If you’ve ever tried to find “123 Maple Lane near the gas station that used to be a Blockbuster,” Colombia is about to heal your soul. Here, addresses aren’t vibes and memories—they’re coordinates. Once you learn the formula, you can land within a few meters of the front door without even opening a map app.
I’m Matt, the Americano, and today we’re decoding Calle + Carrera so you can navigate like a local, order a Rappi delivery without tears, and tell a taxi where to go in one sentence that actually works.
The Formula (a.k.a. GPS with Cheat Codes)
A classic Colombian address looks like this:
Calle 72 # 11–14
Read it left to right:
Street (axis): Calle 72 (east–west street)
Closest cross street: Carrera 11
Distance from that corner: 14 meters to the entrance
So Calle 72 # 11–14 literally means: “On Calle 72, near Carrera 11, walk ~14 meters from that intersection.” You can picture it in your head and walk straight to it.
Flip it and you’ll see the same logic:
Carrera 15 # 85–22 → “On Carrera 15, 22 meters past Calle 85.”
Think Battleship, but with streets. Calle numbers change as you go east–west; Carrera numbers change north–south. Where they meet, your address lives.
Calle vs. Carrera (and Why This Beats Cute Street Names)
Calle = runs east ↔ west
Carrera = runs north ↕ south
Tell someone “Calle 80 con Carrera 30” and they instantly know the quadrant of the city—no “turn left after the slanted mailbox” energy required. In most cities, the numbers increase consistently as you move across the grid, which turns the entire city into a giant, logical map in your head.
Why the Second Number Isn’t Random
About that –14 or –22 you see after the cross street: it’s an approximate meter count from the corner to the door. Not every city measures with a surveyor’s love language, but it’s close enough to land you right where you need to be.
“–14” ≈ 14 meters from the intersection
“–22” ≈ 22 meters from the intersection
It’s not Swiss rail precision, but it’s far more helpful than “next to the avocado tree that used to be taller.”
The Real-World Walkthrough (How You’d Actually Use It)
Let’s say your friend texts: “Cll 85 # 12–47, Apto 402, Torre B”
Here’s how to attack that:
Go to Calle 85.
Find Carrera 12 (the nearest cross).
Walk ~47 meters along Calle 85.
Look for Torre B (tower B).
Ask the portero (doorman) for Apto 402 (4th floor, unit 02).
That’s it. No street-name poetry, no “is the bakery still there?” detective work.
Colombia’s “Bonus Round” Streets (Quirks You’ll Actually See)
Colombia’s grid is clean—but cities are living things, so the grid adapts. You’ll run into:
Diagonal (Diag.)
Cuts across the grid on an angle. It’s a practical shortcut street.Transversal (Tv.)
Runs roughly parallel to a Carrera but swerves or connects multiple Carreras (common in hilly zones).Bis
A “between” street added after the fact.
Calle 72 Bis sits between Calle 72 and Calle 73.Letters (A, B, C…)
Inserted when a new road appears between numbers, e.g., Calle 72B or Carrera 14G. Think of it as a software update to the grid.
These aren’t bugs—they’re patches to keep the whole system consistent as the city grows.
Abbreviations You’ll See Everywhere (and What They Mean)
Cll / Cl = Calle
Cra / Kr / Cr = Carrera
Tv = Transversal
Diag = Diagonal
# / No. / N° = “number” (used before the cross street and meter count)
Bis = “between” street added later
Apto = Apartment
Torre / Ed. = Tower / Building
Piso = Floor
Interior / Int. = Inside a complex/courtyard
Local / Ofic. = Shop / Office
Bogotá sometimes adds Sur / Este (South/East) for clarity (e.g., Calle 53 Sur). Pay attention—Calle 53 and Calle 53 Sur are not the same place.
How to Give an Address (So Taxi/Delivery Gets It Right)
Best-practice script:
Say the eje (Calle or Carrera) first:
“Calle 72 # 11–14”Add neighborhood (barrio) or landmark:
“En Chicó, cerca al parque 93”Add building info:
“Edificio Roble, Torre A, Apto 602”If they hesitate, add a what3words link or drop a live location pin.
For Rappi/Uber/Cabify notes:
“Portería en la esquina” (the entrance is on the corner)
“Entrada por la 11” (entrance on Carrera 11)
“Frente a la panadería” (across from the bakery)
A single line like “Cll 72 # 11–14, Ed. Roble, entrada por la 11” is often the difference between a 2-minute and a 20-minute delivery.
Rural & Edge Cases (When the Grid Is Looser)
Outside dense grids you’ll see:
Km markers (e.g., Km 4 vía La Calera)
Vereda / Finca (hamlet/farm names)
“Entrada frente a…” (entrance across from X)
Still workable; just add a pin and a short “references” line.
Common Mistakes (So You Don’t Make Them)
Saying Calle when you mean Carrera (or vice versa).
Tip: If the second number is large (# 85–xx), you’re probably on the Calle axis (since 85 sounds like an east–west major).Dropping the cross-street number.
“Calle 72–14” makes no sense. It must be “Calle 72 # 11–14.”Assuming building names rule the world.
They help, but the grid gets you there. Names merely confirm you’ve arrived.Ignoring “Bis,” letters, or Sur/Este.
Those tiny tags can put you blocks away if you skip them.
Mini Practice Set (Say It Out Loud)
Cra 15 # 85–22 → On Carrera 15, 22 m from Calle 85
Cll 53 Sur # 18–09 → On Calle 53 South, 9 m from Carrera 18
Diag 45A # 20–30, Apto 701 → On Diagonal 45A, 30 m from Carrera 20, apt 701
Tv 23 Bis # 60–15, Torre B → On Transversal 23 Bis, 15 m from Calle 60, tower B
If those feel easy, congrats—you’re already navigating like a local.
Why This System Wins (Especially for Expats)
It’s spatial. You can estimate distance just by reading.
It’s scalable. The grid expands with Bis and letters without renaming everything.
It’s consistent. You don’t need historical trivia to find “Hobbs Road.”
It’s fast. One line tells a driver or courier everything.
When someone says Colombian infrastructure is “confusing,” just smile and send “Cll 80 # 30–42, entrada por la 30.” They’ll get there. So will you.