Buenos días
BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs
Good morning, hello
Greeting someone in the morning, until about noon
Travel guide
Learn Colombia before you go
Two seas, three Andean ranges, a walled Caribbean city, the Amazon, the finest coffee hills and more kinds of birds than almost anywhere on Earth.
CapitalBogotá
CurrencyColombian peso (COP)
Official languageSpanish. Under the 1991 constitution, the languages of ethnic groups are also official in their own territories
Drives on theRight
Calling code+57
10 phrases to learn
In Spanish (Colombian). Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
Buenas tardes
BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs
Good afternoon
Greeting someone from about noon until it gets dark
Buenas noches
BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs
Good evening, good night
Greeting someone after dark, or saying goodnight
¿Quiubo?
KYOO-boh
Hi, what's up? (from ¿Qué hubo?)
A casual Colombian greeting between friends
Mucho gusto
MOO-choh GOOS-toh
Nice to meet you
Meeting someone for the first time
¿Cómo está?
KOH-moh es-TAH
How are you? (polite)
Asking an adult how they are. Many Colombians use the polite 'usted' even with friends
Muchas gracias
MOO-chahs GRAH-syahs
Thank you very much
Thanking someone warmly
De nada
deh NAH-dah
You're welcome
Answering when someone thanks you
Disculpe
dees-KOOL-peh
Excuse me
Getting someone's attention, or saying sorry
¿Cuánto cuesta?
KWAHN-toh KWES-tah
How much is it?
Asking the price in a shop or market
At the table
- Lunch is the main meal of the day, usually eaten between about 11:30 and 3:30. A set lunch, the corrientazo, brings a soup and a main plate together for a low price.
- With sancocho and other soups, a plate of white rice comes on the side. Many Colombians dip a spoonful of rice into the soup with each mouthful.
- Aguardiente, an anise-flavoured sugar cane spirit, is the drink of Colombian parties. It is usually about 24 to 29 percent alcohol and is drunk neat in small glasses, so sip it slowly.
- Do not be surprised to see fresh cheese dropped into hot chocolate or hot aguapanela. Colombians let it melt and eat it with a spoon or on bread.
- Ají, the green herb and chilli sauce on the table, can be mild or very hot. Taste a little before you pour it on.
- When you pass people who are eating, or before you start, it is polite to say '¡Buen provecho!', enjoy your meal.
Local tips
Check which areas to avoid
As of September 2026, the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to several parts of Colombia, mostly remote border and rural areas, such as along the Venezuelan border and parts of the Pacific coast. Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena and the coffee region are not among them. It also reports heightened security measures in Santa Marta after an operation against armed groups, and risks on Route 90, the coast road from Santa Marta to Tayrona National Park. If you go, follow the advice of local authorities. Check the latest advice before you book.
Take it easy in Bogotá
Bogotá is at about 2,640 m, and altitude sickness is a risk there. Rest on your first day, drink water and go easy on alcohol. If you have heart or breathing problems, talk to your doctor before you go.
Drink bottled water outside Bogotá
According to the UK Foreign Office, tap water is safe to drink only in Bogotá. Elsewhere, drink bottled water and avoid ice in drinks.
Book your taxi
Do not hail taxis in the street. Use a licensed taxi booked by phone, through an app or by your hotel. Licensed taxis are yellow.
Use cash machines inside
Robberies near cash machines happen. Use ATMs during opening hours, inside a bank, supermarket or shopping centre, and do not carry large amounts of cash or jewellery.
Never accept drinks from strangers
Criminals sometimes use a drug called scopolamine, slipped into drinks or food, to rob people. Do not accept drinks or food from strangers, and be careful with people met on dating apps.
Before you fly
As of September 2026, British visitors can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Colombia recommends filling in the online Check-MIG form, which is optional, between 72 hours and one hour before you travel. Make sure your passport is stamped when you arrive.
Ask about vaccines early
Yellow fever, dengue, Zika and malaria are found in parts of Colombia. See your doctor or a travel clinic at least 8 weeks before you go.
Dishes to try
- Ajiaco santafereño: A thick chicken and potato soup made with three kinds of potato, corn on the cob and guascas, a local herb. It is served with cream, capers and avocado on the side, so everyone adds them to taste.
- Bandeja paisa: A huge platter for a big appetite: red beans cooked with pork, white rice, minced meat, crispy pork belly (chicharrón), chorizo, black pudding, a fried egg, fried sweet plantain, an arepa and avocado.
- Sancocho: A hearty stew-soup with large pieces of meat or fish, plantain, potato, cassava (yuca) and corn on the cob, flavoured with coriander. It comes with white rice and avocado, and many people dip a spoonful of rice into each spoonful of soup.
- Mote de queso: A thick soup of yam (ñame) and Costeño cheese, a salty white cheese from the Caribbean coast.
- Lechona: A whole pig stuffed with pork, yellow peas, spring onion and spices, then roasted for several hours in an outdoor brick oven. It is served with arepas.
- Tamal tolimense: A large parcel of corn dough filled with chicken, pork, rice, peas, carrots and potato, wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled for three to four hours.
- Changua: A breakfast soup of milk and water with an egg poached in it, spring onion and coriander, served with a piece of hard bread that softens in the bowl. The yolk is often left soft: pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weak immune system should ask for the egg cooked until firm.
- Arepa: A round, flat cake of corn dough, grilled or fried, eaten at any meal. It can be plain, topped with butter and cheese, or split and filled. Colombia has dozens of regional kinds, from the Paisa arepa of Antioquia to sweet corn arepas.
Cities to see
- Bogotá (capital): The Gold Museum, Monserrate, the mountain above the city, Ajiaco soup and hot chocolate with cheese.
- Medellín: The Metro and the MetroCable gondolas up the hillsides, Flower growing and festivals, Bandeja paisa.
- Cali: Salsa dancing, The Feria de Cali, from 25 to 30 December, Pandebono, champús and sancocho de gallina.
- Barranquilla: The Barranquilla Carnival, South America's first airport, built in 1919, Cumbia music.
- Cartagena: The walled old town, The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, Holding out against a British fleet in 1741.
- Santa Marta: The place where Simón Bolívar died, The gateway to Tayrona National Park, The Sierra Nevada, home of Ciudad Perdida.