How to get from Bogota to Medellin

Why visit Medellin?

Medellin is a vibrant city that overcame its dark and violent past to become a symbol of innovation and growth. Its colourful history alone attracts millions of tourists every year. And with a wide array of attractions and things to do, Medellin is bustling with activity from day ’til night.

A huge plus: the city enjoys temperate weather all year round, no wonder it’s called the ‘city of eternal spring’. Surrounded on all sides by the Andes, you’ll get a stunning view no matter where you are in Medellin!

There are 3 ways to travel the 419 kilometers (260 miles) from Bogota to Medellin. You can choose between the bus, private transport and flight. The journey takes 1 hour 15 minutes to 12 hours and the quickest way is by flight. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by flight with tickets starting at 70,000 COP ($16.60).

Flying from Bogota to Medellin can be more convenient if you’re visiting for a short time. It takes only 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. In contrast, the time on the bus is around 10 hours without even considering traffic, roadworks and rest breaks.

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

Flights from Bogota to Medellin depart from El Dorado Airport (BOG). Departures are frequent, every 1 – 2 hours from 05:00 to 23:00, with a flight time of approximately 1 hour.

There are 4 airlines covering this route Avianca, Latam, Viva Air and Satena. They all offer a cabin-luggage-only fare so, if you’re travelling light, you can save some money here.

In terms of service, Avianca is a bigger airline and their service is superior. They offer refreshments and most planes have an individual tv and charging port. Latam is a good second choice, offering a fairly good service too.

Satena offers a basic service but since the flight is so short, it does the job pretty well.

Viva air, on the other hand, is a low-cost airline and therefore they will charge extra for everything, even checking in at the airport. Most of the time their service is poor so, unless the price difference with the other airlines is significant (which is not often the case), we don’t really recommend it.

Note that not all airlines land at the same airport in Medellin.

While, Satena and Easy fly arrive at Olaya Herrera (EOH), which is located within the city.

Avianca, Latam and Viva Air arrive at Jose Maria Cordoba Airport (MDE) located 30 km away from the city centre.

To go from Jose María Cordoba to Medellin there are three main options, all available 24 hours: taxi, Colectivo or bus.

Taxis have a flat rate of 80,000 COP ($19) and take about 30 minutes. They are the safest option if you arrive at night.

Colectivos are shared taxis where you split the taxi price with other people. If there are 4 people you will pay 20,000 COP ($4.70) and they will drop you at the city centre. This option is good only if you don’t have a lot of luggage.

Buses depart every 15 minutes and cost 11,000 COP ($2.50). They will drop you at the Centro Comercial San Diego at the city centre. From there you can take a taxi, connect to the metro system or walk to your hotel if it’s nearby.

If you arrive at Olaya Herrera (EOH) the best option is to take a taxi for around 10,000 COP ($2.40), since the closest metro station is a 20-minute walk.

Buses depart from Module 3 at Terminal de Buses Salitre in Bogota from 05:00. Night buses are more popular on this route and some companies offer more frequent services after 18:00.

The main bus companies covering the Bogota to Medellin route are Expreso Bolivariano, Flota Magdalena, Empresa Arauca, Expreso Brasilia, Rapido Ochoa, Rapido Tolima and Flota La Macarena.

The buses are quite comfortable. They have reclining seats, AC, a toilet, and the newer buses will include individual TVs and charging ports.

Expreso Bolivariano is considered to be ahead in terms of services and amenities and offers more departures a day. However, all other companies also offer a decent service and they can be slightly cheaper.

You can book your tickets online (showing them on mobile is not sufficient, so make sure to print your ticket in advance!). You can also buy your ticket directly at the bus terminal, but keep in mind that night buses tend to sell out quickly, especially on weekends, so it is better to book ahead.

Terminal de Salitre

2G Gold

Terminal del Norte

06:40

10h

16:40

06:40

10h 50m

17:30

09:00

10h 50m

19:50

10:40

10h 50m

21:30

11:30

10h 50m

22:20

14:45

10h 50m

01:35

20:00

10h 50m

06:50

20:01

10h 50m

06:51

22:01

10h 50m

08:51

22:45

10h 50m

09:35

Expreso Bolivariano

From 79,000 COP ($18.80)

Compare prices

Bolivariano

79,000 COP ($18.80)

06:40

10h

16:40

Check on Bolivariano

• 24/7 customer support

83,000 COP ($19.60)

06:40

10h 50m

17:30

Check on BookAway

• 24/7 customer support

99,000 COP ($24)

09:00

10h 50m

19:50

10:40

10h 50m

21:30

11:30

10h 50m

22:20

14:45

10h 50m

01:35

Check on BookAway

• 24/7 customer support

105,000 COP ($25)

20:00

10h 50m

06:50

20:01

10h 50m

06:51

22:01

10h 50m

08:51

22:45

10h 50m

09:35

Check on BookAway

Terminal de Salitre

Premium Plus

Terminal del Norte

14:00

11h

01:00

Expreso Brasilia

104,000 COP ($25)

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• 24/7 customer support

104,000 COP ($25)

14:00

11h

01:00

Check on BookAway

Redbus

108,000 COP ($26)

14:00

11h

01:00

Check on Redbus

The bus will arrive at Terminal del Norte de Medellin. To get to the city centre, you can take a taxi for around 10,000 COP ($2.40) or Uber starting at 6,000 COP ($1.40).

Another option is to take the metro at Caribe station, which is right in front of the bus terminal, and continue on the same line (A) towards La Estrella. Get off at San Antonio Station at the city centre. A ticket costs 3,000 COP ($0.60).

A private transfer is a convenient option when travelling in a group from Bogota to Medellin.

Rates start from 1,171,000 COP ($280) for a 3-seater private transfer. Divide the cost and that’s just about 293,000 COP ($70) per person. Travel time is around 8 hours to 9 hours 30 minutes.