Orientation in Bogotá Colombia – About the city of Bogotá – Colombia Facts – Bogotá Colombia Travel

Locating an address in the city is generally a breeze…after you get your head around the mathematical precision of it all. Calles run east–west, rising in number as you go north, while Carreras go north–south, increasing in number as they go west (away from the mountains).

The avenues (carreras) run parallel to the eastern hills, whose nomenclature increase as you moves west. The streets start in the First Street (Calle Primera), and the numbers increase in two directions: towards the north, where all the historical sites are concentrated, and the most important residential and commercial sector are located. The numbers do not have a suffix; however, on the other direction, they have south, or simply S, written after the number.

The complete number in an address is divided in two parts; indicating the Calle (Street) or Carrera (Avenue) first, and then the distance in meters from the previous corner. There are avenues which are important roads, boulevards and arteries for swift mobilization, diagonal streets and transversal streets.

The following are the main avenues, from east to west: Avenida de los Cerros (Avenue of the Hills) or Circumvallation Oriental (Eastern Circumvallation); Carrera 7 which runs from south to north and vice-versa; Carrera 13, Avenida Caracas or Carrera 14, the Transmilenio’s main axis lengthwise Carrera 15 which begins at Calle 72 up to Calle 100 square; Avenida 19, Calle 100, which begins at Carrera 7 and becomes Avenida 68 and ends at the Venecia sector, where the Southern Highway starts; Avenida Boyaca, which starts at Calle 127 and at Diagonal 129 also leads into the Southern Highway, heading towards the east to join the highway to El Llano; Avenida Ciudad de Cali which is almost a circumvallated road and the roadway ring that, without cutting across Bogota, communicates with the satellite municipalities, Chia and Mosquera.

The main axles which run from east to west are the Avenida Primero de Mayo, Avenida de las Americas, Avenida 34, Calle 57, Avenida de Chile, Calle 80 (Transmilenio corridor), which joins the Medellin Highway, Calle 127 and the most recent, Iberia Avenue. The Suba Avenue is diagonal and communicates Bogota with Suba, Cota and Chia on the west.