DRINK STUFF :
Bogotá is not short of areas full of friendly watering holes. Below is our list of favourite hotspots where you can rock up without a definite plan or a specific bar in mind, meet friends, and fashion something that resembles a bar crawl. All areas in the list have enough bars to keep you busy for a whole evening. Send an email if you would like to suggest another area in Bogotá
La Séptima Javeriana
Where? Carrera 7 from Calle 45 to Calle 51 Transmilenio Calle 45 or Marly plus a 5 minute walk
Good for: Cheap national beers and aguardiente
Ambience: Loud vallenato and rock, lots of students, cheap furniture and plastic cups
People: Students from the University Distrital, Javeriana and San Tomás
Ideal starting point: Walk north on La Séptima from Calle 45 and take your pick. Cafe Bar la 46 always has a friendly crowd. Find it at Av 7ª con Calle 46
Cost: 20.000 pesos will get you comfortably warmed up with half a case of Águila
Safety: Generally safe, be alert walking back down to Av Caracas after a drinking session. Take Av Calle 45 or Calle 49 for a direct and busy route.
Mid Chapinero
Where? Calles 60 to 64, Carreras 7 to 11.Transmilenio Calle 63 plus a 5 minute walk
Good for: Reasonably priced national and imported beers, cocktails and shorts
Ambience: Shabby chic, sofas & quirky décor to smarter café culture
People: Well heeled independent thinking youngsters with a fondness for international music
Ideal starting point: Café Sirope Calle 60 con 9
Cost: A national beer will set you back 2000 to 3000 pesos, a mojito is yours for 10.000 pesos
Safety: Generally safe, be alert walking back down to Av Caracas after a drinking session. Take Calle 64 for a direct and busy route.
La Candelaria, La 3ª
Where? Carrera 3 con Av Jiménez. Transmilenio Las Aguas
Good for: National beers, cheap and cheerful cocktails
Ambience: Varied, rough and ready
People: Mainly students and backpackers
Ideal starting point: Start at the ramp at Plaza de los Periodistas and walk up the hill until you see something that takes your fancy
Cost: Cheap, look out for promos.
Safety: Stick to Thursdays and Fridays when there are lots of people about, avoid the academic holidays, leave by taxi after dark. Expect to be pestered by street people.
La Candelaria, Plaza del Chorro de Quevedo
Where? Carrera 2 con Calle 13
Good for: National beers, some imported liquors
Ambience: Chunky wooden furniture in old colonial houses.
People: Hippies, wannabe hippies, anyone that owns a guitar or has slightly unusual hair, street urchins and vagabonds.
Ideal starting point: Merlin on the corner of Calle 13 and Carrera 2, nice décor, open fire, interesting eats (mainly mushroom based) Then take in the bars in the square, head through the passage and carry on down Carrera 2 towards Carrera 3
Cost: Cheap to mid-ranged prices, National beer from 2000 to 3000 pesos.
Safety: Stick to Thursdays and Fridays when there are lots of people about, avoid the academic holidays, leave by taxi after dark.
La 19
Where? Calle 19 Carrera 3 to Carrera 7. Transmilenio Las Aguas
Good for: A bit of everything
Ambience: From dark cramped basements to neon lit bars with live music, indie bars to real ale pubs.
People: As varied as the drinks and the ambience
Ideal starting point: Sofia Calle 19 con 3ª, extremely busy, cute waitresses, international music, reasonably priced beer and head-spinning giant cocktails. If you prefer real beer then start at Pitia Beer Pub Calle 19 con 6ª, possibly the best real beer in Bogotá
Cost: 2500 pesos for a national beer, 10.000 pesos for a giant alcohol laden cocktail and about 6000 pesos for real ale.
Safety: So full of people that it is hard to get into trouble here, normal city precautions apply.
Galerías
Where? Carrera 24 between Calle 51 and Av Calle 53
Good for: National beers, imported beers, national spirits by the bottle
Ambience: Club atmosphere, most bars seem to have very odd rules as to what you can drink and where
People: A slightly cliquey crowd of wealthy students
Ideal starting point: Warm up on the small bars on Calle 51 con Carrera 23 and move up Carrera 24
Cost: Mid-range.
Safety: Generally safe but there have been reports from the US embassy of the area being targeted by muggers, keep your wits about you if you are under the influence of alcohol.
La Macarena
Where? Carrera 4 between Calle 26 and Calle 28
Good for: Independent bars selling a range of drinks, also good eats in the area.
Ambience: Individual, relaxed and friendly.
People: The independent minded artsy crowd and downtown office folk.
Ideal starting point: Go to Carrera 4 con Calle 27 and take your pick
Cost: Mid-range to expensive
Safety: La Macarena is bordered by some areas that are less than pleasant after dark. Arrive and leave by taxi or busetas in Carrera 5 run to La Candelaria.
Zona T and Zona Rosa
Where? Carrera 13 con Calle 82 and thereabouts
Good for: Decadent and costly consumption of cocktails and reasonable micro brew beers
Ambience: Anything from authentic English pubs to lame & pretentious bars that refuse to sell you a beer.
People: A well heeled crowd that like to be seen to be in certain places
Ideal starting point: Beer drinkers might like to try London Calling at Calle 83 #12A-01. Cocktail aficionados might like to test the skills of the mixologists at Yumi-Yumi on Carrera 13 #83-83 just outside of the Zona-T
Cost: Mid-range to expensive
Safety: Getting there is safe, being there is safe, beware the taxi drivers when you want to leave though, recommend not using the taxi rank in Calle 82, walk to Calle 85 or call pre-book a taxi.
Héroes
Where? Autopista Norte con Calle 80 Transmilenio Héroes
Good for: National and imported beers and spirits
Ambience: An upmarket Colombian hangout. Loud vallenato and salsa with nicer furniture and real glassware.
People: Those that shun the international scene of la Zona T and want a more Colombian night out
Ideal starting point: Get off the transmilenio to the East and take your pick
Cost: Mid-range
Safety: Generally safe and friendly
La Zona Rosa de Modelia
Where? A U shaped strip of bars, restaurants and clubs, aim for Calle 24 con Carrera 75
Good for: Cheap national beers and aguardiente, also cheapish food
Ambience: A pocket of partying very much out of the way of the well known areas.
People: Bona fide Colombians, you may well be the only foreigner(s) there
Ideal starting point: Stones Rock Bar right there in the corner
Cost: National beers for 2000 pesos
Safety: Generally safe, be aware that you are well off the beaten track if you go here, be respectful and courteous at all times. Choose your taxi carefully to take you home
