Cheap flights from London to Medellin

February is the cheapest month for this route, and it is the one worth planning around if your dates are flexible. Prices are listed for every month of the year, so you can compare a spring trip against a summer one before you commit. Fares on long-haul routes like this tend to climb around Christmas and New Year and through the European summer school break, when everyone travels at once. Midweek departures are usually gentler on the wallet than Friday or Sunday ones. Medellín sits in a valley at altitude, so it stays mild all year — there is no bad season on the ground, which means you can let the fare pick the date rather than the weather.

Nothing on this route is nonstop, so the airline you choose decides where you change planes and what is included. Easyjet and Wizz Air UK are the low-cost names here: the fare looks small but usually covers a cabin bag only, with checked luggage charged on top. Air Transat, Air Canada, United Airlines, Swiss, KLM Cityhopper, Air Europa and TAP Portugal are the full-service options, where a checked bag, meals and one through-ticket normally come as part of the deal. KLM Cityhopper flies the short feeder legs into its hub rather than the ocean crossing. If you pair a low-cost leg with a long-haul one, check whether your bags are through-checked or you collect and re-check them.

Medellín has two airports and they are not interchangeable. Jose Maria Cordova takes the international traffic and sits out in Rionegro, on the far side of the mountains from the city, so the drive in is long and can stretch badly in rush hour or rain. Olaya Herrera is the small city airport close to the centre, used for domestic and regional flights, so a connecting ticket may land you there instead. From Jose Maria Cordova you can take a taxi, a pre-booked shared shuttle or a ride-hailing car; from Olaya Herrera the centre is a short hop. Watch your arrival time: a late landing at Rionegro means a long, dark drive, and the mountain road is not one to rush.

Currency

COP (COL$)

Power sockets

Type A, B · 110 V

Language

Spanish

Emergency number

123

Driving side

right

Calling code

+57

Internet domain

.co

Population of Medellin

2.5 M (2018)

Time zone

UTC-05 (America/Bogota)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from — Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City are not interchangeable.
• Confirm what the low-cost leg includes, since a cheap fare often covers a cabin bag only.
• Make sure the whole trip sits on one ticket, or leave a generous gap if you book the legs separately.
• Check the entry rules for Colombia before you pay, including anything needed for the return leg.
• Match your travel month against the price calendar, where February comes out cheapest.
• Check which Medellín airport your arrival uses, because the international one is well outside the city.