A Visitor's Guide To Bogota - The Athens Of South America

Bogota has constantly been equated to New York City, and many will tell you that it is the New York City of South America. It's for this reason that people from all over the world decide to vacation in Bogota. In this city, you will find plenty of historical, cultural, and interesting places and attractions, making it a good candidate for a vacation. A USA passport is necessary if you are thinking of heading to Bogota, but instead of going to the passport office, you can get yours online.

Passport shopping has been completely revolutionized thanks to the emergence of online passport processing. No matter what sort of service you need, these sites have way to address any sort of passport issue you might have. And because everything is done online, you can handle all of your passport shopping in one sitting.

La Candelaria, which is basically the "Old Town" section of the city, is a good place to get started in Bogota. Within this district, you will find some of the most relevant and interesting attractions. This place is interesting to walk through, thanks to the Baroque and Spanish colonial buildings that comprise the town.

Luis Angel Arango Library is a stop you cannot skip over. This huge library has around 1.1 million books, as well as a cafeteria, a concert hall, a museum, and exposition areas. The library is also the most visited public library is the most frequently visited in all of Latin America. The Gold Museum is something you can't miss either, as it features authentic Spanish gold art.

Easily one of the most popular attractions in Bogota is Monserrate. Monserrate is a church that serves as a place of pilgrimage for many people, and it is also popular for tourists. The church is actually located at the top of a mountain, from where you can get an awesome view of the city, and it is definitely a great place to view a sunset from. You can reach the top of the mountain by either taking a tram, a funicular, or actually climbing, which is the method of choice for the pilgrims. The church also features a cafeteria, a souvenir shop, and other neat attractions to check out.

If you are trying to figure out a time to travel to Bogota, consider going in early August. This is the time when the Carnaval de Bogota is taking place, which is a yearly celebration in commemoration of Bogota being founded. All different people from regions of Colombia come to participate, and each brings their unique cultural signatures with them, such as food, dance, music, and activities. If you are looking to buy some authentic Colombian souvenirs, head to Expoartesanias. You can find Afro-Colombian handmade items here, made out of cloth, stone, silver, gold, and ceramic.

You are bound to come across so many different representations of culture during your stay in Bogota. When the big city sort of atmosphere combines with the rich cultural feel of this city, it results in a place that keeps you interested. Remember that in order to travel to Bogota, you will need a USA passport. Passports can be bought online, as can online emergency passport renewal and passport replacements should you need to utilize these services.