Holidays & puentes

Colombia has ~18 public holidays a year, one of the highest counts in the world. Most fall on a Monday by law (the Ley Emiliani moves them to create a long weekend), which Colombians call a puente ("bridge").

On a lunes festivo, banks and most offices close, but malls, restaurants, supermarkets, and tourist sites stay open. Traffic out of the city Friday afternoon and back into the city Monday night is intense, locals flee to fincas in the campo.

Three holidays cluster around Semana Santa (Holy Week) in March or April, Thursday and Friday are off, and many people take the whole week. Book flights and accommodation early.