April vs June

Strong option

Peak of first rainy season — the hills are brilliant green but plan around afternoon showers.

• ↑April is the wettest month of the first rainy season but Bogotá's rain has a distinctive character: it typically falls in the afternoon and early evening, leaving mornings clear and fresh. A morning at the Gold Museum (arriving at 9am before the school groups), followed by a walk through the Candelaria and a lunch at La Puerta Falsa (a tiny colonial-era café serving changua — milk and egg soup — since 1816) is entirely unaffected by the afternoon rain.
• ↑The city's world-class art scene — the MAMBO (Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá), the Galería Santa Fe, and the independent galleries of La Macarena — is excellent in rainy months when outdoor activities take second place. Bogotá has quietly developed one of South America's most significant contemporary art scenes.

Best match

Second dry season opens — clear skies, the Ciclovía at its best, and international visitors start arriving.

• ↑June marks the opening of Bogotá's second dry season (June–August) and the city is at its most photogenic and most comfortable. The Ciclovía on Sunday mornings in June sunshine — with the Andes visible to both east and west and the city's famous street art along the Séptima route — is the quintessential Bogotá experience. Rent a bicycle from one of the stands near the Parque de la 93 or Parque Nacional.
• ↑The Bogotá Philharmonic and the Teatro Colón (Colombia's national opera house, built in 1895 and magnificently restored) programme their best performances for the dry season months when audiences travel most easily. Tickets are extraordinarily affordable by international standards.