Medellín is a well-connected city, located on a road axis running from Pasto and the border with Ecuador to Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. You can get there by bus and plane, or by car if you’ve decided to rent one.
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
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Getting to Medellín by bus
How to get to Medellín
Medellín, like all major Colombian cities, is well served by all the country’s major bus routes. You can go in any direction with direct long-distance buses. The local network is also perfect for getting around the surrounding villages.
Getting to Medellin by bus from Bogotá
- Time: 10h
- Fare: between $65.000 and $85.000 COP
- Companies: Rapid Ochoa, Expreso Brasilia, Flota Magdalena, Bolivariano, Empresa Arauca
Bus to Medellin from Pereira
- Duration: 6 hours
- Price: between $40.000 and $70.000 COP
- Companies: Expreso Palmira, Expreso Bolivariano, Empresa Arauca, Flota Occidental
Bus from Cali to Medellin
- Duration: 8 hours
- Fare: approx. $65.000 COP
- Companies: Empresa Arauca, Flota Magdalena
Bus to Medellin from Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 10h
- Fare: approx. $70.000 COP
- Companies: Omega, Copetran, Berlinas, Concorde
Bus to Medellin from Cartagena
- Duration: 14 hours
- Fare: between $130.000 and $170.000 COP
- Companies: Expreso Brasilia, Rapido Ochoa, Unitransco
Bus to Medellin from Necocli
- Journey time: 8 hours
- Fare: between $60.000 and $70.000 COP
- Companies: Cootrans Uroccidente (Ticket no. 34) or Sotrauraba (Ticket no. 13 – 19)
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Medellín bus terminal
Getting to Medellín
There are two different bus terminals in Medellín, depending on where you’re going: Terminal del Sur, which serves destinations south of Medellín, and Terminal del Norte, which serves destinations north of Medellín.
Where to find the Bus Terminal in Medellín
- Website: terminalesmedellin.com
- Address: Terminal Norte: Carrera 64C #78 – 580, Local 265N
- Terminal Sur: Carrera 65 No. 8B – 91
- Telephone: Terminal del Norte: 57 (4) 444 8020, Ext. 150
- Terminal del Sur: 57 (4) 444 8020, Ext. 151
- Mail: informacion@terminalesmedellin.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/TerminalesMedellin
How to get to the Medellín Bus Terminal
Cab from Terminal del Sur to downtown
- Time: 10 minutes
Subway from Terminal del Sur to downtown
- Nearest metro stop: Poblado – Line A / 10 min walk.
Cab from Terminal del Norte to downtown
- Journey time: 30 minutes
Metro from Terminal del Norte to downtown
- Nearest metro stop: Caribe – Line A / 15 min walk.
- Journey time: 40 minutes
Getting to Medellin by plane
How to get to Medellin
Fly to Medellin from Bogota
- Duration: 1 hour
- Fare: between $100.000 and $200.000 COP
- Airlines : Avianca, Latam, Viva Air, Satena
Fly to Medellin from Santa Marta
- Duration: 1h15
Fare: approximately $170.000 COP - Airlines : Avianca, Viva air
Fly to Medellin from Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 1h30
- Fare: between $130.000 and $290.000 COP
- Airlines : Latam, Avianca, Viva Air
Fly to Medellin from Cartagena
- Duration: 1 hour
- Fare: between $80.000 and $140.000 COP
- Airlines : Avianca, Latam, Viva Air
Fly to Medellin from Cali
- Duration: 1 hour
- Fare: between $180.000 and $300.000 COP
- Airlines : Avianca
Fly to Medellin from Nuqui
- Duration: 45 minutes
- Fare: around $300.000 COP
- Companies: San German Express
Best tips
Online payments on Colombian websites
Refusal to pay often happens when you want to pay online. For example, this has happened to us several times on the San German Express site, the Satena site and the Avianca site. We solved the problem by using our VPN and locating it in Colombia. This enabled us to bypass local restrictions and the payment was accepted.
Medellín airport info
How to get to Medellin
Medellín has two different airports:
- The international airport used by the major airlines, which serves the country’s major cities and international destinations (there are flights from Madrid, for example)
- The regional airport, used by smaller regional airlines and Satena, which serves some of the country’s major cities, but especially small, remote and inaccessible towns (e.g. Nuqui or Acandi)
Where to find Medellín international airport
The international airport is located in Rio Negro, just outside Medellín
Name: Aéroport José María Córdova
Code : MDE
Website : aeropuertorionegro.co
Address: Rio Negro
Tel : 57 (574) 402 5110
Email : contact form
How to get from the international airport to the city center
Cab from the international airport to downtown Medellin
- Duration: approx. 30 minutes
- Fare: approximately $98.000 COP
Bus from the international airport to downtown Medellin
- Duration: approx. 40 minutes (from/to Centro Comercial San Diego)
- Fare: about $10.0000 COP
- Companies: Combuses
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Where to find Medellín regional airport
The regional airport is located right in the city center, a stone’s throw from the Poblado district.
Name : Olaya Herrera Airport
Code : EOH
Website: aeropuertoolayaherrera.gov.co
Address: Carrera 65 A #13-157 Tercer piso
Tel : 57 (4) 403 6780
Email : info@aeropuertoolayaherrera.gov.co
How to get from the regional airport to the city center
Transfer from the regional airport to downtown Medellin
The regional airport is located right in the center of Medellín, and can be reached quickly and easily by cab.
Getting to Medellín by car
Medellín, how to get there
Medellín is fairly well served by the road network, and can be reached very easily by car from Colombia’s main cities. The department of Antioquia also has a well-developed road network, making it easy to visit the region by car.
How to get to Medellin by car from Bogotá
- Distance: 450 km
- Time: approx. 8.15 hours
- Tolls: approx. $66.000 COP
Driving to Medellin from Cartagena
- Distance: 640 km
- Time: approx. 12h
- Tolls: approx. $95.000 COP
Drive to Medellin from Bucaramanga
- Distance: 400 km
- Time: approx. 8.15 hours
- Tolls: approx. $58.000 COP
Drive to Medellin from Cali
- Distance: 425 km
- Time: approx. 7h45
- Tolls: approx. $90.000 COP
Drive to Medellin from Pereira
- Distance: 215 km
- Time: about 4 hours
- Tolls: approx. $40.000 COP
Drive to Medellin from Jerico
- Distance: 115 km
- Time: about 3h30
- Tolls: approx. $9.000 COP
Drive to Medellin from Guatape
- Distance: 80 km
- Time: about 2 hours
- Tolls: approx. $13.000 COP
Rent a car in Medellin
How to get to Medellín
Whether you’re planning a tour that includes Medellín, or just want to explore the surrounding region, you might want to rent a car, and you’d be right. That’s what we did on our road trip between Bogotá and Santa Marta, and we still have fond memories of it.
Here are a few tips to help you get ready and feel at ease once you’re behind the wheel on Colombia’s roads:
Best tips
Rent a car in Colombia
To rent a car, we advise you to use the Rental Cars comparator, which gives you a complete overview of the different rental companies in Colombia.
Get in touch with a local guide
Best english-speaking profesional guide
Responsible tourism
Our loca partner in Medellin are comitted to make a difference in Colombia through social and ethically responsible tourism by converting tourism into a sustainable income for local people and by contributing to the protection of Colombia’s environmental and cultural diversity.
