A good day in the neighbourhood: a morning hike in the cerros, brunch, a shower, then a slow afternoon of flowers, books, records, helado and a chai — and a break before the evening.
“My wife's and my favourite hike — we regularly go twice a week. Important: you can only get in in the morning, with a reservation that you make through the Bogotá water company's site. Once you're in, there are three different paths from the main intersection, and the Alto de la Cruz route, if it's open, is stunning — my favourite regular hike in Bogotá. It's closed on Mondays — and on the Tuesday, if Monday was a bank holiday. My favourite days are Wednesday and Thursday: fewer people, and the La Virgen and Alto de la Cruz routes are open. If you don't want to sign up ahead, you can pay an entry fee to do Las Moyas instead: a different hike, open to anybody with no reservation, also stunning, but challenging.”
“Has a lot more soul than MASA. It is clearly a passion project of its owner, and it has thrived over the eight years I've been in Bogotá — expanding to two locations, and a bigger space for the first one. The quiche is amazing, the croissants are the best in Bogotá, and I love the granola they make in-house.”
Shower and change
“Set on one of the loveliest two-block radiuses in the whole city. The combination of flowers, gallery and neighbourhood vibes makes Florindo a wonderful stop — which I'd pair with a coffee or a chai and a cookie from Diosa, around the corner.”
“Probably the coolest bookshop-slash-vinyl shop in the neighbourhood. Worth visiting just for itself, to browse and see the space — and they have a little gift shop too if you're not specifically book shopping.”
“The in-vogue ice cream: nitro-frozen, then dipped in a chocolate bath so it sets into a shell, which is very cool. Good ice cream, good people, good flavours, good vibes.”
“Around the corner from Florindo: a coffee or a chai, and a cookie.”
A break: hang out in a park, or head back to your hotel
Into the evening → A Chapinero Alto night