La Candelaria is the old city, a tight grid of cobblestoned streets on the lower slopes of the Andes east of the city centre. Most of Bogota's museums, universities, and colonial churches crowd into this small district, which has changed relatively little in layout since the Spanish laid it out in the 16th century. The streets are lined with brightly painted houses, street art, and the kind of organized chaos that comes from being the historic heart of an eight-million-person city.
Walk here during the day — the neighbourhood is lively and safe in daylight. The concentration of sights is extraordinary: the Museo del Oro, the Museo Botero, the Plaza Bolivar, the Teatro Colón, and half a dozen colonial churches are all within a few blocks of each other. In the evenings, university students fill the cafes and bars along the Calle del Embudo and the surrounding streets.