Medellín is the second most important city in Colombia, and the capital of the department of Antioquia; its average temperature is 24º and it is located 1,479 meters above sea level making it perfect for visits any time of year. Once known for violence and narcos, Medellin has been able to rise from its ashes and become a civic and lively city. It is now one of the country’s economic engines and a favorite destination for visitors worldwide. Dancing, nightlife, and fantastic city tours are part of the new, beautiful, renewed Medellin. If you are considering visiting Colombia, keep reading this article we tell you what to do to spend an unforgettable vacation in the city of eternal spring.
Provenza- el Poblado
Provenza is a neighborhood within the Poblado (the Poblado is one of the most extensive and exclusive neighborhoods in the city).
It is an area full of life every day of the week. Here, in approximately 3 km of beautiful streets, you will find exquisite restaurants, bars, discos, hotels, theaters, and shopping malls.
It is the place where locals and foreigners gather to enjoy a good beer in the afternoon and an incredible rumba at night.
If you come to the party and want to meet people, Provence and its surroundings are the places to look for accommodation. Since the end of the pandemic, Provenza has become the preferred place to meet people and party in Medellín.
Towns and surroundings
Near Medellin, you will find many villages where you can enjoy the nature of the mountains of Antioquia. Going to “public” on weekends is one of the favorite plans of Medellinenses and of the thousands of tourists that arrive every day in the capital of Antioquia.
Guatape
An hour and a half from Medellín, by car or bus, is Guatape, a picturesque village known for its lake and the Peñol stone, a monumental stone in the center of the lake. There, in addition to water sports such as kite surfing or skiing, you can enjoy the typical gastronomy of the region.
In addition, for 20,000 Colombian pesos (US$5) you can climb the stone to enjoy the panoramic view of the lake. The stone has 740 steps and it takes between 30 and 45 minutes to climb to the top.
Jardin (Garden)
“The most beautiful village of Antioquia” is Located a 2h 30min drive from Medellin. Jardín is one of the towns that still preserves its colonial aspect and is a paradise for nature lovers, full of greenery, flowers, birds, colorful houses, and very friendly people. Here you can hike in the mountains, go horseback riding, canyoning, visit ancient caves and bathe in subway waters or visit coffee plantations.
A jewel you will want to visit if you come to Medellín.
Santa Fe
It is another colonial city and patrimony of the nation. It preserves in its streets and structures the colonial style since its foundation.
It was the capital of Antioquia and the center of mining operations in the region. It is one of the local’s favorite places to spend the weekend because of Its warm temperature and lack of rain which makes it ideal to enjoy a swim or the river. The main tour is the colonial era, where you can visit all the churches and the western bridge, which connects Antioquia, Sopetran, and San Jerónimo.
Rio negro
To the west of Medellín is Río Negro, another of the busiest places in the Aburrá Valley.
If you are coming from another country, you will probably arrive at the José María Córdoba airport in Río Negro, 25 minutes from Medellín. In the area near the airport, you will find a great gastronomic variety and Arví Park, a natural reserve where you can hike, camp, or take a cable car and tour the park. Besides you can also book tours for riding horses, mountain bikes, or downhill.
Despite being a rural area, it has luxury restaurants and exclusive shopping malls. The location of llano grande (Rio negro) has been valued exponentially in recent years and is a place where complete real estate projects are developed. (If you like reggaeton or soccer, you might want to stop by llano grande, Maluma, Jbalvin, Karol G and James Rodriguez have their house there if you are lucky you might see them in the coffee shop town ;).
Comuna 13 tour
This was one of the most violent areas of Medellín; the people of this sector lived years of anxiety and anguish due to drug trafficking and crime. But just as it suffered, commune 13 lived long enough to convert its streets from trenches of war to spaces of peace, culture, and civility. Hand in hand with its people and the city, today commune 13 is an example of redemption, a popular neighborhood with a will to live that explodes everywhere that is worth knowing. Now days is one of the most tourist places in Medellin and you can discover it by taking one of their famous graffiti tours.
The tour is guided by locals (that speak English) and it takes all day from morning to afternoon is a tour through the whole commune, where you will be told its history, you will meet its people and you will feel the love and the strength that this place gives off.
Plaza Botero
Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist, born in Medellin, known for his paintings and sculptures where he gives life to a unique style, he paints, portrays, or carves only fat people. His particular style gave him worldwide fame and he is one of the most sought-after living artists in the world.
In Plaza Botero, in Medellin, you can see an exclusive gallery of sculptures of the author. Located in the center of Medellin, Botero Square is a must for all tourists in the city, ¡it is like being in an open-air museum, you will enjoy it for sure!
You can also see a mural by the artist Pedro Nel Gomez at the station’s exit. It represents the history of the city, from the time of the aborigines to the industrial revolution, and best of all, illy free, it is part of the urban design of the city
Museo de la memorial (Museum house of memory)
There are many ways to present the historical facts of Medellin, interaction… In short, we get caught up in the game and the curiosity only increases. You go from being a simple spectator to an investigator and you dive into the painful history of Medellin and the country.
The museum evokes from different angles the story of terror sown by the cartels, the guerrillas, the paramilitaries, and the government from the 70s to 2000. There are figures, testimonies, photos, in short, a bit of everything to try to understand in the best way a complex and difficult past. It is edifying and touching at the same time
Jardin Botanico
It is unique in the heart of the city. A flora living museum for you to breathe fresh air. The gardens are free to enter so you can go and chill in the grass and order a delicious lunch. It is an oasis in the middle of the city that includes a butterfly house and the orquidorama home of more than 4,500 species of plants
Thinks to know before go
Best places to stay:
If you came to the party in Medellin, Poblado is the place you want to be. There are tons of hotels, hostels, or Airbnb options to choose from.
Near Poblado, you will find Envigado, (it’s not Medellin but is part of the city’s metropolitan area) an exclusive zone where you can mix the turbulence of the city and the peace of nature
Finally, if you want to stay more than a month in Medellin, we recommend the area of Laureles Stadium and Laureles. Full of green, it is a much quieter neighborhood than the Poblado, there are not so many discos, but in exchange, you will find nearby sports facilities, museums, bars, and many places to play sports. Everything is close, the center, the town, and the north, so you can move very easily throughout the city without walking a long way.
Is Medellin Dangerous?
No…and Yes. It depends a lot on the zone you are in. Most people who come to Medellin never had trouble with insecurity, but some people do. Most cases that we know are related to drunk people that lost their way to go home (day and night) and got mugged.
To stay safe, keep your valuables (including your phone) and ask people from your hotel for warnings about certain areas, and be extra careful at night.
Wheater
“the city of eternal spring” You can be in the park on a sunny day and suddenly see the rain coming. There are dry days, rainy days, or both. However the weather is spectacular, you don’t need a jacket or coat during the day, but at night you might want a warm blanket.
Ditch the Escobar chat
People from Colombia (Medellin and Cali particularly) are tired of the Escobar talk, more, if people come with the Netflix ideal (a cool criminal respected for his exploits) In Colombia Pablo Escobar, was a terrorist and is despised by the vast majority of its population. Medellin and Colombia in general are much more than drugs, so try to avoid that topic ( it’s not taboo), but for sure you will find better things to talk about (you can also leave the Escobar t-shirt for another occasion).
No hotel tax
Foreign tourists are free to pay the 19% hotel TAX, so take it to count, and don’t let hotel people rip you off
Pollution
It is big problem in the city. Despite there being no longer factories that cause pollution and the thousands of trees in the city the administration is still fighting this problem. Take in count if you are sensitive to it
Don’t drink the water?
It is common to hear among travelers arriving in Colombia and Latin America that they should NOT drink water, it is a myth, at least for Colombia. Both in Medellin and the cities of the country, the quality of the water is excellent and it is drinkable everywhere. *Curious fact Colombia is the country with the most water sources in the world.
Way around
The subway is the best option to go from south to north, it is fast and cheap. But If you are staying in the city center, you can use the city bicycles, and go around from the center to Laureles with no problem. For both the metro and the bicycles you must get a civic card. You can use the bicycles for free and recharge money for the subway. This card is available at the metro stations: San Antonio (downtown) Niquia (south) and tIagui (south of Medellin, as well as Envigado, Itagui is now part of the metropolitan area of the city).
Also, cabs, and applications such as DIDI or UBER, operate throughout the city of Medellin.
