••• Orientation and mobility •••

Medellin, along with its nine adjoining municipal areas, is located in the Aburra Valley, traversed from south to north by the Medellin River.

The river makes for a natural roadway corridor, which two parallel roads and the Metro line take advantage of on either side.

Street layout in Medellin takes after typical Spanish grid, with Carreras running parallel to the river and Calles running perpendicular to it. The Laureles neighborhood takes exception to the rule with streets running diagonally and transversally.

The El Poblado neighborhood’s main axes are Avenida 43A, also called Avenida El Poblado, Avenida 34, and Transversal Inferior and Transversal Superior, which run parallel to the river. The hilly streets, Los Balsos, La 10, Los Gonzalez, and El Tesoro among others, run east up the mountain away from Avenida El Poblado into the communities of this exclusive sector.

The Medellin Metro, functional since 1995, can take you quickly, safely, and comfortably to most tourist attractions in the city. And for those few occasions when the Metro route comes short of your destination, taxis available at each station can complete the job usually at the minimum fare ($3200 pesos for 2007).

» A one-way Metro ticket has a cost of $1300 pesos and includes the use of the MetroCable. Multiple-trip tickets are also available offering more economy.

» Besides regular buses serving Medellin’s neighborhoods, the city also has special route buses covering strategic locations and needs like the Ruta de la Salud (Health Route), Ruta Hotelera (Hotel Route), and Ruta Comercial (Shopping Route).

» Medellin is served by two airports, the Olaya Herrera Airport located in the middle of the city offering regional flights, and the José María Córdova International Airport, located in nearby Rionegro, just 45 minutes or 22 miles distant from Medellin. Taxicab rates to the international airport, is a fixed $45,000 pesos either way for 2007.

» Taxicab service is available via telephone at no additional cost. You can expect to pay about $15,000 pesos (approximately US$8 at 2007 prices) to travel to the most distant tourist attractions in about 20 minutes. In any case, taxicabs are equipped with meters that will show you the amount to be paid.

» A taxicab fare from the Olaya Herrera Airport to downtown or El Poblado can run you about $5,000 pesos. A more distant destination within the city can cost about $15,000 pesos, in 2007 pesos.

» The city is equipped with a very good coin-operated public telephone network that allows local and international calls, as well as calls to cell phones.

••• Single number to report emergencies •••

By dialing a single number, 123, anyone can get in touch with police and traffic police, fire department, military, and health services to report any and all emergencies.

••• Schedules •••

• Banks: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Some bank branches and branches at shopping malls and chain stores offer extended hours.

• Shopping: Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. usually extended to 9 p.m. at shopping malls. Sundays to 7 p.m.

• Restaurants, bars, and cafes: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

• Businesses: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

••• Other information of interest •••

• Electric Power: 110 volts, American-type wall fixtures.

• Tap water is potable.

• Communications Media: local daily newspapers are El Colombiano and El Mundo. Local TV channels are Teleantioquia, Telemedellín, Canal U, and Televisa.

• Travelers are recommended to keep their valuables and important documents in hotel safes, follow common sense rules and keep to well-referenced tourist areas recommended here, or at hotel and tourist information centers.

• The city’s weather allows informal summer clothing to be worn year round. If you plan to take a trip to a nearby town check with your hotel for climate information. Some nearby towns can get chilly, especially at night. Informal wear is acceptable most anywhere you go.

» Local currency is the Colombian peso, available in bills in the following denominations: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, and 50,000, with 100, 200, and 500-peso coins.

• You can find currency exchange offices at most shopping malls that are reliable and government controlled.

• Credit cards are widely accepted, though not so, traveler’s checks.