Car Hire Bogota El Dorado Airport

The most popular car rental agents at El Dorado Airport:

• Alamo (Tel: +57 317 3892518)
• Avis (Tel: +57 318 2722216)
• Budget (Tel: +57 321 4277730)
• Fox Rent a Car (Tel: +57 5 4673740)
• Hertz (Tel: +57 1 4028135)

El Dorado Airport Mini Guide

What’s the Best Way to Get to Bogota?
For European passengers there are two ways. Either travel to the Eastern seaboard of the US and catch a connecting flight or travel to Madrid to catch a connecting flight there. In total, 27 airlines fly into Bogota but many of them are either domestic or from other Latin American countries like Mexico, Brazil and Peru.

What’s the Arrival Airport Like?
El Dorado Airport is a tired airport that is undergoing superficial modernisation giving it a reasonable level of facilities. It used to be poorly designed and maintained but spending by the operator has now turned it into an acceptable airport. Needless to say the terminal that serves the US is of better quality than the other terminal.

Tell me More….
There are two terminals, one mainly for US flights and each of them has a number of facilities to make your transit comfortable and convenient. On arrival at each, there’s an information desk should you require help. This is also the place where you must ask for special assistance although be aware there are many obstacles that mean the airport isn’t particularly disabled friendly. They also deal with lost luggage here and as you can imagine, are often busy. Once in the airport there’s a small but adequate range of shops to supply you with most things you’ll need for your trip.

There’s a bookstore and newsagent, various craft shops selling traditional Colombian souvenirs and a duty free shop selling a range of wine, spirits, tobacco, gifts and perfume. Free Wi-Fi is also available across the airport should you wish to check emails or social networking sites. If you get hungry there is a small range of restaurants and cafes here, the nicest of which is the coffee bar selling hot snacks and FREE real Colombian coffee. The other restaurants are clean and serve decent, if uninspiring food.

I Need Money to pay for This
There’s a branch of Banco Popular at the airport where you can change money and there are ATMs at various locations around the airport.

How can I get to my Hotel?
There are no trains so your only options are bus, taxi and hire car. The airport is now linked to the city’s main TransMilenio public transport system. A bus goes from the airport every thirty minutes at peak times to the central bus station from where it’s possible to get local and regional buses. Be careful if you take a taxi from the airport. Only use the ones indicated by the airport staff or your first journey in Colombia may be your last!

Hiring a car is a good option if you feel confident driving there. The desks of the companies are found in the arrivals concourse of both terminals and with the general chaos of the airport it may be worth getting a party member through to line up for collection whilst you collect the luggage. Leaving the airport and getting into downtown Bogota is easy along the fast highway Avenida El Dorado otherwise known as 26th Street.

Bogota is a city of huge differences, from the slums around the outskirts to the modern skyscrapers that tower over the centre, you’ll be surprised at every turn. The artistic side of the city sits side by side with the traditional in La Macarena where art and craft stalls stretch around the edge of the city’s bullring.

For a different day out, take the funicular up to the top of Cerro de Monserrate where, from almost two miles above sea level, you can look down on the city below.