Location
Devcon VI will be held in beautiful Bogotá, Colombia.
Bogotá is the capital of and largest city in Colombia. It is a place of convergence for people from all around the country and is therefore diverse and multicultural.
Devcon will take place at the Agora Bogotá convention center.
- TimezoneGMT -509:27 AM
- CurrencyColombian Peso (COP)Exchange rate
- LanguageSpanishLanguage guide
- Avg. Temp8 TO 20 °C / 46.4 to 68.0 °FPacking tips
- WaterTap water is safe to drink in BogotaFAQs
Bogotá Colombia
2,600 meters closer to the stars
The capital of Colombia is located in one of the six regions of the country, the Andean Region, which is located throughout the center of the Colombian territory. In the Cundiboyacense plateau and on the savanna that bears its name at an altitude or elevation of 2,600 meters above sea level.
The city is also very green thanks to its parks and the hills that extend along its eastern boundary, dwarfed by their two highest points, Monserrate and Guadalupe. The landscape that the people of Bogotá enjoy daily—the sea of green that makes up the Andes mountain range, rising up in the east—would be nearly impossible to find in any other large city.
One surprising fact is Bogotá’s bike-ability. More than 220 miles of cycle paths make it easy to move around by bike, and every Sunday, cars are banned from huge streets making space for citizens to cycle, jog, and rollerblade on the famous Civlovia.
Bogotá local tours & activities
Bogotá as a city has lots to offer and explore! Coffee tours, play tejo, learn salsa, walking tours, Monseratte, and more! In an effort to make tours and cultural activities more accessible, Devcon is allowing Beyond Colombia to offer easy booking and access to tours and activities. Here you can pre-book activities around Bogotá. View the activity Guide and pricing here
*This experience initiative is entirely separate from Devcon and provided by Beyond Colombia. Please participate at your own risk and liability. Devcon is not responsible for any damages or inconveniences.
Why Devcon in Bogota?
Our search for a fitting location for Devcon VI began prior to Devcon V in 2019. After exploring venues in over ten cities across the world, and meticulously evaluating each against an extensive set of criteria, the clear winner was Bogotá, Colombia.
In Bogotá we found the seeds for an ambitious community that our ecosystem could help grow. From builders, to educational entities, local business and industry leaders and more, we’re excited to meet and to work with those making real-world use of Ethereum’s technology locally, and to further those efforts.
In addition to the potential to grow a community, the venue is located just minutes from hotels, and from both Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport, and close to some of the nicest areas in Bogotá such as Chapinero Alto, La Candelaria, Parkway & Zona G among others. The fully modern conference center is built to handle everything Devcon requires, from catering, to wifi, meeting-space and more.
Thanks to its location in the northern part of South America, Bogotá is also one of the most accessible cities in South America. With its major international airport offering direct flights from many regions around the world, Bogotá is a gateway to the rest of beautiful Latin America.
This process has been long and somewhat delicate given the complicated past few years that we’ve all had, but we are excited to finally host Devcon VI in Bogotá.
Is Bogotá Safe?
Colombia is safer today than at any point in the last 50 years, and we expect Devcon in Bogotá to be an impactful experience for all. That said, while Bogotá is a very modern city, it is located in a developing country, and we recommend exercising some basic precautions. Do that, and your biggest problem will likely be wanting to stay longer.
Historic and popular areas, all of which are generally in the center and north of the center, are the safest regions. We’ll also help to guide attendees toward the right spots at the right time of day, for example: trendy areas that are ripe with nightlife are better after dark, while the historic center is best to frequent during daylight hours.
The local expression in Bogotá is: “No des papaya,” or “Don’t give a papaya.” It essentially means, don’t make yourself an obvious target: use common sense while in Bogotá. That means:
- Look where you’re going
- Don’t wear flashy items like expensive watches or gold-plated hardware wallets
- Don’t walk around with your phone out or with your laptop when not necessary
- Leave valuables (passport, excess cash/cards) in your hotel
- Avoid hailing street taxis. Use Uber or DiDi, where a 20-min ride costs around $3 USD. Tip: maybe pay the extra dollar for a nicer “Uber Comfort” (recommended when coming from the Airport)
- Try not to walk home alone at night (Reminder: Ubers are easy & cheap)
You can choose your adventure, and with a little bit of common sense and extra precaution, you can expect to have a fun and safe experience in Bogotá.
What areas should we stay in Bogotá?
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Chapinero (30-minute Uber to the venue)
Highly recommended, particularly the area above “Carrera 15” and between “Calles 53 and 100”.
Upmarket Chapinero features a mix of mountainside residential sections and commercial zones with glitzy malls and different hotel options. Fine-dining areas like Parque de la 93, Zona T and Zona G buzz in the evening, as do the glamorous clubs and bars of Zona Rosa. It covers some nice neighborhoods such as Quinta Camacho, Chapinero Alto, El Nogal, Chico and Rosales among others. View on Google Maps
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La Soledad (15-minute Uber to the venue)
Known for its 1940s British-style houses and bohemian vibe, La Soledad is a relaxed residential district that also offers a wide range of restaurants, small bars, and cafes. Playhouses include La Casa del Teatro Nacional, which co-hosts the biennial Bogotá Ibero-American Theater Festival, and the strikingly modern Casa E. This area is also known as Parkway, for the long, thin tree-lined garden with shady meeting points, green areas, and benches. View on Google Maps
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Near the venue (walking distance)
Near the venue you can find neighborhoods like Quinta Paredes, El Recuerdo y Ciudad Salitre. There’s a wide variety of hotel options (different prices, categories, and quality), and it could be very convenient due to its proximity to the venue, however it is mainly residential, with few shops, restaurants or night life. View on Google Maps
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La Candelaria (25-minute Uber to venue)
La Candelaria is Bogotá’s historic heart and a backpacker hotspot, with landmarks like the colonial-era cathedral and neoclassical Capitol flanking Bolivar Plaza. Narrow streets lined with shops selling emeralds and handicrafts lead to cultural hotspots like the Gold Museum, with pre-Columbian artifacts, and Museo Botero, showing international art in a colonial mansion. Offers a wide variety of hostels and Airbnbs. View on Google Maps
FAQ
- Do I have to be vaccinated?
Yellow Fever:
- Required if arriving from Angola, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Uganda and ≥1 year of age and for travelers who have transited >12 hours in an airport located in any of these same countries.
- Not recommended if you stay in Bogotá city. Also not recommended for travelers to the cities of Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, and Medellin, the department of San Andrès y Providencia, or areas >2,300 m (7,546 ft) in elevation.
Check the full information here.
Covid-19:
- Vaccination or a negative test result is needed for entry.
Please inform yourself here as requirements might change. Also, be aware that your airline company might have additional requirements.
- How to tip in Colombia?
Tipping culture differs depending on the service! At restaurants, a voluntary 10% is custom, and could be included in advance for larger parties. It’s also fine (but not expected) to round up with street vendors.
And if someone helps you with your bags, tipping hotel staff is kind in all countries. But for many attending from North America or the Eurozone, the 2000 COP that you may chip in adds up to under $/€1.00.
- Where is Devcon taking place?
We’re excited to announce that Devcon VI will be held in Bogotá, Colombia's capital and largest city.
Our venue is the Agora Bogotá Convention Center; a newly constructed and state of the art venue that we hope will be, by far, the most suitable venue to ever host Devcon.
If you cannot attend Devcon VI in person in Bogotá, you can participate via Devcon Satellite Events! Devcon Satellite Events are an experiment to decentralize Devcon VI, to give the opportunity to foster a community amongst those who can’t make it to Bogotá due to distance, timing, costs, limited space, or other constraints, and to boost local Ethereum communities.
You can learn more about Devcon Satellite events here.
- Why Bogotá?
Our search for a fitting location for Devcon VI began prior to Devcon V in 2019. After exploring venues in over ten cities across the world, and meticulously evaluating each against an extensive set of criteria, the clear winner was Bogotá, Colombia.
See our City Guide for an in-depth explanation on why Bogotá.
- Is Bogotá safe?
Bogotá is safer today than at any point in the last 50 years in terms of crime rates. That said, when visiting as a tourist, whether it be Paris, New York City, or any other metropolis, we recommend exercising some extra precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. For more details, see our City Guide.
- What will the weather be like in Bogotá?
At an altitude of 2,600m, the weather in Bogotá is comfortable year-round with average daily highs of around 20ºC (68°F), and nighttime lows around 8ºC (mid-40s°F).
- Do locals speak English?
The majority of locals in Bogotá speak Spanish, although you are more likely to run into English speakers in tourist-friendly areas like Candelaria, Sante Fe and Chapinero.
- What is the food like in Bogotá?
Below are a few of the popular dishes, but one can expect most of the food found in Bogotá to be typical Latin American dishes, surrounded by lots of fresh produce.
- Arepas, circular corn cakes, are a Colombian diet staple found throughout the city.
- Many main course dishes consist of octopus, shrimp, or other seafood.
- Ajiaco is a common hearty soup made with chicken, potatoes, and corn on the cob
- Empanadas are common breakfast items/snacks.
- Tamales! Need we say more?
- Hot chocolate, which is an absolute necessity in the lives of the locals, is served alongside a plate of cheese that can then be dipped into the beverage – causing it to melt.
- Despite the large amount of coffee Colombia exports, specialty coffee shops are relatively new in Bogotá, but lucky for us they’re on the rise!
- Is the tap water in Bogotá potable?
The tap water is safe to drink. Colombia’s major cities have some of the best tap water around. Bogotá and Medellin are known for their excellent water quality.