Bogota – Basic City Guide

Bogota is located in central Colombia in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes Mountains. Not only is it a cosmopolitan, it is a mixing pot of all of the colours, sights, sounds and flavours of the country as the residents flock to their capital city.

How to get there  :

By Air :

Eldorado International Airport – located on the west perimeter of the city.   Av. 26 No 113-90. Telephone – (1)  428 25 12/ 425 10 00.  www.elnuevoeldorado.com  note – allow yourself lots of time to reach the airport due to the heavy traffic Bogota often experiences.

Puente Aereo – located beside the international airport on Av. 26. This serves as a national hub for Avianca/Taca . If you have a connecting flight from Eldorado there is a free shuttle bus running within the airport grounds.   Telephone (1) 413 81 03 – hours of operation from 4:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

By Ground :

In Bogota there are two bus terminals. The South Terminal is about 500 metres from the South Portal for the Transmilenio – the main bus system in the city.

Transport Terminal of Bogota – Terminal de Transportes de Bogota.  Diagonal 23 No. 69-55. Telephone (1) 423 36 00.

South Terminal – Terminal del Sur.  Cll. 57Q sur No.75F-82, localidad de Bosa.    Telephone (1) 423 36 20/ 423 26 00

www.terminaldetransporte.gov.co

Bus Transportation :

The Transmilenio is the major transportation system in the city.  It operates on Avenida Caracas, Autopista Norte,  la Avenida de las Americas,  la calle 13, el Eje Ambiental,  la Calle 80, la Avenida NQS (Norte – Quito – Sur), La Autopista Sur, la Avenida Suba, la Carrera 26 and la Carrera Decima.

The hours of operation are Monday to Saturday 5 a.m. to 11p.m. and Sundas and holidays from 6 .m. to 1 p.m.. Telephone (1) 220 30 00 or no charge line 195  wwww.transmilenio.gov.co

Other private buses serve the rest of the city. In 2103 the city is intending to offer a more integrated service.

Taxis :

Taxis in Bogota are regulated by a taxi meter. A numerical value is generated by the meter. Compare this number to the chart the driver will have to determine or confirm your correct payment. It is always better to call a known taxi service than to hail one in the street. At the exit of the international Airport there use to be a taxi service stand. Now you must walk through to the new terminal and wait in line. There is an interesting app for taxi’s in Bogota. As we get more information we will post the details.

Police :

Police Command – Av. Caracas No. 6-05. Telephone (1) 280 99 00

Emergency : Dial – 123

Hospitals – note there are many hospitals in Bogota. This is just a selection of 4

North – Santa Fe Foundation of Bogota – Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota.  Cll 119  No. 7-75. Telephone (1) 603 03 03.  www.fsfb.org.co

South – Kennedy West Hospital – Hospital Occidente de Kennedy. Av. Primera de Mayo No. 75A-19 sur. Telephone (1) 448 00 30/ 448 07 00. www.hospitaloccidentekennedy.gov.co

East – University Hospital San Ignacio – Hospital Univerisitario San Ignacio.  Cra. 7 No. 40-62.  Telephone (1) 594 61 61/ 651 39 10. www.husi.org.co

West – Unversity Children’s Hosptial of San Jose – Hospital Infantil Universitario de San Jose. Cra. 52 No.67A-71. Telephone (1) 437 75 40. www.hospitalinfantildesanjose.org.co

Orientation :

In the east of the city you will see the hills of Monserrate and Guadalupe.  The calles run perpendicular (east -west) to the hills and the carreteras run in a north south direction.

Principal Roadways – Avenida Caracas-Autopista Norte, Carrera Septima, Avenida 26 or El Dorado, Avenida Boyaca, Avenida NQS (Norte – Quito – Sur), Calle 80, Avenida de las Americas

Road distances from Bogota to other cities :

Cartagena – 1,060 km

Cali – 468 km

Manizales – 278 km

Medellin – 414 km

Santa Marta – 952 km

If you are planning to travel by road, it is best to gauge your travel time at a maximum of 50 km/hr.

Climate

Due to the elevation of Bogota the average temperature of Bogota is 14.5 C. Having a warm jacket or sweater available is advisable.  Some hotels may not have heating so bring a warm pair of pyjamas as well.

Please note:

1) 1) The area code in Bogota is (1) so it is not necessary to dial it  with the numbers listed above if you are in the city or local area.

2) While EscapeArtist Colombia does its best to maintain the above information as a customer service, we do not take responsibility for information being outdated or incorrect.

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