Bogota, Colombia: Presidential Palace

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Casa de Nariño

Bogotá


On the south side of Plaza de Bolívar, beyond the Capitolio Nacional and reached via Carreras 8 or 7, this is Colombia's neoclassical presidential building, where the country's leader lives and works. To visit, you'll need to email or go to the website and scroll down to 'Visitas Casa de Nariño' under 'Servicios a la Ciudadanía'. No permission is needed to watch the changing of the presidential guard – best seen from the east side – held at 3:30pm Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The building is named for Antonio Nariño, a colonial figure with ideas of independence and who secretly translated France's human-rights laws into Spanish – and went to jail for it, a couple of times. In 1948 the building was damaged during El Bogotazo riots and only restored in 1979. Register in advance for 45-minutes tours at 9am, 10:30am, 2:30pm and 4pm during the week; 2:30pm and 4pm on Saturday; and 3pm and 4pm on Sunday. Note: guards around the president's palace stand at barriers on Carreras 7 and 8. It's OK to pass them, just show the contents of your bag and stay clear of the fence-side sidewalks.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bogotá attractions

1. Observatorio Astronómico

0.06 MILES

Conceptualized by celebrated Colombian botanist José Celestino Mutis, the 1803 tower is reputedly the first astronomical observatory built on the…

2. Museo Santa Clara

0.1 MILES

One of Bogotá's most richly decorated churches, the Santa Clara is also its oldest (along with Iglesia de San Francisco). Deconsecrated in 1968, it was…

3. Capitolio Nacional

0.16 MILES

On the southern side of the plaza stands this neoclassical seat of congress. It was begun in 1847 but, due to numerous political uprisings, not completed…

4. Museo Histórico Policial

0.16 MILES

This surprisingly worthwhile museum not only gets you inside the lovely ex-HQ (built in 1923) of Bogotá's police force, but gives you 45 minutes or so of…

5. Iglesia de San Ignacio

0.17 MILES

The Jesuits began this iconic church in 1610 and, although opened for worship in 1635, it was not completed until their expulsion in 1767. It was the…

6. Museo Colonial

0.18 MILES

This museum occupies a one-time Jesuit college and traces the evolution of how religious and portrait art pieces are made, particularly by Colombia's…

7. Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen

0.19 MILES

With Spanish colonial architecture dominating the historical centre, this peculiar Gothic-style church, adorned with Byzantine and Arabic art, is a rare…

8. Capilla del Sagrario

0.21 MILES

This small baroque cathedral has more to see than its bigger brother next door, the Catedral Primada, including six large paintings by Gregorio Vásquez.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "colombia/bogota/attractions/casa-de-narino/a/poi-sig/419169/363308",
      "destination": "Bogotá",
      "continent": "South-America",
      "country": "Colombia",
      "city": "Bogotá",
      "position": "superzone"
    }