If you’re planning a trip to Colombia, both Cartagena and Medellín are probably pretty firmly on your radar.
They are the two most popular destinations for international travelers for good reason!
Cartagena has colonial charm, lovely nearby Caribbean beaches and is a great gateway to the rest of the Caribbean coast.
Meanwhile, Medellín is known for its lovely year round spring weather, fun nightlife, and modern development. It also can be a great gateway to the rest of the interior of Colombia, including the coffee growing region.
So, you are probably asking yourself what’s the best way to get from Cartagena to Medellín!
You’re in luck, because in this post, I’m going to go over several options for how to get from Cartagena to Medellín, including why I think paying up for a Cartagena to Medellín flight is worth it based on my 11 plus years experience living in Cartagena, including several trips to Medellín over the years (spoiler: I always took a Cartagena to Medellín flight).
Don’t worry if you prefer to take a bus from Cartagena to Medellín though! I’ll also cover what to keep in mind and what to expect if you take a Cartagena to Medellín bus.
How to Get from Cartagena to Medellín – Contents
- Introduction and Quick Tips
- How Far is Medellín from Cartagena?
- Why I Think a Cartagena to Medellín Flight is the Best Option for Most Travelers
- Tips for Taking a Bus from Cartagena to Medellín
- Can You Rent a Car and Drive to Medellín from Cartagena?
Quick Tips for Traveling from Cartagena, Colombia to Medellín
I’m going to go into lots more detail on all of these options for traveling from Cartagena to Medellín below, however I’ll give you a quick rundown here if you’re in a hurry.
First, for the overwhelming majority of travelers, flying on a Cartagena to Medellín flight is the best option.
It’s a short flight and there are plenty of options for Cartagena to Medellín flights, including direct flights or flights that route through Bogotá.
Since a Cartagena to Medellín bus will take nearly 24 hours, a direct, or even indirect flight, will take much, much less time than taking a bus from Cartagena to Medellín.
Honestly, if you can score a deal on a flight from Cartagena to Medellín they sometimes are not much more expensive either! You should check for cheap flights on a site like CheapOair or Expedia as well as with the airlines that operate in Colombia.
Based on my experience, this is by far the best option for getting to Medellín from Cartagena for the vast majority of travelers, especially since, unfortunately we don’t have unlimited vacation time, and an entire day on a bus is an entire of day you could have spent enjoying one of these great cities.
For those doing more slow travel on a limited budget, a bus from Cartagena to Medellín can be a good option though, especially if you have some extra time to spend at one or two worthwhile stops along they way. This breaks up the long Cartagena to Medellín bus ride and lets you see some other places that aren’t very convenient to visit other ways.
If you do want to do the bus, you can get an idea of what’s out there and even book online at BusBud or Bookaway.
Finally, you can also rent a car, but I think unless you want to make one of those stops or two, it’s not worth it for most people due to how long the trip is.
By the way, if you in the planning stages of your trip, do consider planning it with my travel agency partner BnB Colombia Tours. They provide a top notch quality planning service with exclusive tours with bilingual guides for their clients and can arrange every part of your trip starting with airport pickup. They’ll even offer you a discount if you fill out the form here!
If you’re more of a DIYer, obviously do check out all the great content on the site on Cartagena (ughh, I need to find the time to write on Medellín too!). You can also check out BnB Colombia’s day tours and get a discount with the code ExploreColombia10 on any of them.
Finally, do also check out the best Cartagena tours on GetYourGuide and Viator as well as the best Medellín tours on GetYourGuide and Viator.
Ok, now, I’ll go into a bit more detail, the pros and cons, and some tips for each of those options for how to get to Medellín from Cartagena.
How Far is Medellín from Cartagena?
Medellín is approximately 400 miles, or 650 km, from Cartagena by road.
Driving takes approximately 12 hours according to Google Maps, although my experience is travel over these kinds of distances in Colombia usually takes longer than what even the usually pretty accurate Google gods say.
Buses from Cartagena to Medellín generally take 20-24 hours depending on stops and traffic.
Taking a Cartagena to Medellín flight takes between an hour and an hour and a half.
Maybe you’ve figured out why I think flying is the best option?
Why a Cartagena to Medellín Flight is Best for Most Travelers
I think paying up for a Cartagena to Medellín flight is by far the best option for most travelers due to the opportunity cost of that long trip over land.
I know it’s easy to balk at that.
You might be thinking, well it’s more costly.
Or you might also be thinking, well it’s so easy (and cheap) to bus around most of Colombia, why shouldn’t I just do that to travel to Medellín from Cartagena too.
You’re right for getting around much of Colombia, taking a bus between cities is usually fairly easy, cheap, and convenient. For example, in my post on how to get to Santa Marta from Cartagena, I’d definitely suggest going over land, and we’ve taken buses all around Colombia.
However, that’s just not the case for traveling between Medellín and Cartagena.
Due to the geography and conditions of the road, it’s a 20+ hour trip on buses from Cartagena to Medellín. Given that most of us unfortunately have limited travel time, I think the money you’ll save by busing instead of taking a flight from Cartagena to Medellín is not worth the time you’ll lose to explore and enjoy all both cities have to offer.
Every time I’ve traveled from Cartagena to Medellín, I’ve flown, and it’s what I think is the best option for the overwhelming majority of travelers considering how to get from Cartagena to Medellín, especially if you’re going directly from Cartagena to Medellín.
I’ll go into taking the bus below for those that have longer time and/or a super limited budget as well as some suggested stops to break that time up.
Here though, let’s go over some tips on finding a flight to Medellín from Cartagena.
You should have plenty of options for Cartagena to Medellín flights. There are a number of direct flights everyday, and if you’re willing to have a short layover in Bogotá, you’ll have even more options.
I’d recommend checking for Cartagena-Medellín flights on a aggregator site like CheapOair or Expedia, but also to check out the websites of some of the airlines.
Avianca and LATAM often run flash sales on one way flights from Cartagena to Medellín and elsewhere in Colombia.
These sales do often have peak travel seasons and weekends blacked out, but if you can be flexible on the day you fly, you can score some great deals that really aren’t that much more expensive than the bus, especially if you are only traveling with a carryon bag.
Budget carrier Wingo is also worth checking out.
As mentioned above, flights from Cartagena to Medellín should take a little over an hour. Even factoring in check-in, unloading, and time in a taxi, you’re still getting like 18 extra hours to actually enjoy your trip!
If you’d like some additional info on the airports, check out my guide to the Cartagena airport or this guide to the Medellín airport. You can also book a private transfer to or from the airport in Medellín and in Cartagena with my partner travel agency (don’t forget the ExploreColombia10 discount code!).
What to Expect on the Bus From Cartagena to Medellín
If you would prefer to take the bus from Cartagena to Medellín, first I’d encourage you to reconsider flying if you’re simply going directly from Cartagena to Medellín.
Again, you’ll save basically a whole day of travel, and if you’re backpacking on a budget, you can probably get a flight with a carryon only for not a whole lot more.
However, if you do really want to take a Cartagena to Medellín bus, I’d highly suggest splitting up the trip with a stop in one or both of two places I’d consider worthwhile along the way.
The first and best of those stops is the San Bernardo Islands.
They are the even more gorgeous sister island chain to the more well known Rosario Islands closer to Cartagena. The two main islands are Mucura and Tintípan, and the famous hostel known as Casa en el Agua is located here.
Read all about the islands at my guide to the San Bernardo Islands.
There are a few ways to make this stop. You can take a speed boat from Cartagena. The most popular one is known as Tranq It Easy.
Or you can bus from Cartagena to Tolú or Rincón del Mar (for Rincón, you’ll need to bus to San Onofre then find a mototaxi or colectivo transportation to Rincón).
If you’re going to only spend the night in the islands, pick whichever is easiest for you (probably Tolú since transportation there is easier). If you only want to do a day trip to the islands and want to maybe spend a couple nights at one of these stops, do Rincón since it’s much nicer and I think a bit of a hidden gem.
Read about it at my guide to Rincón del Mar.
If you take the boat to the islands, head to Tolú afterwards, then bus to Medellín. Or, you could opt to spend some time in Rincón if you’re really slow traveling.
Coveñas is another possible beach town stop along the way from Cartagena to Medellín, but I think Rincón and the islands are both much better stops with prettier beaches and cooler vibes.
Another, much longer route to take from Cartagena to Medellín by bus would be to route from Cartagena to Bucaramanga or San Gil then to Bogotá, perhaps stopping in the charming towns of Villa de Leyva and Barichara and then head over to Medellín.
Of course, you could also fly into Bogotá as a gateway to the interior, including Medellín.
If you do want to bus to Medellín from Cartagena, you’ll normally get more options at the terminal itself, but you can get an idea of availability, costs, and travel times for direct buses or stopping along the way at BusBud or Bookaway.
Generally the buses from Cartagena to Medellín offer reclining seats that are pretty comfy, and some companies may even offer seat upgrades that are even more comfortable. My experience is buses like this tend to have the A/C cranked up to very cold, so having a sweater along is a good idea.
Can You Rent a Car and Drive to Medellín from Cartagena?
Yes, you could conceivably rent a car and drive to Medellín from Cartagena.
That should be a good bit quicker than taking a bus, but will still take at least 12 hours driving time.
If you’ve never driven in Colombia before, I don’t recommend it.
People tend to drive quite aggressively, that includes bus and truck drivers, and you’ll have some curvy mountain roads once you head up into the interior.
I generally don’t think this is worth it, especially if you’re traveling directly from Cartagena to Medellín. It might be worth it if you want to make some stops at the places mentioned above and you are comfortable driving in Colombia.
If you do want to rent a car, you can check prices at Rentalcars.com.
Ready to plan your trip to Medellín from Cartagena?
Now, you’ve got a full rundown of how to get from Cartagena to Medellín.
I really think flying is the best option if you’re simply trying to book the easiest and most convenient way for how to get to Medellín from Cartagena.
If you have the time to slow travel and break up the long bus ride with a stop to see the islands or Rincón, busing from Cartagena to Medellín might be worth it though.
Regardless of how to choose to travel, I hope you found this guide useful, and, most importantly, you have a safe trip between Cartagena and Medellín and enjoy both to their fullest!
Please do check out all the other content on the site to help you plan your time in Cartagena and the rest of Colombia!
Cheers and Happy Exploring!
Planning a trip to Cartagena?
Be sure to check out the rest of the site to help you plan!
In particular, you might want to check out my complete guide to planning a trip to Cartagena, my guide to the best areas to stay, my list of over 75 things to do, my picks for the best Cartagena tours, the best day trips from Cartagena, my suggested packing list, my guide to the Rosario Islands, and my guide to all the beaches of Cartagena.
