Guide On MapChapinero and Quinta Camacho: How Bogotá's North Took Shape
From Lourdes Square through Carrera 13 and Zona G to Giordano Bruno Park
Guide On Map on your phone
Open the walk like a regular app
It takes about 10 seconds to install. No app store needed.
The whole path
Route map
About the walk
You will begin at Lourdes Square, where the scale of old Chapinero first comes into view. Then Carrera 13 will lead you to an office high-rise assembled against the usual logic of construction. From there, you will head north again: through a park with three names, toward the restaurant streets of Zona G, a house of books, and the quiet blocks of Quinta Camacho. There are no grand state ensembles here. Instead, you will read the city through private decisions: a builder's trauma, a tower name bought outright, plants brought from home, and a strange coincidence in a postal number. The story rests on these small turns, without passing off urban legend as document. It ends in a small park, with a bronze figure holding a model of the sky. By the end of the walk, you will recognize Chapinero by the way its houses, squares, and parks acquired new roles and other people's names.
Why this order
Lourdes Square is the starting point for old Chapinero: the parish and square appeared before the neighborhood's present-day development. The descent along Carrera 13 to the UGI Building moves from a long stone construction project to a twentieth-century engineering experiment on the same urban artery. Returning to Seventh Avenue and Hippies Park reveals another way of making a place—not through commission and calculation, but through an open stage created by residents themselves. From the park, the road north leads to Zona G, where residential houses took on a restaurant function. Criterion's former address prepares the way for Wilborada 1047: nearby, another private house changes its use, this time for books. From the bookstore, there is no need to leave the same development; the surrounding Tudor Homes of England facades show where these houses adapted for new pursuits came from. Giordano Bruno Park completes the route within Quinta Camacho: a neighborhood of private plots gains a small public space with its own name and center.
Those interested in urban history and architecture Those who prefer human stories to a survey lecture Those who notice facades, plaques, and the workings of streets
Those looking for a walk only among historic monuments Those who do not enjoy long city walks Those who value panoramas more than the history of ordinary houses
Before you go
Wear comfortable shoes and be ready for changeable weather: part of the route is outdoors, so a light waterproof jacket or compact umbrella will come in handy. The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes remains an active place of worship—during services, view the interior quietly and do not disturb parishioners. Wilborada 1047, restaurants, and other private spaces may keep their own hours; if you want to go inside or have a full meal, check the arrangements separately before you set out. No tickets are needed for the route itself, but visits to establishments are not automatically included in the walk.
When to go
Start in daylight so you can properly see the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, the UGI Building, and the facades of Quinta Camacho.
At Zona G, decide in advance whether you want a short break or a separate restaurant visit: a full lunch will noticeably lengthen the walk.
Do not make Wilborada 1047 your only reason for coming out—even with its doors closed, the route still makes sense through the architecture of the house and the surrounding neighborhood.
Backup plan
If heavy rain begins, shorten outdoor pauses at Lourdes Square and Hippies Park, and listen to the story of Carrera 13 from a sheltered place without lingering by the roadway. For a break, choose any available cafe or other open establishment along the way rather than counting in advance on a particular interior. If the church, Wilborada 1047, or a restaurant is closed, look only at the exterior details and continue: none of these stops requires going inside. If time is short, keep the Wilborada 1047—Quinta Camacho—Bruno monument sequence: it makes the old houses, their new roles, and the intimate character of the ending especially clear.
Walk plan
Open in maps ↗- 1
Lourdes Square and the Basilica
This stop will show how an unfinished church became the center of the neighborhood and renamed the surrounding space. - 2
Carrera 13 and the UGI Building
This stop explains why engineers needed to make the weight of office floors travel upward first. - 3
Hippies Park
Here, the popular name will prove more enduring than two official dedications. - 4
Zona G: a Food District
This address will show how a risky restaurant helped shape an entire food district. - 5
Wilborada 1047
Here, the house number links a later career change, rescued books, and a new bookshop. - 6
Quinta Camacho Neighborhood
This stop explains the homes’ overall appearance through the rules the heirs set down for plot buyers. - 7
Giordano Bruno Monument
The final stop will separate the inscription on the pedestal from the more complex history of the man and the park itself.
Route features
Everything you need stays in the browser
Progress, saves and your trip plan are stored on this device.
Add Guide On Map to your home screen so the walk opens outside the browser.
How we handle sources, maps and corrections: our editorial standards