Bogotá Graffiti tour
The graffiti art you see during the Bogotá graffiti tour is inspired by the landscapes and culture, social problems and conflicts the country has faced.
Bogotá was our first stop of the 7-month journey through South America. Like probably many travelers, the first few days/weeks you are still going full speed and plan way too much in one day. At least we did!
We had signed up right away for the Free Walking Graffiti tour and thought we could do the Free Walking Tour Bogotá in the afternoon after that (tip: don’t try this yourself, so many impressions at the same time cause over-stimulation ;-)).
OK, the Graffiti Tour! If you search for images of Bogotá, all of the internet is full of colorful street scenes with the most impressive graffiti. Sometimes the internet can give a distorting picture of reality, in the case of Bogotá this is certainly not the case. One graffiti is even more beautiful than the other and gives (parts of) the city a wonderful atmosphere.
Inspiration
The graffiti art you see during the free graffiti tour is based on sources of inspiration such as the landscapes and culture, social problems and conflicts the country has faced. Druglord Pablo Escobar, for example, is a subject Colombians themselves would rather not be reminded of, but the artists, among others, painted their inspiration to decorate the streets.
The tour will take you through many special stories about graffiti, as well as explaining the regulations for street art, the techniques and the history of the city.
As mentioned, we had signed up for two tours. They do not connect, so we decided to get a coffee & tea at Juan Valdez.
Funny language barrier
Loes, my travel companion, wanted to order in her best Spanish (no basic Spanish yet). For herself a coffee, for me a tea. Even while ordering, I heard her fumbling when the cashier asked if she wanted milk in the tea. Overwhelmed by his question, she answered fleetingly; yes! After a few minutes she returned with a cup of coffee, and a chai latte. We both shot into laughter when the lid came off my “tea,” and we saw the frothed milk. It was delicious, instantly reminded me of spice cake from home, and provided one of many funny language barrier moments.
Later we discovered that chai tea is widely drunk in Colombia, and that Loes had ordered a chai tea with milk, which resulted not in cup of tea with a splash of milk, but in a chai latte, not knowing that we would be drinking this a lot for the rest of our trip ;-).
In short; our first day in Bogotá was full of impressions and educational on all fronts!
Written by Mellijn.
Travel date September 2017
#ColombiaMyWay tips (updated June 2024)
- The walking tours we did were with Beyond Colombia. Check out their website for more information
- The Bogotá Graffiti tour is free, but it is customary to tip the guide afterwards (around €8)
- Our guide spoke fluent English
- The tour lasts around 3 hours and takes you through downtown Bogotá
- From young to old, this walking tour is suitable for all ages! (Please note, there is quite a bit of walking, make sure you have good shoes)
-
- Look here for more graffiti tours in Bogotá
- Going to Bogotá but not sure yet where to stay? Check our our tips for the best areas to stay in Bogotá.
