral. I have seen some variation or something similar to the things I did in Bogota and while cool was left a bit underwhelmed.
Or you can go to the Viajero Hostel and get a killer Spa. It was one of my favorite parts of my vacation to be quite Frank.
ricky_storch@reddit
Yeah 16 hours is plenty of time to see the historic center, Monserrat, have a good meal etc assuming you don't have a lot of luggage.
If you hop one of the hotel shuttles and get 1 km away from the airport, Uber drops by 50% and will cost like $5usd to the historic center
1kfreedom@reddit
Questions like this make me regret for procrastinating on my YT channel. Like I literally filmed an episode about taking advatange of a layover.
16 hours is a lot of time to spend at the airport if you don't have access to a lounge.
Some things to consider:
1) Work backwards from your departure time to know exactly when you need leave from the city to the airport.
2) Figure out how reliable transportation to the airport from the city is.
3) Make sure you have transportation apps (either uber or the local variant, bus routes - somtimes google doesn't do buses well. Moovit has worked well foe me in some countries).
Why am I making getting back to the airport a big deal? Missing a flight because of you messing up is costly.
4) Google Bogata and see what you think you would want to see and plan some itinerary. I usually do stuff without a schedule, but when it comes to limited time, etc., I try to lay out a plan.
5) Make sure your atm card is set up right to so you can use it there
6) Related to number 5 above, but time are you arriving? Sometimes, the layovers are bad hours and you can't do much. I usually try to have my layovers start in the morning/early afternoon so I can actually see something.
7) Check your visa situation, some countries charge for a visa which makes it not attractive to want to go into the city.
8) Pack light or find out in advance how you would store some of your carryon. It sucks carrying a lot of crap while trying to quickly check out a city.
9) Some airports have tours for people on a layover. Usually they are cheap or free. I had a tour of the DMZ in Korea for like 3-4 dollars. When I was in Istanbul there was a free tour offered by Turkish airlines.
10) This tip seems a bit pyscho, but there if there is a big time difference, I would adjust my sleep so that I hit Bogata fresh. When I went to Poland a couple years ago, I had a layover in London, so I started waking up earlier because I wanted to be fresh and alert - I had only a 6 hour layover, but I was dead set on having scones and clotted cream. Well, we had issues departing so when I landed, I didn't have enough time. But I did hit 4 airline lounges.
Layovers are great because it is like a free taste. Might inspire you to want to plan a longer trip there. Or you realize you don't want to visit again. I would totally do it. It is an adventure/challenge. Good luck!