One of the first things people do in a new city—either to visit or to live—is to get lost. But you don’t have to do what “people” do: you too can avoid feeling disoriented.

While it’s easier for some, who hasn’t ever taken the wrong bus or headed in the opposite direction or gotten tricked by a treacherous taxi driver? When I first got to Bogotá, it all happened to me. Even though I’m typically good when it comes to making my way through unknown places, here I always felt that I was on a calle while standing on a carrera or vice versa. I was in a labyrinth. And while everybody kept telling me how the mountain helps me to “navigate” the city, I could only wonder if they’d ever shut up and if I’d ever get a feel for Bogotá.

Here are some tips you might find useful when hitting the streets:

The mountain: your compass
First of all, the mountain is indeed your friend and can guide you like a jolly green giant. The mountains (usually called Cerros Orientales) are part of the Cordillera Oriental wherein lies the savanna of Bogotá, its most notable peaks being Monserrate and Guadalupe, both big reference points in the city. The Cerros Orientales stand to the east of the city; thus, if you are facing the mountain, west is behind you, north to your left, and south to your right. Yes, people here really do use cardinal directions to give directions in the city

Calles vs. Carreras
One thing you need to know is that carreras start at the mountains, running parallel to them from north to south. Accordingly, Carrera 4ta will be closer to the mountain than Carrera 13.

Calles run perpendicular to the carreras (and perpendicular to the mountains), from east to west. Up north you can find Calle 270 and going downtown, you hit Calle 1ra. Here’s an interesting fact: below Calle 1ra, you will find Calle 1ra Sur or Calle 52 Sur and so on, though visitors will (and should) probably spend most of their time north of that dividing line.

If you ever find an address with a “Diagonal” or “Transversal” don’t freak out. These cross the street grid diagonally, reflecting the number of the nearest calle or carrera, depending where you’re located. Diagonals run northwest to southeast and transversals from southwest to northeast.

Some main streets are called “Avenidas,” regardless of their orientation (like calles or carreras). These are usually wide commercial corridors flanked by office buildings. They sometimes go by a name (Avenida Ciudad de Cali, Avenida Chile) and someone could have a stroke if you happen to ask them what number those avenues are. Usually they just don’t know but, to be fair, it’s also due to the fact that sometimes it varies along the route. Just try to learn it.

Finding an address
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to find an address. The numerical system makes it pretty easy not only in Bogota, but throughout Colombia. Every address consists of the same set of numbers. For example: Calle 85 #15-26, this means that the house is on Calle 85 between Carreras 15 and 16. To be more exact, it is 26 meters from the corner of Carrera 15 towards Carrera 16. Conversely, Carrera 7 # 103A-54 is on Carrera 7 between Calles 103A and 104 (or, quite possibly, Calle 103B).

Main streets
Another way to be aware of where you are and the path to take is guiding yourself along some of the main streets across the city.

Some main Carreras:

• Carrera 2 or Avenida Circunvalar: mountainside road that bypasses many of the bottlenecks down on the street grid. Also offers stunning views of the city.
• Carrera 5: Around the crossroads between this road and Avenida Chile is the “Zona G,” a newly-developed dining district filled with fancy restaurants, cafés, and pubs.
• Carrera 7: one is one of the city’s “spines,” the business-heavy thoroughfare connects most of the eastern neighborhoods.
• Carrera 9: easy to recognize because it frames the railway for the “Tren de la Sabana”. If you want to take the ride, find information here.
• Carrera 11: covering a big part of Chapinero, one of the most important neighborhoods, it stretches from Calle 100 in the north and ends at the “Nuestra Señora de Lourdes” cathedral on Calle 62.
• Carrera 14 or Avenida Caracas: one of the main avenues in Bogotá. At Calle 80, it turns into the Autopista Norte. It was the first avenue with TransMilenio, so you’ll see the big red buses and gray stations running in the median.
• Carrera 15: uptown, this is a major commercial street. The Unicentro mall is at Cra. 15 and Calle 123.
• Carrera 19 or Avenida 19: another business-heavy avenue great for walking around or taking advantage of its “Ciclo Ruta.”
• Carrera 30 or Avenida NQS: an arterial expressway that funnels traffic from north to south.
• Carrera 68 or Avenida 68: connecting Autopista Norte with Autopista Sur, it’s another high-volume thoroughfare with fast lanes in both directions.
• Carrera 71 or Avenida Boyacá: runs parallel to Avda. 68, connecting Calle 170 with the highway to Villavicencio.

Some main Calles:

• Calle 6 or Avenida de los Comuneros: Starts at Avenida Circunvalar and after passing the Presidential Palace, Downtown, and the Zona Industrial it ends at Avenida de los Americas.
• Calle 13 or Eje Ambiental (also known as Avenida Jimenez): A bustling pedestrian corridor following the course of the San Francisco River, that once provided water to the city.
• Calle 19: Major east-west route starting at the Eje Ambiental and crossing the city to Fontibon.
• Calle 26 or Avenida El Dorado: Another of the city’s “spines,” this highway links the center of the city with the El Dorado International Airport.
• Calle 35 or Avenida La Esperanza: Running mostly through the Salitre district, this street begins in Fontibon and turns into Calle 13 closer to Downtown, crossing three main bridges at Avenida Boyaca, Avenida 68 and Avenida NQS.
• Calle 39: With houses built between 1930 and 1960 and amazing trees, this street zigzags along the Rio Arzobispo through some neighborhoods in the Chapinero and Teusaquillo districts. Great to take a walk into the city’s past.
• Calle 72 or Avenida Chile: Along with the Centro Internacional, this street has become the financial center of the city with large national and international companies headquartered here between carreras 5 and 14, including the National Coffee-Growers Federation with their trademark “Juan Valdez,” and the Colombian Stock Exchange.
• Calle 85: This street takes you from Carrera 7 to the Autopista Norte. Around Carrera 15, there are usually weekend police raids for drunk drivers, so always remember not to drink and drive.
• Calle 100: Starting at Carrera 7 and turning into Avenida 68 around Floresta, this important commercial strip borders the Usaquen, Chapinero, Suba and Barrios Unidos districts. The foreign citizen office of the DAS (the Colombian immigration agency) is located here.
• Calle 116 or Avenida Pepe Sierra: Starting at Carrera 7 where the Hacienda Santa Barbara mall is now located (the former farmhouse of Don Pepe Sierra). The Santa Bárbara and Santa Ana neighborhoods are in this zone. The street also crosses the Autopista Norte.
• Calle 140: This important route from Carrera 7 to Avenida 19 one of my personal favorites. A wide variety of design and furniture stores can be found on this mostly commercial street. Great spot to walk with a latte while making a shopping list to remodel your place.

Photo courtesy of Steven Damron