Bucaramanga is a city in the Santander department of Eastern Andino.
Bucaramanga is a medium sized city, home to nearly 1 million inhabitants (all of the metropolitan area). It's a major commercial hub in northeastern Colombia, playing a significant role in trade between Colombia and Venezuela. It's not a huge touristy destination like Cartagena or Santa Marta but nonetheless it is surrounded by beautiful landscapes and ancient towns with a lot of history, which overall makes the visit to Bucaramanga worthwhile.
The Metrolínea bus system uses exclusive lanes making many trips faster and more comfortable. It is safe and clean [1] although it is almost always full. Tickets around COP$2150. Plentiful, and all run on meters. For added security take a note of the number plates, or even better: request a cab by telephone.
There are plenty of things to sightseeing in Bucaramanga, starting from the east side via Cúcuta you can find nice and large balconies and enjoy a panoramic view of the city. The center of Bucaramanga gets really crowded on weekends and peak hours, however you can enjoy lots of bargains and sales in the shops, nice quality of clothes and shoes of course. In the south of Bucaramanga you can find different resorts or clubs where you can play golf, futbol, swim, or just chill out with your friends. Generally the most popular zone in Bucaramanga is Cabecera, this is the most modern area in the city with lots of malls and entertainment like cinemas, restaurants and shops.
Visit the parks because Bucaramanga is the city of parks, it is known as "la ciudad de los parques" Visit the colonial town of Girón. Local buses labeled "Trans Giron", among others, can be hailed from anywhere in Bucaramanga (Carreras 15, 22, 33, etc...) and go directly to the colonial quarter in around 25 minutes. Visit Panachi (Chicamocha's National Park) [2] Visit la Mesa de Los Santos Practice extreme sports (rappel, kayak, paragliding, etc.) Colombia Paragliding. Ruitoque is the best place in Colombia for tandem and paragliding courses. Colombia paragliding is an Internationally qualified company offering the best and most qualified guides. Visit the many shopping centers.
Traditional Santanderean dishes include: Cabro: Goat meat. Mute: A thick soup made with beans, corn, garbanzos, potatoes, various meats (including fresh pig feet, pork loin chops, beef spareribs). Pepitoria: rice with pieces of special meats. The Pepitoria is served with Cabro, fried yucca or plantains. Fritanga : If you don't mind some grease and fried food, you should try fritanga. It consists of an assortment of different kind of sausages, yuca, potatoes, corn, steak, and others, all deep-fried.
Three mid/upscale concentrations of bars and clubs, all within a few minutes walk from one another: Parque Las Palmas (Calle 44 con Carrera 29) Calle 52 between Carreras 34 and 35 Carreras 34 and 35 between Calles 47 and 48 For more working class audience walk westwards along Carrera 33 from Calle 44. Some of the popular places to hang out in Bucaramanga are: "Con Arte" "Saxo" "Fortyfour" "Opus 27" "La Calle" "Giron Chill Out - Cocktail Bar y Restaurante Italiano"
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Bucaramanga typically sees ~26°C daytime highs and 31 rainy days.
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