Everyday practical information for Colombia

• Power: Type A and B sockets at 120V, 60Hz - the same as the United States. You will see it written as 110V as often as 120V; it is the same supply and nothing you plug in can tell the difference. European and UK devices need an adapter and, for anything without a universal power supply, a converter.
• Time: UTC-5 all year. Colombia has never used daylight saving, so the gap to Europe changes twice a year and the gap to New York does not.
• There are no seasons, only altitude. Bogotá at 2,640 m sits around 8 to 19 degrees every month of the year; Cartagena at sea level sits near 31 every month. A single trip can need a fleece and swimwear on the same day.
• Wet and dry matter more than warm and cold. April to May and October to November are the rainier stretches in the Andes.
• Language: Spanish, and much less English than you would expect for a country this used to visitors. Outside hotel receptions and Medellín's expat bars, assume none. Colombian Spanish is famously clear and slow, which makes it a good place to try.
• Tap water is safe in Bogotá and unreliable elsewhere.
• Shops generally open 09:00 or 10:00 to 19:00 or 20:00, and malls run later and open on Sundays.
• WhatsApp is how the country communicates. A restaurant, a guide or a landlord will answer it instantly and ignore an email.

Holidays, and why they matter

• Colombia has 18 public holidays, among the most in the world, and a new one was added on 13 July in 2026.
• Most are moved to the following Monday under the Ley Emiliani, which manufactures long weekends called puentes. On a puente the roads out of Bogotá and Medellín jam, the coffee towns fill and prices rise.
• Check the calendar before booking anything in Salento, Guatapé or Villa de Leyva.

The dry law

• Colombia bans alcohol sales around elections - the ley seca - typically from the evening before until the day after. All three of the 2026 national votes have already passed (March, May and June), so no further national dry period is expected this year.
• Municipalities can still declare one locally for their own reasons. If the shop refuses to sell you a beer for no apparent reason, that is why.

Small things that help

• Greet people before you ask for anything. A "buenos días" before the question is not optional politeness here; going straight to the request reads as rude.
• Colombians are direct about warmth and indirect about refusal. "Maybe later" usually means no.
• Carry small notes. Breaking a 50,000 for a COP 3,000 purchase is a genuine problem for a street vendor.