Visiting Medellin, Colombia

Medellin is located in the state of Antioquia in central Colombia. It is the second largest city in Colombia behind Bogota, but it lags behind Bogota and Cartagena in tourism. The people of this region, full of beautiful mountains and coffee plantations, are called los paisas, and everyone I met was exceedingly helpful and very friendly.

I’m sure your first reaction about traveling to Colombia, including my decision to go alone, is probably full of the history associated with this city, drugs and violence, and it’s most infamous resident, Pablo Escobar. The city has changed a lot since the death of Escobar in 1992. The government has made many investments in infrastructure and services, including the metro system and libraries built to provide educational information and internet access to everyone.

It was a wonderful place to visit, but Medellin is not yet a place I would recommend that anyone and everyone visit. Not speaking Spanish is a real liability when navigating this city. Many people speak English, but it’s not commonplace like it is elsewhere in South America. Also, some of the areas directly surrounding top attractions are a little rough for most tourist’s taste. It’s a great place off the beaten path to visit, which was exactly what I was looking for!

Over the next 5 to 10 years, I think Colombia is poised to take off as a really amazing tourist destination. I’m not the only one. Plenty of people more traveled than me agree. The variety of terrain from the Caribbean and Pacific beaches to the mountains Medellin and the coffee region with the welcoming nature of the Colombian people are an amazing combination. I look forward to seeing more of Colombia and how it continues to develop.

My Photos of Colombia 2010

Top Attractions in Medellin

For more information and specifics check out Things to Do in Medellin from the Medellin Travel Guide and from Trip Advisor.

- Plaza Botero – The plaza dedicated to Fernando Botero and filled with his fantastical sculptures.
- Museo de Antioquia – A museum filled with Colombian art, especially the paintings and sculptures of Botero, on the top floor, including the famous Pablo Escobar Dead.
- Parque Berrio & Bolivar Square – Well known squares for people watching and taking in some shade during a hot afternoon.
- Palacio De Cultura “Rafael Uribe Uribe” - An amazing checkered, Gothic-style building right off of the Plaza Botero, which houses government offices and various exhibitions.
- Calle Junin - a pedestrian street in the center of the city that ends in Bolivar Square.
- El Poblado, Parque Lleras, & Zona Rosa – All within the high end part of town, they’re filled with plenty of shopping, restaurants, and bars. I recommend staying in El Poblado on at least your first trip to Medellin.
- Parque de Los Deseos (Park of Wishes) – An outdoor urban complex with the planetarium and a number of other attractions geared toward kids.
- Parque de los Pies Descalzos (Bare Foot Park) – Another outdoor urban park designed to provide a range of sensory experiences for your feet – from gravel, to grass, to sand, and shallow pools of water. It’s a very nice space to spend part of an afternoon. Many of the restaurants have patio tables outside in the shade overlooking the park.
- Cerro Nutibara & El Pueblito Paisa – Great views overlooking the whole city of Medellin from the top of the park, but not otherwise, El Pubelito Paisa is very touristy and not worth the trip. This is included in the Turibus itinerary, which is why I saw it.
- Turibus de Medellin – I’m not normally inclined to take a tour bus. Typically, I’d rather wander around the city myself walking and stopping whenever I want. This trip I made an exception, and I’m glad I did. The bus trip is 4 hours around the city with short scheduled stops at various locations. It gave me a great overview of which spots I wanted to return to when the trip was over. Beware, some days the guides only speak Spanish.

Other Attractions

- Day trip to Santa Fe de Antioquia - Many hotels work with dedicated tour guides, including the Dann Carlton. The trip cost me about $160 (approx COL$280,000) for the whole day. I probably could have negotiated the rate down a little, but I didn’t. The drive to Santa Fe is quicker now that they’ve built a tunnel through the mountain. The views after emerging on the other side of the tunnel are amazing! Santa Fe is much low in a valley, and it’s hot!
- Cable Cars & Bibliotecas - The cable cars take you up over the city, over poorer areas where tourists typically wouldn’t go, and offer amazing views. I didn’t go up the cable car because I’d already seen some amazing views and ridden through these areas of town enroute to Santa Fe. Supposedly, the best of the two cable cars to see starts at the Acevedo metro station. At the top of the Acevedo cable car is one of the libraries built by the government as part of the rehabilitation of the city. The cable car is included in the metro fare and is actually part of the metro transportation system used by commuters, not just tourists. See Fly Over Medellin for Less than a Dollar.
- Villages of Antioquia – see Medellin’s Hidden Treasures, Retiro: Medellin’s Second Floor by Colombia reports, and Vuelta a Oriente by Land Venture Tours
- El Peñol and Guatape recommended by Maurico who took me to Santa Fe. He also takes tours here along with many other tour guides and companies.

Food & Restaurants

The traditional dish in this part of Colombia is Bandeja Paisa, which includes any combination of beans, rice, pork, avocado, plantain, and chorizo. The Bandeja Paisa I tried omitted the avocado and chorizo and included a fried egg all wrapped in a plantain leaf. It was great! The area is also known for it’s great fruit juices, including some found only in Colombia. Most of the eating I did on this trip was on the street or from a little hole in the wall. I didn’t try any of the restaurants, but they were the ones I’d planned to visit until other more informal food options came up. Since I was traveling alone, I found other things to do than spending time seated by myself at a nice restaurant.

I thought I’d provide the list of restaurant I’d planned to visit since it might help you.
- Salón Málaga, Carrera 51 (Bolivar) #45-80 (recommended by Colombia Reports)
- Bijao, Carrera 37 A # 8-66 in Parque Lleras (recommended by The Medellin Travel Blog)
- Carmen, Carrera 36 # 10A-27 in Zona Rosa (various other sources)
- Ajiacos y Mondongos, Calle 8 #42-46 LUNCH ONLY (recommended by Medellin Travel Blog)
- El Herbario, Carrera 43D 10-30 (recommended by Trip Advisor)

Where to Stay
Without a shadow of a doubt, I recommend staying in El Poblado. I choose to stay in El Poblado because I’d head that Downtown Medellin can be a little sketchy after dark, and if I returned I would stay there again.

- Hotel Dann Carlton Medellin, on Avenida El Poblado (recommended by Frommer’s South America and by The Medellin Travel Blog). This is where I stayed. The hotel was very nice, clean, and accommodating. The breakfast buffet was included and had plenty of options – including hot chocolate instead of coffee in the morning. Sometimes the sounds of Parque Lleras can get very loud late into the night. Be prepared, and bring some earplugs. Or ask for a room on the other side of the building. Other than that, the hotel was great.
- Park 10, Carrera 36B. I had heard of this hotel and met some women from Miami who staved here. They raved about it.
- There are less expensive options than the two listed above, but I would do my best to find one in the same area.

For More Information
If a website is in Spanish use the Chrome browser by Google, and say yes to the translate option when the toolbar appears.

- My Father Pablo Escobar, the most notorious drug lord in history, The Times Online (UK)
- Medellin Living – see Pablo Escobar’s Grave and Address Where Pablo Escobar Was Killed
- Can Colombia compete with Panama tourism?
- Good Times in Medellin by Newsweek
- The Bohemian Traveler on Colombia – see Yes, Mother, I’m Going to Colombia
- Matador Network on Medellin – see 10 Reasons Colombia is Not As Dangerous As You Think
- Suite 101 on Colombia – see Medellin, Colombia – A City Reborn, Insider’s Guide to Medellin, Colombia, & Top Tourist Attractions in Medellin, Colombia
- Guia Turistica de Medellin (in Spanish)
- The Medellin Travel Blog – see Five Things You Didn’t Know About Colombia
- Medellin Traveler – see Medellin Travel Guide
- Don’t bother looking at the New York Times Travel information on Colombia unless you are visiting Cartagena or Bogota (as of 12/30/2010).
- Wikitravel Medellin; Poor But Happy, Free Backpacker Travelguide to Colombia.
- The Arepa – recommendations for restaurants and bars