A little piece of home in Bogotá

In comparison to my home town, London, there aren’t many parks in Bogotá. This is probably why one of my favourite places in Bogotá is Chicó park, just beside Chicó Museum (or Museo del Chicó) located on carrera 7 with calle 93. The museum itself was actually the home of Mercedes Sierra de Pérez, daughter of an extremely wealthy and well-known Colombian landowner Pepe Sierra. The colonial building is very pretty, has a lovely little courtyard and once you’ve paid the $8000-odd pesos to enter ($3 USD) you’ll be given a guided tour (in Spanish) of the estate. The rooms still contain much of Doña Mercedes’ furniture and many souvenirs which she collected from her extensive travels around the world. I liked the museum, but it wouldn’t be so interesting if you don’t understand Spanish; do get in touch, however, if you’d like a tour with your own personal interpreter! 😉

What I really want to recommend though, particularly if you’ve moved to Bogotá and are still exploring, is a visit to the park and gardens outside Chicó museum. It’s a lovely place to take your dog or children, or to just go with a friend/partner for a short walk. My favourite feature by far is the novelty London Routemaster bus which has been converted into a cafe! It really is a little piece of home away from home, and going there for a hot chocolate always makes me smile 🙂