Medellin is a complex city that has grown in popularity for tourists and expats over the years. It has a great nightlife and the Colombian culture and energy is contagious, but it is full of complexities and dichotomies that make this city a fascinating place to explore. It is by understanding the tragedies that occurred in Medellin that we can truly appreciate the joy and liveliness of the people here today.
Day 1: Understanding the Complex History of the City of Medellin
We like to start our time in a city by going on a walking tour of the historical center to understand the background of the place that we are visiting.
A MUST-DO Free Walking Tour in Medellin
A Traditional Lunch: Bandeja Paisa
The Museo Casa de la Memoria
After lunch, you can complete this day of learning at the Museo Casa de la Memoria. (You can walk from the lunch restaurant to this museum.) This free museum discusses the effects of the political and social unrest from the drug trade, lack of government control, and guerilla, narco trafficking, and paramilitary fighting that ravaged the country from the 1970s to today. They discuss how this internal conflict has affected the people of Colombia and continues to have detrimental effects on different communities, with many people having gone missing, whole communities having been displaced, and entire generations having been traumatized. This museum is about not letting the memory of these tragedies be forgotten so they are not repeated in the future. The museum has an audio guide in different languages that can be downloaded on your phone, allowing the different panels to be translated into different languages and giving every person a guide to the museum.
Day 2: Exploring Comuna 13 in Medellin
A Guided Experience Through the Neighborhood
For your second day in the city, you will dive deeper into what happened in the city of Medellin by visiting the revitalized Comuna 13, a comune made of many different neighborhoods that was uniquely controlled by the paramilitary FARC group in the early 2000s and was part of a few governmental military operations to try and regain control of this part of the city. These operations were found to have violated the human rights of the inhabitants of Comuna 13 but the community is resilient. Today, it has turned the story and their community around, becoming one of the most visited places within the entire city of Medellin.
The best way to visit Comuna 13 and learn about the history and impact of the entire Comuna 13 story is with a guided tour from a member of the community. As the popularity of this comune has increased, so have the number of tours and tourists, with over 10,000 people visiting the community every day, and some tours are no longer run by members of the community. Having someone who has lived through the tragedies of this comune gives a better perspective of the complexities of these conflicts. They are able to explain the nuances of having FARC and ELM members control the area, both the pros and cons, and the complex impact of the government intervention to regain control.
After the tour, you can continue to walk through the neighborhoods, focusing on the tourist section which is full of coffee shops, souvenir shops, dance groups, and murals that highlight the evolution of this community.
Seeing the City of Medellin from Above
Because Medellin is located in a valley, much of the city has become stacked onto the mountainsides as it has grown over the decades. To help give access to the people living on these mountainsides, the city has built a public transportation system that includes cable cars or metro-cables. While these are true forms of transportation used by the people of Medellin, they also provide a nice way for tourists to see the entire city from an aerial viewpoint. From Comuna 13, you can walk to the Metrocable stop San Javier J. You will want to take the Metrocable to La Aurora and back to get the best views of the city and understand the expanse of the city. It is not recommended to go into the neighborhood at the La Aurora station and you do not even have to get off the Metrocable when you get there. From the San Javier J station, you can take the metro to go back to your accommodations.
To take the Metrocable (or any form of public transportation in Medellin), you can purchase a card and add money on it with cash at the ticket counters of the metro or metrocable stations.
Day 3: Discovering Guatape
Guatape is a small, colorful town outside of Medellin. It is one of the most popular places to visit when coming to Medellin. Through a tour, you will visit the rock of Guatape, the lake adjacent to the rock, and the town of Guatape in a long day tour.
Note: It is also possible to visit the rock and the town using public transportation. Visiting it independently is the best option if you are comfortable with navigating transportation in Medellin. It will allow you to visit the rock on your own terms, spending as much or as little time as you want and then potentially staying overnight in the town of Guatape so you can experience it without all the tourists. There are also hotels and eco-lodges around the Guatape lake where you can relax for a few days if you are looking to spend even more time in this area – you may need to rent a car for this option.
The Guatape Day Tour From Medellin
After climbing the rock, you will go to the town of Guatape where you will get a small tour of the town and have free time to walk around. You also have the option to take a tuk tuk ride to some further landmarks in town where the driver can tell you some more information about the town. After the ride, you will still have time to take in the central iconic streets of the town.
Next, you will go to lunch at a roadside restaurant, although there are some delicious snacks and coffee that you can get in Guatape before lunch. After, you will get the opportunity to take a boat ride on the Guatape lake where you can take in the different mansions around the lake, including the abandoned and destroyed vacation home of Pablo Escobar and famous Colombian soccer player, James Rodriguez. Finally, you will head back to Medellin where you will be dropped off in El Poblado.
Overall, this full day tour is a great comprehensive introduction to the Guatape area, explaining the history and purpose of the lake and showing the current culture of the region.
Options for Day 4 in Medellin
For your final day in Medellin, we have laid out some different options for you based on your interests. You can also spend even more days in the city to explore even more of these different options.
Option 1: If You Want to Explore More of Medellin’s Culture…
Pueblito Paisa, a Recreation of Old Medellin (1 Hour)
You can start your day by taking an Uber to Pueblito Paisa, a recreation of the original main square in Medellin at the top of a hill. The recreated town is a cute tourist attraction with different shops and restaurants where you can get traditional snacks and souvenirs. There used to be a great viewpoint at Mirador Turistico Cerro Nutibara but it may be blocked off for repairs (October 2024). If the viewpoint is closed, take in the town recreation and order an Uber to take you to your next destination.
A Respite at the Castillo (2 Hours)
Your next stop of the day will be the Castillo, a castle built in the center of Medellin. This is a great place for a picnic so pick up some snacks and sandwiches the prior day to be able to really relax and take in these beautiful grounds. At the Castillo, you have the option of purchasing a ticket for just the gardens or for both the gardens and a tour of the home interior. (A tour of the interior is really optional and depends on your interest in seeing the home of a wealthy family. The tour is only given in Spanish.) If you do not get a tour of the home, you can still freely walk around the gardens, which go all around the castle. It is amazing to be in such a peaceful location in the heart of a large city.
Walk Around Laurales or Poblado - Depending On Where Your Accommodations Are (2 Hours)
Finally, you will spend some time walking around either Laurales or Poblado, depending on where your accommodations are. (You will want to walk around the neighborhood you are not currently staying in.)
Laureles: This neighborhood is a peaceful residential neighborhood that is full of cute coffee shops, delicious restaurants, and tree-lined streets. It is a nice place to walk around and people-watch.
Poblado: The Poblado neighborhood is the most popular one for tourists. It is the nightlife hub of the city for travelers and is full of restaurants, bars, and clubs. During the day, it has some nice parks, some with markets, that are great to walk through and explore. At night, the neighborhood completely transforms into a party.
Option 2: If You Want to Get Out in Nature…
Parque Arvi (½ Day - Full Day)
Parque Arvi is a nature preserve right outside of Medellin. To get there, you can take the Metrocable K to the Metrocable L to the end of the line where you will arrive at the park. There are hiking routes within the park and areas for picnics and relaxation, making it a nice respite outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. You can spend as much time as you want in this nature park. Getting there and back is an experience in itself with great views over the city on the Metrocable if you are short on time and cannot spend time within the park.
Option 3: If It’s Raining… or If You Want To Explore Some Museums… (Especially for Families)
Botanical Garden + Parque Explora (½ Day - Full Day)
If you are traveling with children, these are some nice options within Medellin. The botanical garden and Parque Explora are right next to each other, making them easy to visit and spend a whole day exploring. To get to both of these attractions, you can take the Niquia-La Estrella (A) metro line to Universidad.
Botanical Garden: The Botanical Gardens is a great place to explore the biodiversity of Colombia and the world. (Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world.) It showcases 600 different trees, covers 14 hectares of land, and contains a lake, butterfly garden, and pavilion. It is a nice place to wander through and take in some fresh air within the city.
Parque Explora: Parque Explora is an interactive science museum, located in the same campus area as the botanical gardens. It contains different interactive attractions, the largest freshwater aquarium in South America, a planetarium, and more. The aquarium highlights some of the different species that inhabit Colombia’s rivers and oceans. If you are looking for a place to explore more about Colombia, especially with children, then this museum and the Botanical Garden could be the right place for you.
Museum of Antioquia (½ Day)
This art museum in the historic center of Medellin has some of the most important collections of art for the city of Medellin. In particular, it houses a large collection of paintings by Fernando Botero, the most famous and popular artist from Colombia. He is monumental to the culture of the city and this museum is a great way to explore his work beyond his statues that stand in the plaza outside of the museum, known as Botero Plaza.
