Things to do in Colombia
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Top 10 attractions in Colombia
Monserrate
The Montserrat mountain is located in Bogota, Colombia, where the landscape is beautiful. You can take the cable car to go up the mountain and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery along the way. From the top of the mountain, you can contemplate the entire view of Bogota. There is a white church built in 1650 on the mountain, and some places to have coffee, making it a great spot for morning exercise and relaxation. At night, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire city from the mountain top, or dine at the summit restaurant and admire the view while eating. You can take the cable car to go up the mountain, which operates every 15 minutes.Colombia · Bogota
Gold Museum
Gold Museum is an important place to learn about the pre-Columbian gold civilization of the Americas, housing tens of thousands of gold and gold-copper alloy artifacts, the vast majority of which date back to before the Spanish colonial rule, and originate from various indigenous cultures such as the Muisca, Quimbaya, Calima, and Tairona. Through exhibits such as jewelry, ritual implements, and everyday objects, the museum showcases the indigenous society's unique understanding of gold—to them, gold was the "sweat of the sun," symbolizing power and divinity rather than mere wealth. The museum's centerpiece is the Muisca Golden Raft, an exquisite gold artifact cast using the lost-wax technique, depicting a scene of a chieftain performing a sacrificial ritual onLake Guatavita, and it was this very ritual that gave rise to the famous legend of El Dorado. The museum also features a "Gold Room," where, set against dim lighting and indigenous music, thousands of gold artifacts shine simultaneously, creating a powerful visual impact. The Quimbaya Poporo, acquired when the museum was founded, is also worth a stop. It embodies the exquisite metalworking skills of the pre-Columbian indigenous people and marks the starting point of this museum.Colombia · Bogota
San Felipe de Barajas Fort
San Felipe de Barajas Fort stands on San Lázaro Hill, east of the old city of Cartagena, and is a military fortress built during the Spanish colonial period to defend against pirates and foreign enemies. Its prototype dates back to the 16th century, and the grand scale seen today was mainly formed by continuous expansion in the 17th and 18th centuries, built primarily by African slave labor under the supervision of the Spanish. The entire fortress was built along the mountain with layered defenses. The zigzag ramps were designed specifically to disrupt the pace of attackers, the walls are wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, and the various cannon emplacements cover each other. Don't miss the crisscrossing tunnels when visiting: the main passage extends along the perimeter of the fortress, winding and deep, with footsteps echoing clearly against the stone walls. Back then, the defenders used the tunnels to quietly mobilize troops and ambush the enemy, and some dark chambers were even designed as detonatable traps to block enemies climbing over the walls. In front of the entrance stands a statue of the one-eyed, one-armed, and one-legged Spanish Admiral Blas de Lezo—in 1741, he defended Cartagena by relying on this fortress with far fewer men than the British fleet. Climb the ramp to the top battery for a wide-open view, where you can take in the colorful rooftops of the old city, the Getsemaní neighborhood, and the Caribbean Sea in the distance. The soft light in the evening is especially suitable for taking photos.Colombia · Cartagena
Plaza de Bolivar
Plaza de Bolivar is the main square of Bogota, the capital of Colombia, with a history dating back to the city's founding in 1539. In the center of the square stands a bronze statue of the Liberator Simon Bolivar, created by Italian sculptor Pietro Tenerani, which is one of the city's earliest public monuments. The square is enclosed by buildings from different eras: on the east side is the Primate Cathedral of Colombia,on the south side is the neoclassical Capitol building, on the west side is the Lievano Palace where the mayor's office is located, and on the north side is the modern Palace of Justice with its simple design. During the colonial period, it was used as a public market and bullring, and today it remains an important stage for civic gatherings and cultural events. The square is filled with flocks of pigeons, and you can buy a small bag of feed to experience feeding them. There are also vendors leading brightly decorated llamas for photos, and street performers moving through the crowd. When visiting, you can use the square as a transfer point for walking in the old town, as the colorful streets of La Candelaria and several museums are within walking distance.Colombia · Bogota
Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral
Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church carved deep within the tunnels of a salt mine, approx. 200m underground, and is a well-known pilgrimage and tourist destination in Colombia. This salt mine was worked by the Muisca people long before the arrival of the Spanish. Starting in the 1930s, miners carved prayer spaces into the tunnels. The first underground church was completed in 1954 but was later closed due to safety issues in the mine tunnels. The current church was built in 1995 in a deeper part of the mine and remains an active church where masses and other religious activities are held. The visit begins with a slow descent down the entrance corridor, where 14 Stations of the Cross are lined up on both sides. Each station features a cross and kneeling bench carved from salt rock, corresponding to scenes from the Passion of Jesus. At the end of the corridor are 3 naves symbolizing the birth, life, and death of Jesus, connected by a fissure. The icons, ornaments, and architectural details inside the naves were all hand-carved by artisans from rock salt, supplemented by some marble sculptures. You can also see a sculpture based on Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam," and 4 giant columns representing the 4 Evangelists. Lighting illuminates the crosses and carvings from below, making the texture of the salt rock shimmer in the light.Colombia · Zipaquira
Parque de los Pies Descalzos
Parque de los Pies Descalzos is a Zen-inspired urban green space themed around "bare feet," funded by the local public utility company EPM and built between 1998–2000. The way to enjoy it is right in the name: take off your shoes and socks, and let your feet touch the grass, fine sand, and flowing water. The park features several areas specifically designed for bare feet, each with its own character: the Zen garden and bamboo groves offer shade; the sand playground is covered with soft, fine sand where children chase each other and play in the water barefoot; the shallow pools and fountains are designed for foot soaking. Walking barefoot through the bamboo groves, sand, grass, and pools, the changing sensations under your feet are what make this park a unique experience compared to ordinary city parks. The park is adjacent to the Medellín Metropolitan Theater and is connected to the EPM Interactive Science Museum, so you can include visiting the exhibits and the barefoot experience in the same itinerary. Since its completion, it has been an open space for citizens to relax, play, and participate in public activities.Colombia · Medellin
Botero Museum
Botero Museum is housed in a converted colonial-era mansion and displays 208 works donated by painter Fernando Botero to the Central Bank of Colombia in 2000. Among them, 123 pieces are his own oil paintings, drawings, pastels, and sculptures; from the voluptuous Mona Lisa to the series of paintings themed around the period of violence in Colombia, his signature exaggerated volume is evident throughout. The remaining 85 pieces are original works by famous European and American artists from his private collection, including works by Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Dalí, Miró, and Matisse. The exhibition halls are arranged around a central courtyard. The original display was arranged by Botero himself, and as part of the donation agreement, the works are not to be loaned out or moved, maintaining the original layout set by the artist to this day. This neighborhood is the historic district where many of Bogota's museums are concentrated, and several venues, such as the Gold Museum, are within walking distance.Colombia · Bogota
Museo Santa Clara
Museo Santa Clara is a church that has survived from the 17th-century Royal Convent of Santa Clara complex. It long served as a place of worship for cloistered nuns; the former convent was demolished in the early 20th century, with only this church remaining. The church has since undergone years of comprehensive restoration and is now open to the public as a museum, no longer holding religious services. The church has a simple exterior, but its interior is richly decorated: the barrel vault of the single-nave space rises more than 10 m from the ground, the ceiling is adorned with gilded wood-carved flowers, and blue and yellow hues cover the vault; the side walls are lined with layers of gilded wood-carved altars and oil paintings. The museum houses over 100 oil paintings by masters of the New Granada school, such as Gregorio Vásquez and Figueroa. The painting "Saint Martin Dividing His Cloak," donated in 1647, is considered the starting point of the collection. The main altar is entirely gilded, and the series of archangel paintings above the altar area are masterfully executed. The museum also features a series of portraits of deceased abbesses wearing wreaths and holding candles. The church is located right next to the Congress building and is within walking distance of Plaza de Bolivar in the old town. It is small in scale and has a tranquil atmosphere.Colombia · Bogota
Villaveces Park
Villaveces Park is located right next to the walking path leading to the Salt Cathedral complex, and tourists walking up from the old town usually pass through here. The park is named after Ignacio Villaveces, an engineer who managed the local salt mine in the 1940s—he served as the salt mine administrator between 1942 and 1945, and the town named the park after him to commemorate this local builder. The park is small but encapsulates several pieces of Zipaquira's history: the vintage pickup truck "Julia," which accompanied local cyclist "El Zipa" Forero to win the first Vuelta a Colombia in 1951, is now kept in the park as a memorial. On one side of the park, the Zipaquira Archaeological Museum displays artifacts from the Muisca and other pre-Columbian periods, with a collection of over 1,000 items covering 14 pre-Hispanic cultures. The surrounding buildings still retain their colonial-era outlines. Most tourists treat this as a stop along their Salt Cathedral itinerary: resting on benches under the shade of trees, while vendors selling small salt carvings and handmade candies are often found at the edge of the park.Colombia · Zipaquira
Rosario Islands
Rosario Islands are scattered across the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Cartagena. They consist of 27 small coral islands and sandbars and are part of the Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo National Natural Park. The main part of the park is underwater: the seabed, ranging from a few m to tens of m deep, is covered with vast coral reefs, home to hundreds of species of fish and dozens of types of coral. Because of this, snorkeling and scuba diving are the main activities in the archipelago. Put on a mask and snorkel and head into the water, where schools of tropical fish swim right by your feet, with colorful coral right before your eyes. The main island in the archipelago, Isla Grande, is crisscrossed with coconut groves and mangroves, where you can kayak through mangrove waterways. After dark, you can see lagoons that glow with a faint blue light, as the bioluminescent plankton in the water light up when disturbed. The island also has an aquarium that exhibits marine animals such as sharks, sea turtles, and dolphins. Travel between the islands is entirely by boat. You can take a round-trip island-hopping tour from Cartagena in a single day, or stay overnight on the island. Meals on the island are primarily Caribbean-style.Colombia · Cartagena
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Monserrate
Colombia · BogotaPlaza de Bolivar
Colombia · BogotaParque de los Pies Descalzos
Colombia · MedellinBotero Museum
Colombia · BogotaRosario Islands
Colombia · Cartagena
Parque Central Simon Bolivar
Colombia · Bogota
Jardin Botanico Medellin
Colombia · Medellin
Parque de la 93
Colombia · Bogota
The Boyacá Bridge
Colombia · Ventaquemada
What travellers say about Colombia
Footballtrainstravel15 April 2026
5.0
Although it rained it was great to visit and well worth the money. Highly recommend
Monserrate
乖小咪17 September 2019
5.0
The Gold Museum in Bogota is a museum that you must visit. It houses many gold products that are hundreds of years old in various shapes. Some of the patterns are very mysterious and the shapes are also very mysterious. It is well worth a visit and learn about it.
Gold Museum
青岛老韩8 October 2026
4.0
There wasn't anything particularly memorable, except for the dungeon. The dungeon was low, gloomy, damp, and oppressive, allowing one to empathize with the helplessness and terror of the slaves locked inside.
San Felipe de Barajas Fort
YoYo_1I8Q7O5O1 October 2025
5.0
Standing on the cobblestones of Plaza Bolivar, the cathedral's bronze dome captivated my eyes. The afternoon sun stained the colonial facades a honey-hued hue. The aroma of scorched corn tortilla carts wafted from the air. Suddenly, a pigeon fluttered and landed on the shoulder of Simon Bolivar's statue—the liberator, sword raised, gazing upon the hustle and bustle of modern streets. I sat on a bench, nibbling on a fresh mango dipped in chili sauce. Elders in traditional ponchos fed sparrows in the shade, while children in school uniforms chased balloons. The snap of boot heels clacking at the changing of the guard at the presidential palace startled a flock of pigeons. In that moment, centuries of history seemed frozen in the square's wind.
Plaza de Bolivar
E21***715 April 2025
4.0
It was quite monotonous when I first entered, but it was a bit brighter when I went down to the second underground floor. Foreign man-made landscapes like to match religion. If you are not religious, it will be boring to listen to the radio explanation. But overall it is good, there is a lot of space inside, it is worth a visit, but the ticket price is a little expensive! I didn't go to Tutankhamun's museum!
Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral
juki23525 January 2018
5.0
Medellin Barefoot Park is the largest city park here. When I went there, it happened to be hosting a light show. The colorful neon lights created different shapes and characters. It was like entering a fairy tale world. It was beautiful and lively.
Parque de los Pies Descalzos
zhulei83123020 October 2020
3.0
This is an art gallery of a very famous local artist. His paintings are all depicted with the image of fat people. I believe many of us have seen these paintings in our daily lives. I think they are quite interesting. You can come and have a look.
Botero Museum
くろすけくん22 February 2023
5.0
The Rosario Islands are about an hour away from Cartagena by small boat.
The boat runs at high speed so I was worried about getting seasick, but it was no problem at all 🙆♀️
Unlike the area around Cartagena, the beaches are as beautiful as you would expect from the Caribbean Sea!
At the aquarium, the sharks have gotten used to it and are performing tricks?!
You can also experience SUP, kayaking, diving, and more.
Be careful of the salt water in the showers and pools! ️
There are also banana boats, jet skis, and other activities to enjoy.
Rosario Islands