Christmas and New Year in Colombia by car: renting in Bogotá for the 2026–2027 holidays

December and the first half of January are when the most people drive out of Bogotá, and also when the most people arrive: Colombians coming home for Christmas with family, and travellers from abroad landing at El Dorado to see the country. If you are renting a car for these dates, three things are worth knowing now:

• Rates do not go up in high season. At Andes Auto Rental the price is the same in December, at New Year and on every long weekend.
• You can book as little as one day ahead, December included, if a car is available. The fleet does book up over Christmas and New Year, so booking earlier secures the model you want.
• The drive back is the hard part. Holiday weekends put half the city on the road on the same days. The calendar is below.

Public holidays and long weekends this season

These are the holidays left between November 2026 and January 2027. Epiphany falls on 6 January, but Colombian law (the Ley Emiliani) moves it to the following Monday, the 11th.

Three more dates move traffic even without a long weekend: the night of 7 December, Día de las Velitas, when families light candles on the eve of the 8th; 24 December, Nochebuena, the main Christmas celebration in Colombia, when many families travel; and New Year’s Eve. The Epiphany weekend closes the year-end holidays, so its last day tends to bring the heaviest return traffic.

Planning further ahead? Every long weekend of next year is in our guide to Colombia’s public holidays in 2027.

Flying in from abroad for the holidays

El Dorado is Colombia’s main international gateway, so for many travellers the season starts at the airport. We hand over the car at the International Pier, second floor, exit 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and outside those hours too, arranged over WhatsApp with your flight number. What to have ready:

• Documents: a valid passport and driving licence from the same country, and you must be 25 or older. A foreign licence is valid for tourists and no International Driving Permit is required; details in renting a car in Colombia as a foreigner.
• For the family: an additional driver, a child seat and a Colombian SIM card with data are free. For more than five people or lots of luggage there is the 7-seater SUV.
• Staying for the whole holiday: book 21 days and keep the car for 30; the extra 9 days are on us.

What visiting families tell us most is that support does not stop at 6 p.m. This review, translated from Spanish, reached our Google profile in November 2026:

“Everything was excellent: the service, the help, and the vehicle was suitable and decent for all the days we rented it. Grateful for the support provided 24 hours a day. Highly recommended for families coming to visit Bogotá.”
— Jennifer Davila, Google review (translated from Spanish)

Getting out of Bogotá without sitting in traffic

• Leave early. Crossing the city from El Dorado at rush hour can add 30 to 45 minutes; before 6:30 a.m. that stretch takes about half as long.
• Avoid the afternoon before a holiday. That is when most people leave. If you can, go early on the Saturday or a day before.
• Check pico y placa. It does not apply on holidays or weekends; on weekdays it does unless Bogotá’s mobility office says otherwise. Ask for the car’s last plate digit when you book, and see our guide to pico y placa with a rental car.
• Budget for tolls. They are charged in each direction; rates for every way out of the city are in tolls leaving Bogotá by car.
• Check road conditions on Invías, the national roads agency, before you set off: in the rainy season there are closures and one-lane sections.

Coming back: the return plan

On the last day of every long weekend a regional pico y placa applies on the nine roads into Bogotá: from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. only even-numbered plates may enter, and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. only odd ones. Before noon and after 8:00 p.m. any plate can enter. Corridors and timings are in our guide to driving back into Bogotá after a holiday weekend.

If your rental ends that day, leave room: a one-hour drive can take several. If you will not make the agreed time, message us on WhatsApp beforehand and we will sort it out.

Where to go over the holidays

• Close by, for a day or a weekend: the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, Guatavita, Suesca and Villa de Leyva, all north of the city. See the Zipaquirá day trip and Villa de Leyva by car.
• Somewhere warm: Melgar and Girardot are where Bogotá goes in December; route and holiday return in Bogotá to Melgar and Girardot by car.
• Further afield: the Coffee Region; Medellín, whose Christmas lights were switched on on 28 November in 2025 and stayed up until 12 January, according to Blu Radio (the 2026 date is announced by EPM); or Cali, whose Feria runs from 25 to 30 December. Routes, driving times and returning the car there are in our Colombia road trip guide.

Before you book

• Tell us your route. Mileage is unlimited in and around Bogotá; on long trips the daily limit is agreed when you book, case by case.
• Not coming back to Bogotá? The car can be returned in another city for a fee that depends on the distance, from US$143.
• Full-coverage insurance is 10% of the rate, covers 80% of total loss, partial damage or theft, and includes 24/7 roadside assistance anywhere in Colombia.
• Security deposit: paid when you collect the car and refunded 12 to 15 business days after you return it. Why it takes that long is explained in the security deposit guide.