Plaza de Bolivar

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3 Reviews | Add review

Address: Carrera 8, Bogota, Cundinamarca
Admission: Free

ATTRACTION Keywords:
Good Views / Viewpoint, People Watching, Plaza / Square

4:37 PM Sunday, May 19
Sleet. Partly sunny. Mild.
7 day forecast

Enormous and austere, Bogota’s broad, bricked central plaza was designed in 1553 to be the gathering place for tens of thousands at the hub of the federal government. Then, known simply as the Plaza Mayor, “Main Plaza,” and home to the city market, it is a classic example of monumental Spanish civil engineering. The city’s heart is surrounded by its most important edifices: the soaring neoclassical national cathedral; the appropriately federalist capitol building; French neoclassical Edificio Liévano, seat of city government; and the ultra-modern stylized arches of the imposing Palace of Justice, most recently rebuilt after a 1985 terrorist attack.

At the center of it all is Simon Bolivar, a statue erected in 1846 to honor the man who liberated so much of South America from the Spanish.

Unless there’s a festival or political rally the enormous brick expanse is fairly quiet, quickly crisscrossed by crisply suited officials talking seriously into cell phones, vendors selling snacks, souvenirs, and photos with adorably outfitted llamas, and the constant thrum of pigeon wings as great flocks whirl around endlessly. The people watching is outstanding and you’re a stones’ throw from a dozen museums, churches and other attractions well worth seeing.

Latest Reviews

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All Plaza de Bolivar Reviews

Review by Anonymous, September 2012
Doing what: Bogotá City Sightseeing Tour with Optional Lunch and Cable Car Ride

I'm glad I booked this. Bogota is a large city and I couldn't have seen everything on my own. Thanks for the help.

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Review by Bandit, USA, September 2012
Doing what: Bogotá City Sightseeing Tour with Optional Lunch and Cable Car Ride

Perfect introduction to the city! Views from Monseratte were amazing, the Gold Museum worth the visit and the city itself is a charm. The city tour was done in a small-group so we didn't have to wait around for other people to take pictures etc. Guide was the best, thanks Claudia!

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Review by Ellen H. D, February 2013
Doing what: Bogotá City Sightseeing Tour with Optional Lunch and Cable Car Ride