Museo del Oro – Bogota’s Fabulous Gold Museum
The first thing we did on arriving in Bogota was to visit the Museo del Oro – the world’s largest gold museum and one of the highlights of Colombia with over half a million people visiting yearly.
Interestingly only about 15% of its collection containing roughly 50,000 pieces is on display. And what a display it is. Even if you’re not normally a museum person this one is worth visiting. It’s likely to be one of the highlights of your stay in Bogota.
At the Museo del Oro there isn’t just gold to be seen. The pieces in stone, pottery and metal are equally captivating. It’s not only the pieces that are so remarkable; it’s the way they are presented. They provide a glimpse into the lives of the people from pre-Hispanic times.
The fantastic workmanship and the volume of gold pieces is astounding. The only other place I’ve been that rivals this for gold is the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul.
The displays are first class and the lighting is sophisticated. Grab an audio guide so you get some understanding of the objects you’re seeing.
And don’t miss the pitch black room on one of the upper floors. You start in the dark and over the course of many minutes the walls light up revealing gold pieces – and the cylinder in the center of the floor fills with gold objects.
Useful information about Museo del Oro
Opening times: The museum is open from Tuesday until Saturday from 9 AM until 6 PM. It is closed on Mondays. On Sundays and public holidays it’s open from 10 AM until 4 PM.
Cost: The entry fee is 3,000 Colombia pesos (about $1.50) but on Sundays it’s free.
Guides: Audio guides can be rented in English, French or Spanish.
Services: There is a restaurant and café on site.
More information: Interested in learning more about Colombia? Visit the Colombia Tourism website.
The curators want to leave you with an unforgettable feeling about Bogota’s gold museum!
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Further reading on South America
- The Bus Ride from Hell: Bogota to Guican in 14 Hours
- The Fabulous 6 Day Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Trek
- Things to do in Punta Arenas, Chile if You Have a Day
- Visiting Machu Picchu: 5 Things You Must Do
- The Fitz Roy Trek – One of the Best Hikes in Patagonia
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Beautiful clear shots from the museum. I haven’t been to the museum (or to Colombia, at all yet), but you’ve reminded me that I should go there. When I was in my twenties, the Art gallery of New South Wales, in Sydney, held a major exhibition from the Museo de Oro. I wish I still had the catalogue, but don’t know what happened to it.
@Andrew A stop at the Gold Museum was the perfect introduction to Colombia. We both found it to be fascinating and the caliber of the displays is absolutely first class.
Wow, that’s a lot of gold. I feel sorry for that sacrificial victim. Doesn’t sound like a pleasant way to go, but I suppose most sacrifices aren’t.
What an interesting collection of gold objects. I’m fascinated by all their shapes and forms. Beautiful shots and lighting, too; they look like they were from the museum catalog book.
@Marisol Thanks for your lovely comment. You could easily spend a day in the Gold Museum.
All that gold is mesmerizing! I do remember all the gold in the King Tut exhibit at the Egyptian museum; one of my favorite museums in the world.
“The Thinker” is really cute 🙂
I’ve visited the Museo del Oro in Cartagena, which is much smaller, I think, but otherwise similar. Very interesting – and perhaps unique to Colombia(?), these gold museums.
@Sophie I hadn’t realized Cartagena had a gold museum too. A friend emailed me after this came out and let me know of great gold that she saw while visiting some of the museums in the Ukraine last summer.
I love pre-Colombian art. There’s some thing very elemental about it- in gold, it’s really elemental! Bet they guard that museum well.
@Billie There was one section of the museum – and my photo didn’t turn out – but it was a vault you entered – with big thick doors. I bet they id have a lot of security in place but it wasn’t visible under than the usual security guard in every room that you get in any museum.
I’m surprised they show only 15% of their collection. I wonder if some of it travels. I saw an exhibition of gold either in DC or Ottawa years ago but it was so long ago, I can’t remember if it came from Columbia.
@Marcia I think there collection is so extensive that to do it justice they only show a portion of it.
What an interesting museum! I like glittery things so am sure I’d enjoy a trip to the Gold Museum.
Looks like a great place to go in Columbia!
@Amy The Gold Museum definitely was one of our highlights of our stay.
This museum trip will be one of those that I never forget. As much as ALL that gold is fabulous, the story it told was more amazing. The head sets were worth their weight in gold as they add a richness to the visit that you’d never get otherwise. It was a great introduction to Colombia and entices you to areas that were not on the radar. Go stand in that round room of gold and you’ll live in the world of rainbows and butterflies forever!
John aka Hubby of Leigh
Well put my dear.
WOW..It must have been blinding in there. I would love to visit this museum and you did a great job capturing some of the objects up close. They’re all very interesting pieces but I’m drawn to that one that looks like the Thinker.
@Mary There was a lot of reflection happening off the glass in many of my shots. I was actually surprised that we were allowed to take photos of almost everything. There were a few exhibits off limits but only a few.
What an amazing museum. I can just imagine what it’s like if it is similar to the Topkapi Palace. The intricacy of their work is fascinating for pieces that are so old….and our teenagers thought they invented nose rings!!
@Jenny The Topkapi Palace blew me away years ago – more with the sheer volume of the gold I saw – candlesticks weighing 66 kgs – that sort of thing. This wasn’t weight per se – but the sheer number of pieces with intricate workmanship on display. They were very sophisticated designers all those centuries ago.
I have never even heard of another gold museum. I love the strange figurines. The thinker is wonderful. I am bookmarking this.
Thanks Jan. I loved the Thinker too – it would make a lovely object in my garden.
Fascinating. I remember visiting a shipwreck museum in Virginia Beach. It was just a small museum stuck smack in the middle between high rise hotels but it fascinated my kids. We learned so much on a short visit.
@Tonya It’s fun when you discover those museums that really speak to you.
Wow! What beautiful carvings and statues and such!
Wow! What a place. . .I think I’d love spending a few hours there. You’ve about convinced me that we need to expand our future travels list to include Bogota. . .someday . . .
@Jackie Bogota is another big city – but there were three very worthwhile things we did – that didn’t include shopping or dining in the higher end district – the Bogota bike tour, the tour of this gold museum and a tour of the underground salt cathedral.
Stunning. Did you buy any souvenirs to take home?
Not a thing Mette – mainly because it was the start of our trip and we didn’t want to carry anything extra.