Transportation Tips for Medellin
How to Get Around One of Colombia's Most Exciting Cities
Jun 21, 2009
Medellin, Colombia may seem like a daunting city to navigate with its imposing buildings creeping up the mountains and population of 2,250,000 but luckily it has a world-class transportation system to help any visitor get around. This makes it easy for the tourist to explore Medellin with all the options for cheap and efficient public transportation.
Even travelers who do not speak Spanish can get around the city without having to resort to using taxi cabs. The budget traveler can save that money for some of Medellin’s great tourist attractions.
How to Get to Medellin, Colombia
- How to Reach Medellin by Air: Most travelers fly into Bogota, the capital of Colombia, but a little known secret is that it is often cheaper to fly to Medellin directly. There are two airports in Medellin, the international airport; Jose Maria Cordova is about a 45 minute drive from the city. There are two local buses that take travelers into the city, and taxis run on fixed rates. In the future the metro system will be extended to reach the international airport. The regional airport, Olaya Herrera, is right in the middle of Medellin.
- How to Reach Medellin by Bus: There are two main bus terminals in Medellin. Buses to and from the south go to one terminal and buses to and from the north go to the other terminal. There are frequent buses to every major city in Colombia from Medellin and vice versa.
Orientation in Medellin, Colombia
The city is easy to navigate because it is based on a grid system. The river runs through the city which also helps with orientation. The streets that run parallel to the river are called carreras and the streets that run perpendicular to it are calles.
Buses in Medellin, Colombia
Buses are cheap and efficient in Medellin. They ply all the major streets and sights. In addition to the regular bus service there are special bus routes that cover specific needs; the hotel route, health route, and shopping route. Currently in development is a system called Metro Plus which will use buses to link to the metro system.
Medellin’s Metro System
The metro system in Medellin is the only one in Colombia. It is safe, clean and easy to use. One-way tickets cost 1,500 Colombian Pesos (just under $.75). One line runs along the river and another runs perpendicular to it. All the major tourist attractions are along one of these lines. Included in the system are two lines of cable cars, the only public transportation by cable cars in the world. The cars take passengers up the steep hills in Medellin. The cost of using the cars is included in the metro ticket. They are a very efficient way of reaching some of the more difficult to access neighborhoods in Medellin or great to ride just for the view and the experience.
Good public transportation can make even the most intimidating city smaller. Medellin has turned a large city into an extremely travel-friendly and easy to access town.
