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Barranquilla
Capital district of Atlántico Department, Colombia

Barranquilla

Barranquilla is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia.

Plan a trip to Barranquilla→From Cartagena

It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Colombia's fourth-most populous city after Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali.

Get in

Getting to Barranquilla

Visitors most commonly arrive in Barranquilla by the Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport, which is in the neighbouring municipality of Soledad, just south of Barranquilla on the edge of the metropolitan area. International direct flights are available from Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Panama City. Domestic non-stop flights arrive from Bogotá, Medellín and Cali.

See

Worth seeing

Every year by the end of February or early March (forty days before Ash Wednesday), Barranquilla hosts its famous "Carnaval de Barranquilla" (carnival of Barranquilla), a four-day-long celebration in which the true partying spirit of the city is unleashed. Parades, dances, concerts and many cultural manifestations take place all over town.

  1. 01
    Castillo de Salgar

    There is an attractive colonial-era building in the nearby town of Salgar, about 20km out of town.

  2. 02
    Gran Malecón

    Restaurants, playground, and a good place to stroll and take in the sights.

  3. 03
    Museo Mapuka
  4. 04
    Zoológico de Barranquilla

    Park-like zoo featuring a variety of animals.

Do

Things to do

Barranquilla is a large, complex city. Daytime activities are mainly of shopping and eating, but nightlife is active all year round, with bars and nightclubs open from Thursdays to Sundays in most cases. Some of the main party spots in town are Trucupey Latin Disco, AguaHelada, MoMa and Frogg Leggs if you plan to dance.

  1. 01
    Go bowling at: Bolera Moñona

    Carrera 51B No.

  2. 02
    Xtreme Park Barranquilla
  3. 03
    Mini Golf

    Centro Comercial Buenavista II-Piso1.

  4. 04
    Bocas de Ceniza

    It is possible to get to the end of the breakwater that helps manage the flow of the Río Magdalena out to the Caribbean Sea.

Eat

Where to eat

Both local and international cuisine are available in town. Local delicacies include arroz con coco and sancocho de guandul (a soup made of pigeon peas or "guandules" and meat), bocachico frito (fried fish from the Magdalena river), sancocho, and fritos (fried foods), including arepas and empanadas. If you wish to try local food, good choices are; Mag Mondongo - (Cl. 84 # 51- 32, Nte.

How locals move

Getting around Barranquilla the local way

  • Get inTo get there from the tramway system you can take Alimentador A-71 or A-94, and also many "unofficial" colectivos, ask people in the street.
  • Get aroundMototaxis are an illegal way of transportation that has grown in popularity.

From Wikivoyage: Barranquilla, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.