Medellin Bucket List
They called it the most dangerous city on Earth. That was three decades ago. Now it's innovation, street art, world-class coffee, and eternal spring weather in a green valley in the Andes. Medellin's transformation is one of the greatest urban turnaround stories of the past century.
Why Medellin belongs on your bucket list
Medellin's transformation in three decades is nothing short of miraculous. There are escalators that link the city in the valley with the hillside comunas. There are cable cars that serve as public transportation systems crisscrossing the green mountains. There are neighborhoods that were war zones just a few decades ago that now boast some of the most explosive street art in Latin America. The Paisa people are very proud of what Medellin has become, and they will tell you about it with a passion that cannot be feigned. The temperature ranges from 22 to 28 degrees at 1500 meters above sea level. They call it the City of Eternal Spring, and it is not an exaggeration. The coffee is the best in the world (it is Colombia, after all). The nightlife is off the charts. The cost of living is so low that it feels like the money in your pocket is fake.
When to go
Any time of the year is a good time to visit Medellin. The temperature does not change much from month to month. December to March and July to August are the driest with the most sun. April to May and September to November see afternoon rain showers, but the mornings are clear blue skies with the rain passing quickly. If you can visit in early August, the Flower Festival is Medellin's biggest event. There are parades of silletas (massive flower arrangements carried on the back) that take place in the streets.
Must-visit places in Medellin
Comuna 13
This was the most dangerous neighborhood in the most dangerous city in the world. That's not ancient history; that's the history that the people who live in this neighborhood can tell you about firsthand. There are now escalators that connect the hillside to the city below. There is street art on every available space on the walls, the staircases, everything. You can take a tour with the residents as your guides. They will tell you the history of the neighborhood, the cost of that history, and what they built with it. It is the most moving experience that you can have in Medellin.
Plaza Botero & Museum of Antioquia
Twenty-three oversized bronze Botero statues just sitting there in the public park. Free. Touchable. Soldiers, lovers, animals. All with that Botero rounded shape. Medellin's most famous native son, and the city made sure that everyone could see him without having to pay an admission price or stand behind a velvet rope. Next door is the Museum of Antioquia with more Botero, pre-Columbian artifacts, and modern Colombian art in a beautiful 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 mini model of a traditional Antioquian village perched on top of Cerro Nutibara in the heart of Medellin. The small village itself is kind of cute, but you don't climb this mountain for that. The reason you climb this mountain is for the 360-degree view of Medellin stretching out in a valley below. It'll take you an hour or so, including a walk through Parque de las Esculturas that surrounds this mountain. Come here in the evening. The light in this valley is something else.
Laureles
El Poblado is where tourists go. Laureles is where Paisas actually live. Middle-class, residential, on the west side of the river. It's a bit rougher but more genuine – local restaurants, bakeries, Parque de Laureles, a nice circular park where locals hang out on a Friday night. La 70 (Carrera 70) is where you'll find restaurants and bars that are actually full Thursday-Saturday night. You won't feel like a tourist here, and that's kind of the point.
Arvi Park Cable Car
The Metrocable was originally constructed as a means of bringing isolated communities on the hillsides into contact with the city. It's also one of the most incredible cable car rides in the world. Line L takes you from Santo Domingo station all the way up to Arvi Ecotourism Park, a 16,000-hectare cloud forest that sits on top of Medellin. Twenty minutes in the air, gazing down upon a valley that stretches out below you, with green mountains as far as the eye can see. The fact that this is a means of public transportation – that this is a means of people commuting to and from work – is a testament to what Medellin has managed to become.
Guatape Day Trip
Two hours east of the city. Two things to know: La Piedra del Penol is a 220-meter granite monolith with 740 steps zigzagging up the side. The view from the top, a vast reservoir with numerous green islands, is one of the best in Colombia. Second, the town itself, Guatape, is decorated with colorful bas-relief zocalos on the front of every building, and it is one of the most picturesque towns in the country. Catch an early bus. The rock gets too crowded after 10 AM.
Parque Lleras
Ground zero for nightlife. The park is packed with trees and people on the weekends, and the energy builds and builds until after 3 AM. Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs surround it on all sides. If you want to start your night with something a little more subdued, the restaurant options on Provenza, one block north, have better food and better cocktails. But you're going to end up at Parque Lleras. Everyone ends up at Parque Lleras.
Cafe Pergamino
You're in Colombia. The coffee is going to be good everywhere. But at Pergamino, you're going to learn why Colombian coffee is the best in the world. This coffee shop is a specialty roaster, and they source their coffee beans from farms in Antioquia and Huila. And the baristas use every trick in the book to make sure you enjoy it. The flagship location in El Poblado is modern, bright, and doesn't mess around. If they're offering a cupping, do it. You'll learn the difference between regions in the same country, and it will change your mind about coffee.
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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