Medellin Bucket List
Three decades ago, they called it the most dangerous city on Earth. Today, it's innovation, street art, world-class coffee, and eternal spring weather in a green valley in the Andes. As probably the greatest urban turnaround story of the past century, it's the city of eternal spring that really gives hope.
Why Medellin belongs on your bucket list
Medellin has transformed over the past thirty years. New escalators connect the city in the valley with the comunas of the hillside. Cable cars serve as a public transportation system that crisscrosses the green mountains. Neighborhoods that were war zones just a few decades ago are now home to some of the most explosive street art in Latin America. The Paisa people are proud of what their city has become, and they will tell you about it with a passion that cannot be faked. The temperature hovers between 22 and 28 degrees at 1500 meters above sea level. They call it the City of Eternal Spring, and it is no exaggeration. The coffee is the best in the world (that goes without saying, it is Colombia). The nightlife is insane. The cost of living is so low that it feels like the money in your pocket is Monopoly money.
When to go
Medellin is welcoming any time of the year. The weather is consistent throughout the year. The months of December to March and July to August are the driest with the most sunshine. The Shoulder seasons of April to May and September to November have beautiful clear mornings with a short rain shower in the afternoon. If you can book your vacation in early August, you will be in town to witness the grandest event in Medellin, the Flower Festival. There is a week of parades and mule pageantry in the streets.
Must-visit places in Medellin
Comuna 13
This used to be the wildest barrio in the wildest city on earth. And that is not history that happened so long ago, the people who live here today can tell you all about it. There are now escalators connecting the hillside to the town below. There is street art covering every inch of the walls, the staircases, everything. You can take a tour and have the residents show you around. They will tell you about the history that tore the neighborhood apart, the price they paid, and what they have managed to build with it. It is the single most powerful thing to do in Medellin.
Plaza Botero & Museum of Antioquia
Twenty-three large bronze Botero statues are simply there in the public park. No charge. Reach out and touch. Soldiers, lovers, animals. Humanize the Botero round. The most famous child of Medellin, and the city ensured that everybody could see him without charge or through a sight-preventing rifle. Next door is the Museum of Antioquia, with more Botero, pre-Colombian artifacts, and modern Colombian past in a stunning Art Deco building.
El Poblado
Where most tourists stay in Medellin, and I can see why. Provenza has tree-lined streets with specialty coffee houses, fusion restaurants, rooftop bars with views of the mountains in the background. Parque Lleras is a party at night with clubs and salsa bars. The Metro is there to get you to any other place that you might want to go. Yes, it is a little bit gentrified. Yes, it is a little bit touristy. But it is also very walkable, very safe, and very fun. Sometimes the easy choice is the right one.
Jardin Botanico
Fourteen hectares of tropical peace in the heart of the city. The Orquideorama, a wooden lattice work of orchid displays, is architecturally stunning. There are over 1,000 species of plants, iguanas strolling about, and turtles sunbathing. It's free to get in. Locals run here, picnic here, and get away from the city here. It's as if this oasis shouldn't be in a city, and yet it is. The Parque Explora science museum is excellent if you have kids.
Pueblito Paisa
A small-scale replica of the region's traditional Antioquian pueblo, built on the summit of Cerro Nutibara right in the middle of Medellín. The pueblo is pleasant enough, but you don't climb this cerro for that. You scale this hill for the panorama, a 360-degree view of Medellín spread out in the valley below. It's a good hour-long climb, which includes a stroll through Parque de las Esculturas that rings the cerro. Come in the late afternoon: the light in the valley can be magical.
Laureles
El Poblado is the tourist zone. Laureles is the neighborhood of the city where locals reside. It is a middle-class area located on the west side of the river. A bit rougher but more authentic. There are local restaurants, bakeries, Parque de Laureles, a nice circular park where locals even have a beer on a Friday night. La 70 (Carrera 70) has the restaurants and bars that are full Thursday-Saturday night. You won´t feel like a tourist, and that´s kind of the point.
Arvi Park Cable Car
The Metrocable was built so that these isolated hillside communities would be in contact with the city. It is also one of the coziest cable car rides you will be on in your life. Línea L brings you from Santo Domingo (the original end of the Metrocable) all the way up to Arvi Ecotourism Park, a 16,000-hectare cloud forest that serves as a cap over Medellin. Twenty minutes in the air with a full-on wide open valley below you, and green mountains in all directions. That this is a form of public transportation — that this is how people get to and from their jobs — is a testament to Medellin.
Guatape Day Trip
Just a couple of hours to the east of the city are two of Antioquia’s most famous attractions. La Piedra del Peñol is a 220-meter granite monolith. Its 740 steps take you nearly a hundred meters above the surrounding lakes and reservoirs tampered waters, a surreal view of the water twinkling between the neighboring green hills and mountains. Only a five-minute walk from the rock is this perfect (and free) viewing spot. Collected near the base of the dam, the water is snake-like in appearance, especially in the hours just after dawn. Then catch a bus to the town of Guatape, possibly the most colorful and cleanest of all of Colombia’s pueblo.
Parque Lleras
Nightlife epicenter. The park is filled with trees and people on the weekends, and the vibe gets higher and higher until after 3 AM. Eateries, bars, and clubs of every sort and status border it. If you’re aiming for a quieter beginning to the evening, and better food and cocktails most likely, try the restaurant choices on Provenza, one block to the north. But you will eventually be lured to Parque Lleras. Everyone is.
Cafe Pergamino
Colombia is known for having excellent coffee, so you can expect to get a good cup just about anywhere. However, if you want to truly understand what makes Colombian coffee the best in the world, head to Pergamino. This Colombian specialty roaster gets its beans from family farms in Antioquia and Huila, and its skilled baristas take all the necessary precautions to ensure the perfect cup. The sleek, modern space in El Poblado is a testament to their focus. If they're hosting a cupping (where you taste and compare coffees), sign yourself up — you'll be amazed at how different coffees from the same country can be.
Medellin insider tips
- Getting Around: The Metro is clean and efficient and is basically everything. The Metrocable is useful for those in the hills. Uber and InDriver are great fillers.
- Safety: Much safer than its reputation. Don't be too trusting of locals and electronics. Don't walk alone at night if you don't know the area well. Use ride-sharing apps to get around instead of hailing random cabs.
- Spanish: English is not as prevalent here as it was in Mexico City and Buenos Aires tourist areas. Learning even the basics of Spanish will greatly improve your experience. Get the Google Translate Offline Dictionary for Spanish before you leave.
- Coffee: Don't just drink it. Go on a coffee plantation tour to see how it's really made. Combia and Tour de Cafe are good tour operators to consider for a day trip to the coffee plantations in the mountains.
- Currency: Colombian Peso (COP). ATMs are plentiful. Most restaurants accept cards. Keep cash for street food and street taxis.
- Altitude: 1,500 meters. Yes, you will feel it if you are planning to be active. Take it easy on the first day. It will fly by.
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