What to pack & wear in Bogotà, Colombia: 5 Tips

If you’ve been reading along, you’ll know I went to Bogotà in May. And this recent heat wave in NYC (will it ever end) is making me long for this city’s cool weather!

Whenever I mentioned that I was traveling to Colombia, people always said things like “you’ll get a tan!” or “jealous! I wish I was going to the beach!” Which is why I’m hoping that most travelers plan to look up the weather before packing for Bogotà. It’s actually rarely sunny, and most definitely NOT beach weather. The temperatures generally ranged from 50 to 70 degrees while I was there, which is actually what I prefer (as you know I love my leather jackets). Here are my top tips on packing for a trip to Bogotà, and my picks for what to wear:

Tip #1: Leave your sandals, shorts and dresses at home. Seriously it’s chilly, and once you see the streets you will be thankful you’re not wearing open toed shoes. Plus nothing screams tourist like a pair of flip flops and shorts!

Tip #2: Layer! I typically wore a leather jacket, a long sleeve top or sweater, and a scarf. Sometimes it was cold and I’d be wearing it all, other times the sun would peek out and I’d get hot. Be prepared!

Tip #3: Don’t dress in flashy designer brands. You shouldn’t be showing off name brand pieces when walking around any foreign city – you’ll stick out and draw the wrong kind of attention. It’s definitely not the time to bust out your Louis Vuitton monogram tote. It was also recommended to me to not wear much jewelry.

Tip #4: Wear boots. Many of the streets have cobblestones and if you’re walking around a lot, boots are definitely the best option. If you want to wear heels, stick with a chunky low option. I switched between ankle boots with a low heel and flat boots throughout my trip and always felt comfortable.

Tip #5: Dress like you would in NYC in the fall (my favorite season!). Bogotà is pretty cosmopolitan so sweats are out. When it doubt, wear black – I found myself in black skinny jeans and a black biker jacket almost every day.

left jacket // leopard pullover // right jacket // olive green pullover // black skinny jeans // top scarf // bottom scarf // top bootie // bottom bootie // grey tank // cross body bag

Also, here are some Bogotà street style shots I found that illustrate how people dress:

(Source: street-fashion.net)

(source: trendxchange.com)

(source: trendxchange.com)