Medellin Activities - Best Things to Do Uncover Colombia
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Travel to Medellin: City of Eternal Spring!

Medellin is the second-largest city in Colombia and a world-class modern city with stunning architecture. Once considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world because of drug cartels, Medellin has reinvented itself into a pleasant place. Sprawling green parks, chic neighbourhoods, fun nightlife, and interesting museums, there are plenty of things to do in Medellin.

It is called the "City of Eternal Spring" due to its perfect combination of warm days and cool nights. Surrounded by flower farms, Medellin is one of the main flower producing centres in Colombia.

Visiting Medellin will delight you with its sophistication and wealth attractions. You will find many interesting places for a tour in Medellin or a day trip out of the city. It offers fabulous natural places such as Parque Arvi with ecological trails for hiking and the possibility of bird watching. You can also enjoy the Botanical Garden, the largest green lung in the city, which has more than 400 plants and more than thousands of species of flora. Or, explore interesting areas such as Comuna 13 or Parque Lleras

Top Places to Visit in Medellin

 

Comuna 13: Once known as one of the most dangerous spots in Medellin, Comuna 13 now serves as an inspiring example of how a community can improve thanks to the hard work of citizens and social programs. The neighborhood can be reached by using a series of escalators and is adorned with colorful graffiti which signifies the area’s dark past and hopeful future.

Parque Arvi: Perched above the city center, Parque Arvi offers nature lovers a host of activities such as swimming, horseback riding, hiking and spotting butterflies in designated gardens. It’s best to take a cable car up to the entrance of the park to get a panoramic view of Medellin

 

Plaza Botero: This Square features sculptures created by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero. He is known for making pieces that appear “chubby.” The Antioquia Museum, located on one end of the square, is where visitors can see more works from Botero and other important artists.

Pueblito Paisa: It is a space dedicated to the traditional towns of Antioquia, thus becoming a replica commemorating the Paisa tradition. Located on the top of Cerro de Nutibara, the small town has balconies that give a wonderful view to the city of Medellín. Visitors can get directly involved with the culture that commemorates this place.

Museo el Castillo: Medellin boasts a Castle Museum housed in a French-style castle, offering guided tours showcasing European furniture, china, paintings, and books, alongside the unique history of its construction and transformation into a museum.

 

 

 

The Botanical Garden of Medellín: Constructed in 1913, It received the name of Joaquín Antonio Uribe in commemoration of the great naturist Sonsón. It is a research center and a shelter of hundreds of species of fauna and vegetables of Colombia. You’ll find an exhibition and events room, an auditorium,the desert garden, the orquideorama, and more.

Historical Museum of Antioquia: It is the first museum that was founded in the department of Antioquia, at the end of 1881. Today,  the Museo de Antioquia has a collection of 5,000 pieces, ranging from archaeological pieces to works of contemporary art and covers all the eras of Colombian history.

Parque Explora: One of the largest parks in Latin America, this interactive science museum and aquarium has more than 300 experiences for the entire family. You will find activities related to different subjects such as Neuroscience, Colombian biodiversity, social media, thermodynamics and physics. Don’t miss the huge aquarium inhabited by more than 400 species of salt and freshwater.

 

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Medellin Tours

Comuna 13 Medellin Tour

from £57

4 Hours

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Guatape and El Peñol Day Trip

from £180

8 Hours

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Comuna 13 and Colombia Flower Farm Tour

from £158

8 Hours

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Small Towns and Medellin Tour

from £435

3 Days

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Best Things to do in Medellin

  • Flower Farm Tour:  Visit one of several flower farms located outside of Medellin. Local farmers will walk visitors through the whole flower cultivation process as well as demonstrate the traditional and intricate flower arranging ritual. Creating flower arrangements is a culturally significant activity in this area of Colombia.
  • Walking in Comuna 13: Comuna 13 used to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Medellin. After the government and community committed to improvements, the area is now a vibrant spot to see large works of graffiti and learn about Colombian urban culture. This visit is definitely one of the activities to be included in your day tour in Medellin.
  • Metro cable ride: To have a good time and get to know the whole city from above, you can choose a ride on Metro cable. In addition to being a fast and practical transport is a tourist attraction where you can see a panoramic view when passing through the different sectors of the city of Medellin that meets the metro route.
  • Discover the Barefoot Park: This park is a fresh urban space where there are many water sources that are placed next to platforms with sand and green areas with imposing bamboos. The space is incredibly popular with families, as children use it as a water park in warm evenings, it is also an excellent place to relax and enjoy the day.
  • Spend a few hours in the Botanical Garden: Walk around the small lake and look for birds or iguanas, go to the little house of the butterflies or just walk under the impressive ceiling of the orchid exhibition. For those who yearn for a bit of zen and tranquility, the Botanical Garden is one of the best options in Medellín.
  • Discover the nightlife in Lleras Park: Located in the center of El Poblado, the most exclusive and elegant neighborhood of the city, it is the heart of the nightlife here in Medellin. There are clubs at the top of the clubs and the whole scene is pretty wild. Even if nightlife is not your thing, it's still a place you should have a look at least once during your visit to Medellin.

 

Day trips from

Medellin

Guatape: Located at one hour driving from Medellin, Guatape is a small town famous for its colourful zocalos and the proximity to El Peñol a 200m-high granite monolith. This enormous rock can be scaled for the spectacular view by a 649-step staircase built into a fissure. Guatape is perfect for a day trip from Medellin.

Santa Fe de Antioquia: Located at only 2 hrs driving from Medellin, it is one of the best-preserved colonial towns in Colombia.

Jardin: This small town, about 4 hours from Medellin, is one of the most beautiful and charming towns in the region. 

Nature Reserve Rio Claro: This spectacular reserve is great for hiking, birding, or kayaking. It is about 4 hours from Medellin.

Medellin Travel Information

Best time to go

When is the best time to visit Medellin?

Weather:
Compared to the weather in the rest of Colombia, Medellin is known as the “city of eternal spring” due to its favorable climate and incredible diversity of stunning flora always in bloom around the city.

  • The temperature generally varies from 16 ° C to 26 ° C and rarely drops below 15 ° C or rises above 27 ° C.
  • The summers are hot, the winters are comfortable and it’s wet and cloudy all year round. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Medellin for hot-weather activities is from mid-December to early March.

 

Festivals:
The city is one of the main cultural centers of Colombia. Medellín carries out important and recognized festivities at local, national and international level such as:

  • Hay Festival (January): It's a cultural festival that has more than 20 small events such as projection of films or talks with internationally known researchers and authors. You can find the different events in parks, libraries or museums.
  • Colombiamoda (July): It's the most important fashion fair that takes place in Colombia, in this event national and international designers are famous for their designs and the quality of their collections.
  • The Flower Festival (August): During this festival, the Medellin is filled with displays, competitions, and parades that explain and showcase the incredible flowers grown in the area and the culture that has developed with this agricultural activity. This ten-day festival also includes cultural shows, horse or automobile parades and beauty contests.
  • Altavoz (October): This 3-day music festival features bands from all around the world. It’s the perfect mix between electro, reggae and rock so you surely find something that suits your taste.
Transports

The best transports in Medellin

How do I travel to medellin?

  • By plane:  From Europe there are several flights to Colombia. The main airlines that connect directly with Europe are Iberia, Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways and Avianca, almost always with a stopover in Bogota. Upon arrival at the José María Córdova International Airport, located in the municipality of Rionegro, east of Medellín, you can take a taxi that takes you directly to your hotel or holiday apartment, in an approximate time of 45 minutes
  • By bus: There is also an efficient bus service, which reaches downtown Medellín. If you are traveling by road from Bogotá or another Colombian city, you will arrive at one of Medellin's bus terminals. The service is very efficient, comfortable and safe. The bus terminals are the collection centers for transportation to the small towns of Antioquia, and to the tourist centers on the outskirts of Medellin. 

 

How do I move around?

Medellín is the Colombian city with the best public transportation system in Colombia. For all tourists, it is easy to get around the subway, tram and metrocable, as well as the public bus service, taxis and Uber, all at a very economical cost.

  • The Metro de Medellín has two lines: A and B. The first crosses the city from north to south and the second from east to west. Both have transshipment to the different metrocable lines (aerial cabins) and tram without an additional cost. Through the Metro you can reach the most important tourist sites in the city.
  • More than 20 thousand taxis roll through the streets of Medellín and the metropolitan area, in a service that is very affordable and accessible at any time of the day and night.
  • Also, Uber provides services in the X and Black categories. As in other parts of the world, the platform is not legal, so precautions must be taken when using it.
Safety

Is it safe to travel to Medellin?

Medellin is the second-largest city in Colombia after Bogota. Once considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world because of drug cartels, Medellin has reinvented itself into an incredibly pleasant place. But, don't forget, like in any other big city in the world, you can encounter some petty theft.

These are some simple tips that should keep you out of trouble:

  • Don’t flash large amounts of money in public
  • Look out for pickpockets on public transportation
  • Call or use a smartphone app to arrange for a taxi instead of hailing it on the street
  • Be aware of your surroundings
  • Keep your phones and cameras out of sight
  • Don’t wear flashy jewellery
  • Avoid taking cards or passports out with you

 

Traditional

Food

The gastronomy of Antioquia and Medellín expresses the way of life of the farmers and muleteers who worked all day and prepared their food during the day. Corn and beans, along with meats and fish, are important in Antioquia cuisine. Learn which are the typical dishes that delight the palate of the inhabitants and visitors of this wonderful city!

Bandeja paisa: Dish par excellence of Antioquia cuisine. Traditionally, the paisa tray is presented with the following ingredients: beans, white rice, roasted meat, pork rinds, chorizo, sweet plantains or tostones, fried egg, avocado and a white or yellow arepita Antioqueña. 

Calentao: The typical breakfast of Medellin, it is a dish of food that was not consumed the previous day. In the hotels you can find it in a mixture of rice, beans and eggs. We recommend you accompany it with an arepa. 

Mondongo: The mondongo is a consistent soup that includes pork, tripe and chorizo. For this soup to be one of the best you should cook the meats next to the vegetables in a pot until everything is well cooked. 

El Quesito Antioqueño: Is one of the favourite accompaniments when eating arepas. It is a special type of fresh cheese, made with rennet and bovine milk.

Arepa Paisa: The arepa paisa is a delicious food that accompanies any dish of the families of Antioquia. According to experts, the Arepa Paisa is one of the recipes that most closely matches the processes of cooking of indigenous food.

El Guarapo: The guarapo is a drink that is obtained from cane honey or panela, it can be fermented or unfermented. It is prepared in earthenware vessels that at their bases have "cunchos" a type of yeast that allows fermentation and is dissolved in water. 

Any question?

Get in Touch

If you are planning to visit Medellin and its surroundings and have any question about tours and activities to do in this amazing city, just get in touch we are here to help!

More Travel Tips to Visit Medellin

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