From El Dorado Airport to your hotel in a rental car: route, cameras and parking

Short answer: from El Dorado Airport to almost any hotel in Bogotá you drive east on Avenida El Dorado (Calle 26). For the center you stay on Calle 26; for Chapinero, the Zona T or Usaquén you turn north onto one of the avenues that cross it. Before you set off: enter the destination in a navigation app, check pico y placa and keep the Calle 26 cameras in mind.

This guide is for the first drive of the trip, the one you do tired and just off the plane. Here is what you need to know to reach the hotel without fines or surprises.

Where you collect the car

The handover is at El Dorado Airport, international pier, 2nd floor, exit 1 (Muelle Internacional, piso 2, salida 1). Handovers run from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; if your flight lands outside those hours the car is still delivered, arranged over WhatsApp, which we answer around the clock.

Before you leave the parking lot, check the car with the person handing it over, note the fuel level and the exact handover time written in the contract, and ask for the last digit of the plate.

The route: Calle 26 is the spine

Avenida El Dorado links the airport with the city center from west to east. Almost every drive to a hotel starts the same way:

• Downtown, La Candelaria and the Centro Internacional: stay on Calle 26 heading east.
• Salitre and the Calle 26 business district: they sit on the same corridor, close to the airport.
• Chapinero, the Zona G, the Zona T and Usaquén: turn north off Calle 26 onto one of the avenues that cross it. Which one depends on the time of day; the app decides that better than a fixed map.

Enter the destination before you set off, with the phone in a holder and the navigation voice turned up. The Colombian data SIM included for customers from abroad is there exactly for this, from the first minute.

Cameras and speed on Calle 26

Since September 12, 2026 Calle 26 has new cameras at Carrera 17 (eastbound to westbound) and Carrera 25 (westbound to eastbound), according to the city of Bogotá. They are not the only ones in the city.

The limit on urban roads is 50 km/h, and 30 km/h in school and residential zones, under Law 2251 of 2022. If a sign shows a lower limit, the sign rules. What happens if a camera catches you is explained in our guide to camera fines with a rental car.

Pico y placa on the first drive

Pico y placa applies Monday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and depends on the last digit of the plate. If you land in that window on a day the car’s plate is restricted, tell us when you book and we will arrange it. After 9:00 p.m. or at the weekend there is no restriction. Full details in our guide to pico y placa with a rental car.

Where to park at the hotel

• Ask the hotel when you book whether it has its own parking, whether it costs extra and whether they need the plate number.
• If it does not, ask whether it has an agreement with a nearby lot.
• Prefer enclosed parking lots and do not leave the car on the street overnight.
• Leave nothing visible inside the car: no suitcases, backpacks or phones.

Tips for the first drive

• Take a few minutes before you set off. Adjust mirrors, seat and navigation while parked.
• Drive defensively. Motorcycles filter between lanes and buses stop anywhere.
• If you are tired after a long flight, there is no rush: the handover can be scheduled for the next day in the city.
• Save the agency’s WhatsApp for any question on the way.

The full airport rental step-by-step is in our guide to renting a car at Bogotá airport, and if you land in the small hours, in our guide to late-night arrivals at El Dorado.