How to Get to El Dorado Airport in Bogotá: TransMilenio, Taxi, Car or Private Transfer (2026)
By Shawn Hiner Leamon, CEO of Safe Transfers Colombia. Our drivers make the run to El Dorado every day of the year. Routes, fares and hours checked against TransMilenio, El Dorado and Secretaría de Movilidad sources on 21 October 2026.
Short answer. El Dorado sits on the west side of Bogotá at the end of Calle 26 (Avenida El Dorado), about 14 km from the center. You have five ways in: TransMilenio for $3.550 per trip (about an hour from most portals, with a change), a metered taxi (roughly COP 36.000 to 45.000 from Chapinero or the center, more at night and on Sundays), a ride-hailing app, your own car with the Short Stay parking for drop-offs, or a private transfer at a fixed price from $49 USD per vehicle with a driver who arrives before your pickup time. Whichever you choose, the airport operator asks you to be at the terminal two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one, and Calle 26 at rush hour is the variable that decides whether you make it.
The five ways in, side by side
| Option | What it costs | How long it takes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| TransMilenio (dual route K86 along Calle 26, or feeder 16-14 from Portal El Dorado) | $3.550 per trip, TuLlave card; free transfers within 125 minutes | About an hour from Portal Norte, Portal Suba or Portal Sur with one change; 20 to 30 minutes from the Calle 26 corridor (estimates) | Light luggage, daytime, a tight budget |
| Authorized taxi | Metered under Decreto 042 de 2026: $4.500 start, $159 per 100 m or 24 seconds, $8.000 airport surcharge each way, $3.800 extra at night (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.), Sundays and holidays. Chapinero or the center: about COP 36.000 to 45.000 (estimate) | 30 to 60 minutes from the center or Chapinero depending on the hour (estimate) | Short notice, two people, daytime |
| Ride-hailing app (Uber, DiDi, Cabify, inDrive) | Dynamic; 2024 press measurements ran COP 17.000 to 44.000 depending on origin and hour (dated) | Same as a taxi | Travelers who already use the apps; drop-off is simple |
| Your own car | Fuel plus parking; rates on eldorado.aero; pico y placa applies on weekdays | 20 to 50 minutes from the west, 45 to 100 minutes from the north at peak (2024 press measurements) | Someone is dropping you off, or you are parking for the trip |
| Private transfer (Safe Transfers) | Fixed per vehicle from $49 USD, paid online, up to 3 passengers in a Comfort SUV; vans for groups | Planned backwards from your flight; the driver is at your door before the pickup time | Early flights, families, luggage, international departures |
How early you need to be there
El Dorado’s operator recommends arriving two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international one; Avianca asks for three in both cases. Add the drive. From Chapinero at 5 p.m. on a weekday that means leaving the hotel about four hours before an international departure, and that is not an exaggeration: Calle 26 is the main road into the airport from the city, and an accident on it has few detours.
Which terminal
El Dorado has two. Terminal 1 is the main building and handles all international flights and most domestic ones. Terminal 2, the former Puente Aéreo, is a separate building on Calle 26 and handles a share of domestic flights (JetSMART, Clic and Satena in the most recent reports we found); your boarding pass or the airline’s app shows which one you need. A free bus links the two terminals every day from 4:00 a.m. to midnight, roughly every 15 minutes. If a driver, a taxi or an app is taking you, tell them the terminal, not just “the airport”.
TransMilenio to the airport
Two services reach Terminal 1, and the airport’s own public-transport page gives their stops and hours:
- Dual route K86 along Calle 26. Stops at Terminal 1, floor 1, Door 2. Monday to Friday 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Saturday 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Sundays and holidays 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. TransMilenio’s June 2026 route list shows it as KM86; on the bus it reads K86.
- Feeder 16-14 Aeropuerto from Portal El Dorado. Stops at Terminal 1, floor 1, Door 4. Monday to Friday 4:30 a.m. to 12:20 a.m.; Saturday 5:00 a.m. to 12:20 a.m.; Sundays and holidays 5:30 a.m. to 11:20 p.m.
The fare is $3.550 per trip in 2026, paid with a TuLlave card; transfers inside the system are free for 125 minutes, so a trunk bus plus the feeder costs one fare. You can buy or top up the card at the kiosk on floor 1 in front of Door 1 of Terminal 1, at any portal or station, and at authorized shops.
From the north (Portal Norte, Calle 170, Usaquén, Chapinero). Take a trunk service to the Calle 26 corridor and change to the K86, or ride to Portal El Dorado and take the 16-14 feeder. Portal El Dorado is the hub: in June 2026 TransMilenio listed the express services BK16, BK23, GK43, HK54 and LK10 and the Ruta Fácil 1 – Universidades as serving it. Plan on about an hour from Portal Norte or Portal Suba, more at rush hour.
From the west (Portal 80, Engativá, Fontibón). You are closest. The TransMiZonal buses that run along Calle 26 (TransMilenio lists KH317, CG147, KC321, KC315, P500, BK903, BK905, G502, 927, 577 and 12) and the K86 all reach the terminal; from Fontibón it is a 20-to-30-minute ride.
From the south (Portal Sur, Portal Américas, Usme). Trunk service to Portal El Dorado or to a Calle 26 station, then the feeder or the K86. About an hour.
From the center and La Candelaria. The Calle 26 stations are a short walk from the Museo Nacional and Centro Internacional area; from there the K86 runs straight to the terminal.
The times above are our estimates from the published routes, not measurements, and exact combinations change with the timetable: check the official route finder or the TransMilenio app the night before, and give yourself a buffer. With suitcases at rush hour the system is hard work, and feeder buses do not run all night.
From the bus terminals
Bogotá’s long-distance bus terminals are not on the TransMilenio network to the airport, so the practical choice is a taxi or a car. The times below are our estimates for off-peak hours:
- Terminal Salitre (the main one, beside the Calle 26 corridor near Avenida Boyacá): the closest, about 15 minutes by taxi.
- Terminal del Norte (Calle 192 with Autopista Norte): 45 minutes to an hour, more at peak, with the whole Autopista Norte in the way.
- Terminal del Sur (Bosa): 40 minutes to an hour.
By taxi
Bogotá taxis are metered, so the fare depends on distance and traffic. Under Decreto 042 de 2026, in force since 12 February 2026, the pieces are: $4.500 to start, $159 per 100 meters or 24 seconds of waiting, a minimum fare of $8.000, an $8.000 surcharge for any trip to or from El Dorado or the Puente Aéreo, and $3.800 more between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. and on Sundays and holidays. Taxis on the “excelencia operacional” scheme charge $172 per unit and $8.600 for the airport surcharge. In normal traffic a ride from Chapinero or the center comes to roughly COP 36.000 to 45.000, and from Usaquén or the Calle 100 area roughly COP 45.000 to 55.000, both our estimates from the tariff, not official figures. Ask the hotel to call a taxi or use a taxi app rather than hailing one in the street late at night, and check the meter is running.
By ride-hailing app
Uber, DiDi, Cabify and inDrive all take you to El Dorado, and dropping off at departures is simple; the trouble with apps at the airport is on the pickup side. Prices move with demand; measurements published by Portafolio in January 2024 ran from about COP 17.000 from Portal 80 to about COP 44.000 from Portal Norte, and 2026 prices are higher. Order the car with time to spare at 5 a.m. and on Sunday evenings, when drivers are scarce.
By car
The airport is at the west end of Calle 26, Avenida El Dorado, which is also the quickest route from the center, Chapinero and the Calle 26 corridor; from the north the Autopista Norte plus Calle 80 or Calle 26 are the usual approaches, and from the south the Avenida Boyacá or Avenida Ciudad de Cali. Before you drive:
- Drop-off. Terminal 1 has a Short Stay Parking in the center of the building for dropping off and picking up travelers; the departures curb is for stopping, not waiting. Our drivers use that curb for departures: at 5 a.m. you are out of the car the moment it stops, while at 6 p.m. the same lane is full of taxis and private cars and the police keep everything moving, so the driver pulls in where a gap opens, unloads and goes.
- Parking. Terminal 1 has Short Stay (center), Long Stay (north, near Door 1) and Business (south) parking lots; Terminal 2 has its own. Rates are published on eldorado.aero and paid through the airport’s parking portal; we do not quote them here because they change.
- Pico y placa. Bogotá restricts private cars by plate number on weekdays. If your plate is restricted on the day you fly, you cannot drive to the airport during the restricted hours; check the current rule on movilidadbogota.gov.co before you decide.
By private transfer
A private transfer is the only option on this page with a price fixed in advance and a vehicle that is at your door before you need it. With Safe Transfers you book online, pay in USD (from $49 per vehicle, Comfort SUV for up to three passengers, vans for larger groups), and we work the pickup time backwards from your flight and the hour of the day. Your driver arrives ahead of your pickup time, so your service leaves on time. You receive a confirmation the day before with your driver’s name, photo and plate, and a message the moment your driver is on site. For early flights and families with luggage, it is the difference between a calm morning and a run through Terminal 1.
Flying in rather than out? Our Bogotá airport transfer page covers the pickup inside the arrivals hall, and the El Dorado airport guide walks you through the terminal. Before any international flight, do your Check-MIG registration: our Check-MIG guide explains it in five minutes.
FAQ
How long does it take from Terminal del Norte to El Dorado airport?
By taxi or car, 45 minutes to an hour outside peak hours and well over an hour at rush hour (estimate); the route is the full length of the Autopista Norte plus Calle 80 or Calle 26.
How much is a taxi from El Dorado into Bogotá?
The same tariff applies in both directions: roughly COP 36.000 to 45.000 to Chapinero or the center in normal traffic (our estimate from the 2026 tariff), including the $8.000 airport surcharge; add $3.800 at night and on Sundays and holidays.
How many terminals does El Dorado have?
Two: Terminal 1 (international and most domestic flights) and Terminal 2, the former Puente Aéreo (some domestic flights). A free bus connects them from 4:00 a.m. to midnight.
Which bus terminal is closest to the airport?
Terminal Salitre, about 15 minutes away by taxi outside peak hours (estimate).
Is there TransMilenio to the airport on Sundays?
Yes. The K86 runs 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and the 16-14 feeder 5:30 a.m. to 11:20 p.m. on Sundays and holidays, according to the airport’s timetable.
Is there a free bus to El Dorado?
The bus between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 is free. In June 2025 the Nuestro Bogotá shopping center, next to Portal El Dorado, announced a free 19-seat van running every two hours between the mall, four nearby hotels and both terminals for travelers on a layover; check with the mall whether it is running on your date.
Can I take an Uber to the airport?
Yes; drop-offs at departures are routine. The legal gray zone around ride-hailing in Colombia affects drivers, not passengers, and it shows mostly at pickup time.
How early should I get to El Dorado?
Two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one, per the airport operator; Avianca says three for both.
What time does the first TransMilenio reach the airport?
The 16-14 feeder runs from 4:30 a.m. Monday to Friday and from 5:00 a.m. on Saturdays; the K86 from 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. respectively. For a 6 a.m. flight neither gets you there with the recommended margin.
