🇨🇴 Bogotá vs 🇧🇪 Brussels

Subtropical highland — mild and cloudy year-round, two rainy seasons

Bogotá sits at 8,660 feet (2,640m) above sea level — the world's third highest capital city. Its altitude creates mild, spring-like temperatures year-round (55–65°F). The major challenge is altitude sickness on arrival and two rainy seasons.

Brussels sits in a broad valley carved by the Senne river, with the city climbing from the low-lying lower town (~15m elevation) to the upper town and surrounding plateaus (~100m). This topographic split creates distinct microclimates: the lower town is prone to fog, temperature inversions, and trapped humidity, while the higher southeastern districts enjoy better ventilation and slightly cooler summers. The city's extensive parks and forested edges — particularly the Sonian Forest to the southeast — provide significant cooling corridors, but the dense 19th-century urban core generates a pronounced heat island effect.