Chapinero (Bogotá) Travel Guide - Free

Explore Chapinero in Bogotá with Evendo's free guide. Find the best shops, historic streets, restaurants, and gems on web or mobile.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
Chapinero
Chapinero photo 2
Chapinero photo 3
All photos

Chapinero, Bogotá’s cultural crossroads, combines Lourdes church, lively cafés, LGBTQ+ nightlife, independent shops and trails rising into the eastern hills.

Urban Character

Chapinero stretches between the historic centre and Bogotá’s northern districts, a broad urban area whose identity changes noticeably from one street to the next. Central Chapinero is dense, energetic and mixed-use, with traffic-heavy avenues opening onto quieter residential streets, university buildings, independent businesses and long-established religious landmarks. The area is shaped by the eastern hills, the commercial spine of Carrera 13 and the north–south flow of Carrera Séptima, while Chapinero Alto climbs towards wooded slopes and panoramic viewpoints.
Read more about Chapinero

Streets, Culture and Community

The neighbourhood’s social life is unusually varied. Around Calle 60 and Parque de los Hippies, cafés, bookshops, small restaurants, music venues and informal meeting places serve students, office workers, artists and long-term residents. Chapinero has also played an important role in Bogotá’s LGBTQ+ life, particularly around the bars and cultural venues of Chapinero Central and Chapinero Alto. That openness sits alongside older institutions such as the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, whose square remains one of the district’s most recognisable public spaces.

From Main Roads to Mountain Paths

Visitors can experience several versions of Bogotá within a relatively compact area: the animated commercial streets around Lourdes, the nightlife and dining concentration near Calle 63, the university atmosphere south of Calle 53, and the greener, steeper roads leading into the eastern hills. The Quebrada La Vieja trail, accessed from the upper eastern side of the city, offers a very different setting of streams, woodland and mountain air, subject to local access arrangements. Chapinero is not a single postcard district but a working, changing part of Bogotá where architecture, commerce, nightlife and hillside landscape meet.

Best attractions in Chapinero

Chapinero’s attractions are found in the contrast between its public squares, cultural corridors and eastern hillside landscape. Plaza de Lourdes centres on the ornate Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes and provides a useful starting point for exploring nearby cafés, shops and busy streets. Parque de los Hippies, at the meeting of Carrera Séptima and Calle 60, is a recognisable local gathering place with a strong connection to contemporary urban culture. The area around Calle 53 and Calle 63 offers independent cultural venues, restaurants and nightlife rather than a single museum district. In the upper neighbourhood, Quebrada La Vieja leads towards woodland and mountain scenery through a well-known urban nature route, though access can be regulated. The University district around Javeriana and other institutions adds a youthful, architectural dimension, while Chapinero’s older houses and commercial streets reward unhurried walking.

Show more attractions

Best landmarks in Chapinero

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes is Chapinero’s most recognisable architectural landmark, standing beside the plaza that bears its name and anchoring the older central settlement. Its Gothic Revival language and prominent position make it an important feature of Bogotá’s nineteenth-century urban expansion, even as surrounding streets have become intensely commercial. Parque de los Hippies is a less formal but highly symbolic landmark: a public space associated with youth culture, social gathering and the changing identity of central Chapinero. The wide corridors of Avenida Caracas, Carrera 13 and Carrera Séptima also form part of the neighbourhood’s physical history, showing how transport and urban growth reshaped the former municipality. In the upper area, the wooded ravines and paths around Quebrada La Vieja mark the meeting point between built-up Chapinero and the eastern hills.

Show more landmarks

Explore Chapinero on the map

A handpicked selection of must-see spots in Chapinero, mapped for you.

Best restaurants in Chapinero

Eating in Chapinero reflects Bogotá’s urban mix, with casual eateries, cafés, bakeries, vegetarian kitchens, international restaurants and contemporary Colombian cooking spread through the streets around Lourdes, Calle 53, Calle 60 and Calle 63. The neighbourhood’s student and office populations sustain practical lunchtime places, while its nightlife economy has encouraged more ambitious dining and late-evening options. Visitors will find coffee, pastries, arepas and other familiar Colombian staples alongside restaurants influenced by Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern and European traditions. Chapinero Alto has a more residential and destination-oriented feel in parts, with restaurants reached by climbing from the main avenues. Rather than concentrating on one market or culinary speciality, the area is notable for variety, independent operators and the way dining overlaps with cafés, bars, bookshops and cultural venues.

Show more restaurants

Best bars in Chapinero

Chapinero is one of Bogotá’s most established evening districts, although its nightlife is concentrated in particular corridors rather than spread evenly across every residential street. The area around Chapinero Central, Calle 60 and Calle 63 includes bars, music venues, dance spaces and LGBTQ+ establishments that have helped shape the neighbourhood’s public identity. Some venues are intimate and informal, while others cater to dancing and larger weekend crowds; the atmosphere changes considerably from a quiet café street to a late-night entertainment strip. Chapinero Alto is generally more residential, with selected restaurants and bars rather than a continuous club scene. After dark, use recognised transport, stay attentive around busy entrances and respect the residents who live above or beside commercial premises.

Show more bars

Best nightclubs in Chapinero

Chapinero is one of Bogotá’s most established evening districts, although its nightlife is concentrated in particular corridors rather than spread evenly across every residential street. The area around Chapinero Central, Calle 60 and Calle 63 includes bars, music venues, dance spaces and LGBTQ+ establishments that have helped shape the neighbourhood’s public identity. Some venues are intimate and informal, while others cater to dancing and larger weekend crowds; the atmosphere changes considerably from a quiet café street to a late-night entertainment strip. Chapinero Alto is generally more residential, with selected restaurants and bars rather than a continuous club scene. After dark, use recognised transport, stay attentive around busy entrances and respect the residents who live above or beside commercial premises.

Show more nightclubs

Best shops in Chapinero

Shopping in Chapinero is mainly independent, practical and street-based rather than organised around a single enclosed retail complex. Carrera 13 and the streets around Lourdes and Calle 53 contain clothing shops, cafés, beauty businesses, specialist services and small retailers, while the area near the universities supports book-related, stationery and everyday student commerce. The corridors around Calle 60 and Calle 63 add design, food and lifestyle businesses alongside bars and restaurants. Parque de los Hippies and nearby public spaces sometimes host informal or temporary selling, but visitors should distinguish occasional street commerce from permanent markets. Chapinero is useful for browsing local businesses and observing Bogotá’s changing retail culture, though it is not primarily a souvenir district. Retail character becomes quieter and more residential as streets rise towards Chapinero Alto.

Show more shops

Chapinero essentials

Getting There
Chapinero is reached most conveniently by the TransMilenio corridor along Avenida Caracas, with stations including Calle 57, Marly and Calle 63 serving different parts of the central area. Numerous city buses use Caracas, Carrera 13, Calle 53, Calle 63 and Carrera Séptima, although routes and stopping arrangements can change. From Bogotá’s historic centre, visitors can travel north along Caracas or Carrera Séptima; from northern districts, Chapinero is approached in the opposite direction. Taxis and app-based vehicles are practical for Chapinero Alto, where steep roads and divided avenues can make a simple bus connection less convenient.
Getting Around
Central Chapinero is best explored on foot in short sections, particularly between Lourdes, Carrera 13, Parque de los Hippies and Calle 63. Major roads are busy and crossings require care, while pavements vary in width and condition. Buses and TransMilenio connect the longer north–south distances, but visitors should allow time for crowded platforms and traffic. Chapinero Alto is hillier, with rising streets and occasional narrow pavements; walking routes become more strenuous towards the eastern foothills. Ride-hailing or taxis can simplify journeys between the lower neighbourhood and hillside addresses.
Safety
Use ordinary urban precautions in Chapinero: carry only what is needed, keep phones and cameras discreet near transport corridors, and use a secure bag in crowded buses and commercial streets. At night, stay on active, well-used routes and arrange door-to-door transport when moving between venues, especially on quieter uphill streets. Traffic is a significant practical hazard on Caracas, Carrera Séptima and other wide avenues, so use marked crossings where available. Nightlife areas can become crowded, and visitors should keep drinks in sight and travel with companions where possible.
Emergency Situations
In Colombia, call 123 for police, fire or medical emergencies; explain that the incident is in Bogotá and give the nearest street intersection or recognised landmark. Spanish is the operating language of most emergency services, so international visitors may find it useful to keep their accommodation address written down. For urgent medical care, ask hotel staff, hosts or local authorities to direct you to the appropriate facility rather than assuming that the nearest clinic provides every service. Carry identification and details of travel insurance, and do not obstruct emergency vehicles on busy avenues.
Do's and Don'ts
Respect residential doorways, university buildings and religious spaces, and ask before photographing people, street sellers or private interiors. In the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, dress and behave appropriately during services. Queue patiently for buses and allow passengers to leave before boarding. Around bars and clubs, keep noise away from residential entrances and avoid displaying valuables on the street. Support independent businesses by following their house rules, and do not touch murals, installations or street art merely to pose for photographs. Tipping is customary for good restaurant service but should remain proportionate rather than treated as a fixed obligation.
Local Tips
Begin at Lourdes and follow the commercial streets towards Calle 60 and Parque de los Hippies to see how religious, residential, student and nightlife uses overlap. Carrera 13 is useful for browsing local businesses and finding onward transport, while Carrera Séptima offers a longer north–south perspective but heavier traffic. Chapinero Alto rewards visitors who like city views and quieter streets, though weather can change quickly near the hills. For a natural walk, research the current entry conditions for Quebrada La Vieja before going and start early enough to return before dusk.

History of Chapinero

The Chapinero Name and Early Settlement

The name Chapinero is traditionally linked to Antón Martín, a shoemaker associated with the production of chapines, a type of footwear, although the details of the story belong partly to local tradition. The area lay north of Bogotá’s colonial core, on land used for farms, estates and routes towards the countryside and eastern hills. Its position between the settled city and rural properties made it a gradual transition zone rather than a densely built quarter. Over time, roads, religious foundations and expanding residential development gave the name a more definite urban identity.

A Municipality North of Bogotá

Chapinero developed as a separate municipality during the nineteenth century, serving as a semi-rural settlement and retreat for Bogotá residents beyond the older centre. The construction and improvement of roads towards the north encouraged houses, shops and religious institutions to gather around the route that became associated with the present Carrera Séptima. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, begun in the nineteenth century and developed over subsequent decades, became a defining landmark. Its presence helped establish Lourdes as a local civic and devotional focus as the surrounding settlement became more urban.

Annexation and Urban Expansion

In 1954, Chapinero was incorporated into the enlarged Bogotá district, a change that reflected the capital’s rapid outward growth. In the decades that followed, residential streets, offices, educational institutions and commercial premises filled the former spaces between the old settlement and the northern city. Public transport corridors along Caracas and other major avenues intensified movement through the area, while Carrera 13 and Carrera Séptima became important commercial routes. The neighbourhood’s mixed character—part residential, part institutional and part retail district—dates strongly from this period of metropolitan expansion.

A Centre of Cultural and Social Change

From the late twentieth century onwards, Chapinero became increasingly associated with universities, independent cultural activity, restaurants, bars and alternative forms of urban life. Its central position attracted businesses and creative ventures, while Chapinero Alto developed a more residential and hillside character. The area also gained national visibility as a centre of LGBTQ+ social and cultural life in Bogotá, with venues and organisations contributing to a more openly diverse public identity. More recent redevelopment and rising property interest have changed parts of the neighbourhood, but older houses, local commerce and established public spaces remain alongside newer businesses.

Chapinero in Photos

Browse through our photo collection highlighting the charm and character of the destination.

0 / 0

Neighbourhoods near Chapinero

The closest neighbourhoods to Chapinero, if you have time for more than one stop.

Explore more

Bogotá
More of the region

Explore more of Bogotá

Bogotá blends colonial La Candelaria, world-class museums, Andean views, creative cuisine and lively culture in Colombia’s high-altitude capital.

Explore Bogotá
The Evendo app on two phones

Your all-in-one travel companion app

Explore expert travel guides, compare and book tours, experiences, hotels, and more, all from the palm of your hand. Download now for seamless trip planning wherever your wanderlust takes you.

  • Travel guides to regions, countries, cities, landmarks and attractions worldwide
  • Photos, local tips, maps, opening hours and contact details for every place
  • Easy booking for hotels, tours, tickets and experiences
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
More about the Evendo app

Evendo is a 100% free travel guide app: plan a trip, find what is worth seeing and book it, all in one place.

  • Restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops picked for every destination
  • A "Near me" view of the attractions and amenities around you
  • History and travel essentials for each country and city

From world regions down to a single landmark, every guide brings together the places to see, where to eat and drink, and where to stay, with descriptions, photos and maps to help you plan.

No in-app purchases and no hidden costs. Download Evendo and take your guides with you wherever you travel.

Get the latest from Evendo

Hand-picked travel deals, new destination guides and trip ideas, straight to your inbox.