Arriving: the airport to your front door
Medellín's international airport isn't in Medellín. José María Córdova (MDE) sits on a plateau in Rionegro, 45 minutes to an hour from the city down a winding highway. After a long flight, the last thing you want is a negotiation at the curb. Here's how the first hour goes when it goes well.
Before you land
- Check-Mig. Colombia's online arrival form, filled in on Migración Colombia's site within 72 hours of your flight. Free. Keep the confirmation on your phone.
- Your address, written down. Drivers navigate by building name and neighborhood, not by street number. Have both, in Spanish, on paper as well as your phone.
- Onward ticket. The airline may ask for proof you're leaving within 180 days. Immigration rarely does, but the check-in desk at home might.
- Some pesos, or none. There are ATMs in arrivals and the exchange desks are fair. A booked driver takes cards or can be pre-paid, so you don't need cash to get to the apartment.
At immigration
You'll get a stamp for up to 90 days. Check it before you walk away; it's your proof of legal entry and the date your extension clock runs from. Officers may ask where you're staying and how long. "Turismo, tres meses, Laureles" is a complete answer.
Three ways down the mountain
A driver booked in advance
A registered transport company sends a driver who's waiting with your name, knows your building, and has a fixed price. This is what I arrange for the people I help, through a licensed local operator. For anyone over 55 arriving at night, it's the only option I recommend.
The official airport taxi
White taxis with a fixed tariff to the city, dispatched from a marked rank outside arrivals. Fine in daylight. Take the rank, not the man who approaches you inside the terminal.
Ride apps
Uber, Cabify, and DiDi all serve the airport, but pickup points are confusing on a first visit, drivers sometimes cancel on the long run, and the app fare isn't always cheaper than the taxi tariff. Better for your second trip than your first.
The first day
Buy a SIM at any mall (Claro, Tigo, or Movistar; bring your passport) or activate an eSIM before you land. Walk the two blocks around the apartment in daylight and find the supermarket, the pharmacy, and the nearest clinic. Sleep. The altitude is mild, but the first day always feels longer than it should.
The full airport walkthrough, terminal by terminal, is on my sister site, Medellín Airport.
Have a driver waiting
Give me your flight and your building and I'll book a registered driver through a licensed operator at a fixed price, and confirm it back to you by email. I'm the introducer; the operator holds the tourism registration and provides the ride.