Bogota is a shopper’s paradise, and there’s a lot more to the city than street markets and souvenir shops. It is also home to a surprisingly large number of top-quality and fashionable shopping malls. So here are the very best and most exclusive shopping centres to explore in Bogota, Colombia.
Often described as ‘the best shopping mall in Bogotá’ by those in the know, Andino Mall sits in the upscale nightlife neighbourhood of the Zona T. It’s definitely an exclusive, high-end sort of shopping mall; a few of the luxury brands that have set up shop there include Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, and Tiffany. There are some top-quality food options in the food court too!
A beautiful mall in the northern Bogota neighbourhood of Usaquen, Hacienda Santa Bárbara lies in a charming old colonial-style building, with lots of open areas to enjoy a cup of coffee or an ice cream on a sunny day. Sit in the central plaza next to the gurgling fountain with a fresh cup of Juan Valdez coffee, or shop at some of the lovely little jewellery or art shops. Hacienda Santa Bárbara is a relaxing mall in which to pass a few hours.
Another upscale shopping mall in the Zona T district, El Retiro is the home of plenty of lovely boutique fashion stores and high-end clothing brands, as well as a few shops trading in traditional Colombian artisanal products. This mall is also extremely popular with travellers as it is the location of one of the capital’s most beloved restaurants: Andrés Carne de Res (a multi-story steakhouse/disco).
The third of the holy triumvirate of shopping malls in the Zona T, Atlantis Plaza is yet another luxury shopping mall jam-packed with fancy brands and top gastronomy. With a very exclusive (and perhaps slightly snobbish) vibe, Atlantis has also cultivated a slightly Americanised feeling, with branches of fast-food chains such as Krispy Kreme, KFC, Hard Rock Cafe, and Chuck E. Cheese’s, among several others in the food court.
Unilago is themall to head to in order to pick up electrical products in Bogota. It’s a sprawling mall dedicated almost entirely to computers, phones, cameras, and every other technological item you can imagine; it’s far from fancy or exclusive, but it serves an important purpose as a one-stop shop for those sort of items. It’s also the place to go if you need anything fixed: if your camera or new iPhone gets damaged during your travels, then Unilago is where you need to head.
As the fifth largest shopping mall in South America – with an area of 250,000 square metres (2.7 million square feet) – Santafé is the mall for people who reallylove shopping malls (if they’re not your kind of thing, then you might just hate it!). With nearly 500 shops and a food court consisting of 26 restaurants and seating for around 1,500 people, a visit to this mall could easily occupy your entire day. There’s even a 10-screen cinema within the mall – it’s that big!
Although not strictly a ‘mall’, Usaquen Sunday Market is one of the ultimate shopping experiences in Bogota, so it makes this list! Once a week, the pretty cobbled streets of Usaquen are taken over by market traders selling everything from luxury jewellery products to artisan handbags. With excellent restaurants abounding in the neighbourhood, it’s basically like a big, beautiful outdoor shopping centre, and should be high on any shopaholic’s list in Bogota.
