Bogota

Bogotá rewards a visitor who picks a handful of things deliberately rather than trying to see everything -- here's where to start.

For a first-time view of the city: ride the cable car or funicular up Monserrate, the mountain that overlooks the entire savanna, or climb Guadalupe Hill alongside it for a quieter, less-crowded version of the same view.

For history and culture in one afternoon: anchor your visit around Bolívar Square, then walk to the Gold Museum for the single best collection of pre-Columbian goldwork in South America, and the Museo Botero for Fernando Botero's own donated collection, free to enter and a short walk from the square.

For a different pace: spend a morning at the Bogotá Botanical Garden, home to thousands of native Andean and Amazonian plant species, or wander 93 Park in the afternoon, a green square ringed by cafés and restaurants that's popular with locals rather than built for tourists.

For families: the Maloka Museum and the Planetarium of Bogotá are both hands-on and interactive rather than look-but-don't-touch, and travel well for kids on a trip that's otherwise heavy on churches and museums.

Whatever else you fit in, save at least half a day for wandering rather than sightseeing on a schedule -- La Candelaria's colonial streets and Chapinero's cafés reward walking around without a fixed destination more than they reward a checklist.