How to get from Medellin to Bogota

Why visit Bogota?

Bogota is the capital of Colombia and the centre of most economic, political, and cultural activities. It sits 2600 metres (8530 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest capitals in the world. Here, you can enjoy a temperate climate all year round.

Modernity and culture collide in this vibrant city, where you will find skyscrapers alongside colonial architecture. Every other guide to Bogota will tell you it is home to some of the most incredible street art in the world. And we totally agree! You will also be spoilt for choice when it comes to museums, art galleries and food.

There are 3 ways to travel the 419 kilometers (260 miles) from Medellin to Bogota. You can choose between the bus, private transport and flight. The journey takes 1 hour 50 minutes to 12 hours 30 minutes and the quickest way is by flight. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by flight with tickets starting at 62,000 COP ($15).

The fastest way to travel from Bogota from Medellin is taking a flight. The good thing is that there is not much difference between the prices of bus tickets and plane tickets.

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

Note that not all airlines depart from the same airport in Medellin.

Most flights from Medellin to Bogota depart from Jose Maria Cordoba Airport (MDE) located 30 km from the city centre. A few, mainly Satena airlines, will depart from Olaya Herrera (EOH) airport located within the city.

To go to Jose María Cordoba airport from Medellin city centre, there are three main options: taxi, Colectivo or bus.

Taxis have a flat rate of 80,000 COP ($19.30) and take about 30 minutes. They are the safest option if you are flying at night.

Colectivos are shared taxis where you split the taxi rate with the other people. If there are 4 people you will pay 20,000 COP ($4.80). This option is good only if you do not have a lot of luggage. They depart from San Diego Mall in the city centre and go straight to the airport.

The bus service is provided by the company Combuses. They depart every 15 minutes from San Diego Mall or in front of Nutibara hotel, both within the city centre area. They will all say ‘Aeropuerto JMC’ on the front, and the ticket costing 11,000 COP ($2.50) is to be paid directly to the driver. The ride is about 40 minutes.

The best option to get to this airport from the city centre is to take a taxi for around 10,000 COP ($2.40) or Uber starting at 8,000 COP ($1.90). The ride is about 15 minutes.

In case you want to take the metro, the closest station is called Poblado and it is a 20-minute walk to the airport. However, the area is not the safest and therefore we recommend taking a taxi/uber.

There are 4 airlines covering the Medellin to Bogota route; Avianca, Latam, Viva Air and Satena. They all offer a cabin-luggage-only fare so, so if you’re travelling light, you can save some money here. Departures are frequent, every 1 – 2 hours from 05:00 to 21:30. Flight time is approximately 1 hour.

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 ports. 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 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.

Bogota El Dorado Airport (BOG) is located within the city and connected to the public transportation system ‘Transmilenio’.

Bus stops are just outside the airport. You can either take a green bus ’16-14′ or a red bus ‘K86′ and get off at the big station ‘Portal El Dorado’. There you get on the #1 bus line until the last station, ‘Universidades’. It takes around 30 minutes and the ticket costs 2,000 COP ($0.60).

The only downside is that buses tend to be crowded, especially during rush hour, so it may not be very comfortable if you’re travelling with luggage. Also, be aware of pickpockets and preferably have everything where you can see it.

A much safer option is to take a yellow cab. The rate to the city centre is around 25,000 COP ($6). It takes 20-30 minutes, but that time can easily double if you arrive during rush hour, between 16:30 and 19:30.

Travelling from Medellin to Bogota by bus takes around 8 hours 50 minutes to 12 hours 30 minutes. It may be a long journey,  but buses operating on this route are highly-rated so you can expect a comfortable ride.

Buses operating from Medellin to Bogota depart from Terminal del Norte. You can easily get there using the metro. The closest station ‘Caribe’ is right in front of the bus terminal.

The main bus companies covering this route are Expreso Bolivariano, Expreso Brasilia, Flota Magdalena and Rápido Ochoa.

The buses from Medellin to Bogota are comfortable because they usually offer reclining seats, AC and a toilet. The newer buses will also have individual TVs and charging ports.

Expreso Bolivariano offers the highest number of departures a day and is considered to be ahead in terms of services and amenities. All other companies also offer a decent service and can sometimes be slightly cheaper, so it’s worth looking at all options.

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 del Norte

2G Gold

Terminal de Salitre

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

22:46

10h 50m

09:36

Expreso Bolivariano

From 79,000 COP ($19)

Compare prices

Bolivariano

79,000 COP ($19)

06:40

10h

16:40

Check on Bolivariano

• 24/7 customer support

83,000 COP ($19.90)

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

22:46

10h 50m

09:36

Check on BookAway

Terminal del Norte

Premium Plus

Terminal de Salitre

07:20

11h

18:20

14:00

11h

01:00

21:30

10h

07:30

Expreso Brasilia

104,000 COP ($25)

Compare prices

• 24/7 customer support

104,000 COP ($25)

07:20

11h

18:20

14:00

11h

01:00

21:30

10h

07:30

Check on BookAway

Redbus

107,000 COP ($26)

07:20

11h

18:20

14:00

11h

01:00

21:30

10h

07:30

Check on Redbus

The bus will arrive at Terminal Salitre in Bogota. To get to the city centre, you can take a taxi for around 12,000 COP ($2.90) or Uber starting at 8,000 COP ($1.90).

Another option is to walk 15 minutes to the closest ‘Transmilenio’ station (Bogota’s metrobus system) called ‘El Tiempo-Maloka’. From there you can take the #1 line in the direction of ‘Universidades’ and get off at this station too. A ticket costs 2,000 COP ($0.60)

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

Rates start from 1,153,000 COP ($280) for a 3-seater private transfer. Divide the cost and that’s just about 332,000 COP ($80) per person. Travel time is around 8 hours to 9 hours 30 minutes.