Money

Bogotá's banks keep different hours than banks elsewhere in the country - they work without a lunch break, 9am to 3pm Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 3:30pm Friday. However, some of them handle foreign-exchange operations only until noon or 1pm. The banks below also change cash, but check the casas de cambio (currency-exchange offices) beforehand, which may offer the same rates and do things much more quickly. All banks shown below give cash advances on Visa and/or MasterCard. Most banks have ATMs.

Banco Popular(Calle 24) Has an ATM.

Banco Unión Colombiano (353 5000; Carrera 8 No 14-45) Quickly changes traveler's checks.

Bancolombia (Carrera 8 No 13-17) Quickly changes traveler's checks. There is another branch on Carrera 3.

Casa de Cambio Unidas (341 0537; Carrera 6 No 14-72)

Edificio Emerald Trade Center (Av Jiménez No 5-43) There are several exchange offices here.

Expreso Viajes & Turismo (593 4949; Calle 85 No 20-32) Represents American Express.

Titán Intercontinental (336 0549; Carrera 7 No 18-42) A casa de cambio.

Western Union (287 1265, 635 3560; Calle 28 No 13-22, local 28) To wire money, you can use Western Union.

 

Health & safety

If you're insured, it's preferable to use private clinics rather than government-owned institutions, which are cheaper but may not be as well equipped. Most private clinics carry out laboratory tests and have specialist doctors, some of whom speak English.

Centro de Atención al Viajero (215 2029, 612 0272; Carrera 7 No 119-14) A travelers' medical center which offers various vaccinations (including yellow fever and hepatitis A and B).

Clínica de Marly (343 6600; Calle 50 No 9-67) A recommended clinic with doctors covering most specialties.

Dr Carlos Arturo Pasada (612 3026, 612 3007; Calle 125 No 29-59, oficina 411) Recommended dentist. In the same office, Dr Catalina Mendez specializes in root-canal work.

Dr Miguel Arias (256 3918; Carrera 10 No 97-41) A recommended English-speaking doctor.

Hospital San Ignacio (288 8188; Carrera 7 No 40-62) A university hospital with a high level of medical expertise, but long queues.

 

Visas

Visa extensions

DAS office (408 8000; Calle 100 No 11b-27; 7:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) A 30-day extension can be obtained here. Your passport, two photocopies of your passport (picture page and arrival stamp) and two passport-size photos are required. You may also need to show an air ticket out of the country. You have to pay the US$26 fee at the bank (which does not open until 8:30am, so there's little need to arrive too early). You get the extension on the spot.

 

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