Bogotá · Month comparison
October vs June
June ranks #1 overall vs October at #10. Second dry season opens — clear skies, the Ciclovía at its best, and international visitors start arriving.
October
#10 of 12 months
Worth considering
Wettest month but the Hay Festival brings Bogotá's most intellectual week of the year.
- ↑The Hay Festival de Bogotá (typically third week of October) is among the most important literary events in the Spanish-speaking world. Authors, thinkers, and public intellectuals from across Latin America, Spain, and internationally fill the Candelaria and Parque de los Periodistas venues for five days of talks, readings, and debates. Many events are free or very cheap. The festival brings a distinctly energised, international intellectual atmosphere to the city — unusually cosmopolitan for October.
- ↑The city is very cheap in October — the combination of the rainy season and the specific reputation of October weather means hotel rates and international flights are at their lowest alongside September. For visitors happy to work around the afternoon rain, October offers extraordinary value.
June
#1 of 12 months
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.
| Factor | October | June |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 3 | 8 |
| Value score | 8 | 7 |
| Crowd score | 8 | 7 |
| Events score | 9 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 8 |
| Avg high temp | 18°C | 19°C |
| Monthly rain | 128mm | 50mm |
| Daily sunshine | 4.2hrs | 6.1hrs |
October trade-offs
- ↓October's 128mm is Bogotá's wettest month of the year. The afternoon and evening downpours are the heaviest of the rainy season and can cause localised flooding in lower-lying areas of the city. The Monserrate cable car and funicular may suspend operations during very heavy rain. Afternoon outdoor activities are genuinely unreliable.
- ↓The Hay Festival week sees accommodation prices spike in the Candelaria and La Macarena areas, and the surrounding streets are busier with festival visitors. Book accommodation early if visiting during Hay Festival.
June trade-offs
- ↓International visitor numbers increase in the dry season and the most celebrated restaurants (Leo, Criterion) require more advance notice. Prices rise slightly from the wet-season floor but remain very reasonable by international standards.
- ↓The Bogotá Half Marathon (July) generates some traffic disruption and accommodation pressure in the surrounding weeks.
Scores compare months within Bogotá. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →