Museo Nacional de Colombia

The Museo Nacional de Colombia was created by an act of Congress on 28 July 1823, which makes it the oldest museum in the country as well as the largest. Since 1948 it has occupied an unusual building: the Panóptico, a prison designed in 1850 by the Danish architect Thomas Reed and built in 1872. It held prisoners until 1946, and after restoration the museum opened to the public on 2 May 1948, a few weeks later than planned because of the riots that followed the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán.

The collection runs to more than 20,000 objects across archaeology, art, ethnography and history. The archaeology holdings include Muisca, Quimbaya and San Agustín pieces; the art collection runs from colonial painting to modern names such as Fernando Botero, Alejandro Obregón and Enrique Grau; and the history rooms include letters by Simón Bolívar and documents linked to the botanist José Celestino Mutis. The former prison building is part of the experience.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00. The museum is closed on Mondays, including public holiday Mondays, closes all day on 25 December and 1 January, and from 13:00 on 24 and 31 December. Entry is free on Wednesday afternoons from 14:00 to 17:00 and on the last Sunday of each month, and free at all times for children up to five and visitors aged 60 and over. Tickets are sold for cash in Colombian pesos only, and cards and US dollars are not accepted, so bring notes.

Allow two to three hours. Audioguides are available, and the museum runs an accessibility programme. The museum suits history buffs and families with older children, and it gives useful context before travelling elsewhere in Colombia. Free afternoons are the busiest times, so a weekday morning is the calmer choice.

The museum is on Carrera 7 at the edge of the Centro Internacional, north of La Candelaria. TransMilenio stops at Museo Nacional and Calle 26 stations are close by, and the Complejo Tequendama opposite has visitor parking. Combine it with Monserrate or La Candelaria, both to the south-east.