Usaquén

What you gain

• ↑The Sunday market in the Plaza de Usaquén is the single best market experience in Bogotá: antiques, indigenous crafts, Colombian emerald jewellery, handwoven ruanas (traditional Colombian woollen ponchos), and excellent artisan food stalls. It draws a high-quality clientele and the calibre of goods is significantly above the tourist-trap market experience found in other Colombian cities.
• ↑The neighbourhood restaurant scene — particularly Andrés Carne de Res (the original, in Chía 30 minutes north, but the city branch on Calle 82 is more accessible), Santie restaurant, and the café strip around Carrera 6A — offers excellent quality in a colonial setting. Eating in the covered courtyard of a converted colonial hacienda in Usaquén is a distinctly Colombian experience.
• ↑Location relative to the Norte of Bogotá: Usaquén is the natural base for exploring the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral (45 minutes north by car), the Sopó and Tocancipá wine regions, and the weekend escape towns of Cajicá and Chía.

What you sacrifice

• ↓Usaquén is far north — getting to the Candelaria museums, the Parque de la 93 restaurant scene, or La Macarena from Usaquén requires 30–45 minutes by TransMilenio or taxi. The neighbourhood is not central.
• ↓Outside the Sunday market and the evening restaurant hours, Usaquén can feel very quiet — it is primarily a residential neighbourhood and the daytime weekday street life is limited.