Medellín Getting there & around

Getting around

Bus & tram

Bus

Apart from the metro, urban transport is serviced by buses and busetas (small buses), and is quite well organized. All buses are numbered and display their destination point. There are bus stops on most routes, though sometimes buses will also stop in-between. The majority of routes originate on Av Oriental and Parque Berrío, from where you can get to almost anywhere within the metropolitan area. Public transport stops around 10pm to 11pm however, leaving only taxis plying the streets at night.

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Local transport

Metro

Medellín is Colombia's first (and for the foreseeable future the only) city to have the metro, or fast metropolitan train. It is clean, cheap, safe and efficient, and has become the pride of the paisas. Its construction began in 1985 and after a series of setbacks it eventually opened in 1995.

The metro consists of a 23km north-south line (Línea 1) and a 6km east-west line (Línea 2). Trains run at ground level except for 5km through the central area where they go on viaducts above streets, providing good views. There's a new leg called Metrocable that consists of cable cars that climb up into the poor hillside communities north of the center. The ride itself is safe, and affords magnificent views.

The metro operates from 4:30am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and from 5am to 10pm Sunday and holidays, with trains running every five to 10 minutes. Tickets can be bought at any metro station and cost US$0.45/0.80 for a single/double ride, or you can buy a 10-ride multiviaje for US$4. Learn more at www.metrodemedellin.org.co (in Spanish).

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