The Monserrate Sanctuary is a 550 year old holy site sitting on top of Monserrate Mountain which overlooks Bogota City.
The monastery is dedicated to the Virgin of Monserrate and a one and half mile path was created from the church of Las Nieves in the city center up to the shrine of our Lady of Monserrate at the top of the hill, created in 1620, with small chapels on the way for pilgrims.
At the top of the hill is also the shrine of the fallen Lord of Monserrate made in 1640. This statue is credited with a number of miracles so may pilgrims come to pray here and finally the Sanctuary of Monserrate was completed here in 1920.
The cable car, funicular or pathway entrance to Monserrate is located in downtown Bogotá, close to the city center on Carrera 2da. Este No. 21 – 48, Paseo de Bolívar
Getting up the Mountain
To get to the Monserrate you have three options.
- Walk up the pedestrian path. If you want to see the nature along the trail, experience the way the pilgrims do it, want some exercise or don’t want to pay, you can take the pedestrian path up the hill. Its open every day, except Tuesdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 pm to go up and from 5:00 am to 4:00 pm to go down. It takes about 1 hour to walk it.
- You can use the Monserrate funicular, which is open Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 11:45 am and on Saturdays until 4:30 pm. The funicular costs 12,000 COP one way and 21,000 COP roundtrip. On Sundays and holidays until 6:30 pm, it costs 6,500 COP one way and 12,000 COP roundtrip.
- The last option is the Monserrate cable car, which is open Monday to Saturday from 12:00 pm to 11:30 pm, at a cost of 12,000 COP one way and 21,000 COP roundtrip. On Sundays it opens from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm at a cost of 6,500 COP one way and 12,000 COP roundtrip.
You can also mix and match so choose one option for the way up and one for the way down.
Bogota Views
One of the main reasons to visit Monserrate is the great views looking out over Bogota.
Basilica Sanctuary of Monseratte
The Basilica houses a number of colonial era sculptures and the image of the Fallen Lord of Monserrate, an effigy of Christ which, according to the faithful, performs miracles.
Behind the sanctuary, there is a large plaza with all types of handicrafts and souvenirs. So if you looking for place to get your presents, this is it.
After the souvenir shops are a number of small restaurants some with balconies with nice views with a wide variety of food and drink. There are also two old traditional restaurants next to the Basilica that have terraces for great views.
If you take the Funicular or Cable car you need to walk a little back down the pedestrian path to see the stations of the cross sculptures (or if you decided to walk up the path you will see them on the way up).
Across from the Monserrate Sanctuary on the neighboring mountain of Guadalupe is the Church of Monserrate. You can see a view of it and its huge statue from here.
Conclusion
Monserrate is nice place to get great views of the city, see some religious history, buy your souvenirs, get some fresh air and have a nice meal. You can enjoy it in a few hours so its a nice half day activity. The entrance to funicular, cable car and pedestrian path is close the city center so you can easily go there afterwards. It is best to avoid going here on the weekend as its very crowded and the wait for the funicular or cable car can be quite long so try to schedule for a weekday to really enjoy. Please let me know your impressions and comments.
