One of the most popular things for travelers to do in Medellin, Colombia isn’t actually in the city itself—but rather, is to take a day or weekend trip to the small Andean resort town of Guatapé. Known for its colorful architecture and jaw-dropping scenery, this tiny village offers the perfect mix of adventurous activities and relaxation. So, if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Colombia’s second largest city, here’s exactly how to get from Medellin to Guatapé, Colombia.
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Guatapé is famous for its historic downtown, complete with cobblestone streets and colorful zócalos (i.e., bas-relief sculptures on the exterior baseboards of the buildings), and The Rock, a dramatic granite monolith that offers spectacular views from its summit, towering 656 feet above the ground.
However, there’s actually a ton of incredible things to do in Guatapé beyond these features, from sailing past Pablo Escobar’s vacation home and exploring a coffee plantation to paragliding and staying in a luxury bubble. Accordingly, the town now attracts over a MILLION(!!) visitors per year—most of which are headed there from Medellin.
Where is Guatapé, Colombia?
Guatapé is located here, a little over two hours east of Medellin, along the banks of the sprawling Guatapé-Peñol Reservoir and tucked away in the Andes Mountains.
How to Get from Medellin to Guatapé
Good news—you have PLENTY of options for getting from Medellin to Guatapé for your little city getaway.
Getting to Guatapé by bus
The cheapest way to get from Medellin to Guatapé is by grabbing a public bus.
To catch one for yourself, head to Terminal del Norte in Medellin.
It’s pretty easy to get to this bus station. There’s actually the Caribe metro station right across the street—when my husband, Justin, and I visited Medellin, we were blown away by how easy it was to navigate the Metro. Alternatively, you can just take an Uber or taxi there.
Once you’re in the bus station, walk downstairs a level, where the bus companies have ticket booths. There’s two companies here where you can walk up to the counter and purchase same day tickets—Sotrapeñol, at Ticket Booth #9, or Sotrasanvincente and Guatapé La Piedra, at Ticket Booth #14. The offices have a clear numbering system, plus the word “Guatapé” is emblazoned on each of their windows, so it’s pretty easy to figure out where to go.
Buses depart approximately every 30 minutes, running from 5 AM to 6 PM daily, and cost 20,000 COP ($4.85 USD) per person one-way—cash only!
If you have a limited timeframe of when you need to depart and come back to Medellin, you might want to consider purchasing your ticket ahead of time online. When Justin and I went to the bus station, we didn’t have an issue getting tickets, but the line for the bus was a bit long and chaotic—and we visited pretty early on a weekday! So if you’re visiting Guatape during a busier period, like a weekend or public holiday, I’d strongly suggest buying your tickets online ahead of time.
Regardless of where you get your tickets, you can usually board your bus about 10-15 minutes before the departure time and, then, it’s about a two hour and 15 minute ride to Guatapé.
We rode a Sotrasanvincente and Guatapé La Piedra bus. The ride was overall okay—there was no air conditioning and the bus driver allowed buskers on, who loudly sang karaoke, evangelized, and sold jewelry, which admittedly made for an awkward ride, at times. Beyond that, though, we arrived safely and within a reasonable timeframe—so can’t complain!
To return to Medellin, you can buy your return ticket at Guatapé’s bus terminal for 20,000 COP. The buses typically depart from Guatapé every half hour and run from 4 AM to 8 PM.
Getting to Guatapé by tour
Alternatively, if you don’t want to fart around with the logistics of taking a public bus, joining one of the many tours from Medellin to Guatapé can be an easy—and actually, surprisingly affordable—option.
Most of these tours have the advantage of picking you up and dropping you off directly from your hotel in Medellin in a private air-conditioned shuttle. Additionally, you’ll be shown around Guatapé by a knowledgeable tour guide and do some of the most popular activities in town, like stopping at The Rock (also called “Piedra el Peñol), a boat ride on the reservoir, and time to explore the historic downtown area.
Plus, some of these tour options are actually quite cheap!
For example, it will cost you, at a minimum, $10 USD roundtrip to just take a bus round trip from Medellin to Guatapé.
On the other hand, you can join this tour, which includes roundtrip transportation to Guatapé (including hotel pickup and dropoff), breakfast, lunch, time to enjoy Piedra el Peñol and the downtown area, AND a boat ride, all for under $40. Can’t beat that with a stick, right?!
There are a few other tour options to consider, like:
- Private tour to Guatapé: If the group tour above sounds cool, but you’re looking for something a bit more *exclusive*, this option is perfect, allowing you to get ALL of the activities above for just your private group.
- Private tour of Guatapé with helicopter ride: For a more adventurous option, consider this private tour, which also includes a helicopter ride over the Guatapé-Peñol Reservoir and The Rock, allowing you to get a stellar birds eye view (whilst hundreds of feet in the air!!) of the incredible landscape here.
- Group tour of Guatapé and Coffee Farm: If you have a limited period of time in Colombia, this is an awesome way to squeeze in seeing a lot during your day trip, as you’ll get a chance to explore Guatapé AND stop at a family run, organic coffee farm. The tour at the farm is SO cool and interactive—you’ll get to plant and pick your own coffee cherries and, of course, get to try some of the best coffee you’ll ever have!
The only downside to going with a tour group is that you’ll have less flexibility in terms of when you arrive and depart from Guatapé. For example, it might not be the best option if you’re planning on spending a night or two in town, as you won’t be able to join the return ride back to Medellin with your tour. Accordingly, this is generally best suited for travelers who are only interested in a day trip here (or are okay taking one of the alternative means of transportation, like a bus, from Guatapé back to Medellin).
Getting to Guatapé by taxi/Uber
Theoretically, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a taxi or Uber from Medellin to Guatapé, which would cost around 165,000 COP (or $40 USD) one-way. Given the higher price point, this generally is going to be a better option for visitors that are traveling with at least a couple of other travelers, as opposed to those that are traveling solo.
It will generally be much more challenging to find a driver to get from Guatapé back to Medellin. Uber is non-existent in Guatapé and, unless you make an arrangement with a taxi driver ahead of time (through your hotel or otherwise), I would not count on being able to readily find a driver willing to drive you back to Medellin.
Accordingly, I’d really only recommend taking a taxi or Uber from Medellin to Guatapé if you’re okay with grabbing a bus ride back to the city or, alternatively, have pre-arranged a driver.
Getting to Guatapé by rental car
To be honest, I wouldn’t really recommend getting a rental car in Medellin. Parking is limited in the city, break-ins are common, and drivers are pretty aggressive. Still, if you’re a confident driver and are looking for an *experience* in Colombia, you can certainly rent a car here and make the drive to Guatapé yourself.
The route you’ll take is well-paved and maintained. However, it’s worth flagging that some of the smaller side streets in Guatapé, especially to some of the hotels in the area, are not.
There’s also plenty of paid gated lots in Guatapé—while the town felt perfectly safe to me, I’d definitely recommend parking in one of these lots as opposed to street parking while you’re exploring. Who wants to deal with a break in while you’re on vacation?
See—we told you that getting from Medellin to Guatapé is super easy! Do you have any questions about getting to this colorful town? Let us know in the comments below!
