Medellin is my favorite city in the world and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to call this place my home for 15 years.
I was born and raised in London and I love showing my friends and families what is so amazing about my adopted home. I always look to put together a fun, varied itinerary to introduce them to the culture, music, food, history, nature and people of this great city.
In this article, I have drawn up a plan which would be perfect for one of Colombia’s annual 3-day weekends. Enjoy!
Before starting, you’ll find the points of interest of the article on this map:
Day 1: Exploring the Heart of the City
☀️ Morning: Free Walking Tour Downtown
🕙 10:00 – 13:30
An excellent way to learn about the history and culture of Medellin is by taking the free walking tour around the downtown area.
The knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides tell the story of Medellin from the initial founders, throughout the turbulence, progress and up until the present day.
Many tourists will come to Medellin and rarely visit El Centro but this tour will take you to a lot of the key points of interest and how you get your bearings. I would definitely avoid wandering around at night but the day is quite safe if you take care of pickpockets and it is great to explore the vibrant center of the city.
The tour is as free as advertised but tips will be expected, when I went with my mum we gave 50,000 COP (US$12.50) each but go with whatever you feel is appropriate.
👉 https://realcitytours.com/free-walking-tour/
☀️ Lunch: Bandeja Paisa at Hatoviejo restaurant
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🕜 13:30 – 14:30
During the walking tour, you will pass by Hatoviejo restaurant and your guide may point it out as the best place to get the local favorite bandeja paisa in the city.
That is a highly contested field but it is a lovely restaurant that offers peace and tranquility in the heart of downtown.
The restaurant is on the second floor above Carrera 47 close to Parque Berrio station in La Candelaria.
The decor is stylish and traditional with staff dressed in typical Antioquia dress. It is a very popular spot with local families and they are experts in many of the local favorites.
Bandeja paisa is a signature dish with kidney beans, ground beef, a fried egg, plantain, chorizo, arepa, morcilla (black pudding), avocado and a huge piece of chicharrón (fried pork belly). Wash it down with a beer, a shot or two of aguardiente (anise-flavored liqueur) or a fresh coconut lemonade.
🌤️ Afternoon: An amazing relaxing massage
🕒 15:00 – 16:30
I thought about throwing in an action-packed afternoon activity but after a bandeja paisa I don’t imagine you will have the energy, plus I have lively evening plans.
So instead, I have opted for a very good, affordable, relaxing massage. There are many excellent spas all over the city with a wide range of treatments, massages, jacuzzis, pools and tanning areas.
Even at some of the best places in the city, prices are very reasonable by international standards and it is a great place to visit with a partner or rejuvenate your body after a long flight.
👉 https://mahaiwellness-spa.com/
🌙 Evening: Rooftop cocktails with a view followed by reggaeton perreo
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🕕 18:00 – 04:00
Poblado runs alongside the side of the valley with tall apartment buildings, hotels and offices overlooking the city. Many of these now have excellent rooftop bars which offer spectacular views, tasty cocktails and the perfect place to watch the sunset as you start your evening.
Envy Rooftop on the top floor of The Charlee Hotel is a popular option with great views, a nice atmosphere, rooftop pool and perfect 360-degree views.
Alternatively, you could go for one of the hostels such as Jo & Joe for a lively feel. I would recommend Saturday night for some top Afrobeat and dancehall with the always excellent DJ Khubha.
After some cocktails then you can head to a club to party until the morning. I would recommend avoiding Parque Lleras as the once popular spot is now overpriced and full of sex workers.
Provenza, a closed street two blocks further up the 10 street, is a great option or there are some larger clubs heading down 10A.
Medellin is one of the world capitals of reggaeton music and Perro Negro is the most popular reggaeton spot in the city. The basement club has inspired a Bad Bunny song and is located in Provenza, a neighborhood which inspired a Karol G song which now has 900 million YouTube streams.
It is hot, sweaty and packed but that is all part of the fun plus if you are lucky a multi-platinum global superstar might pop in to have a little sing, which is always nice.
👉 https://club-perro-negro.cluvi.co/
Day 2: Nature and Adventure
☀️ Morning: Paraglide high above the city from San Felix
🕚 11:00 – 12:00
Once you have shaken off the hangover, I would recommend calenta’o (a dish made of re-heated leftovers), a caldo (meat broth soup) and Electrolit suero from the pharmacy, then it is time to take to the sky.
Medellin sits within a broad valley surrounded by green hills with excellent year-round weather (as long as you can dodge the downpours). It is the perfect place to paraglide and you can take off from San Felix, a 45-minute taxi from Poblado or 15 minutes from the mostly Northerly metro station Bello.
A 15-minute flight with video and photo included costs 200,000 COP (US$54).
Video is recorded on a handheld GoPro and they will email everything once you have finished. You run down the hill strapped to an experienced expert and then take off to glide above the city.
👉 https://parapentesanfelix.com/tarifas/
☀️ Lunch: Delicious food in the city’s botanical gardens
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🕐 13:00 – 14:00
In Situ is an open, airy restaurant that sits just inside the city’s botanical garden. They have delicious food with salads, steaks, ceviche, shrimp, soups, pasta, fresh fruit juices and tasty desserts.
The botanical garden has a butterfly house you can enter as they fly all around you, lots of beautiful flowers and some huge iguanas wandering around to be discovered.
👉 https://www.botanicomedellin.org/vivenos/alimentos-y-bebidas/restaurante-in-situ/
🌤️ Afternoon: Amazing cable car views followed by a walk in the nature of Parque Arvi
🕝 14:30 – 16:00
From the botanical garden, you can hop on the metro and head north 3 stops to Acevedo Station. At Acevedo you leave the platform and head up the stairs to the cable car, only paying once to enter the metro.
The cable car takes you high above Medellin as you head up the hill to San Antonio. At San Antonio, you can leave the station to take photos and grab a snack or immediately transfer over to the Parque Arvi cable car.
While the first cable car heads up a steep trajectory over the densely packed neighborhoods of the city, the second cable car runs flat over trees and forests to the Parque Arvi natural park.
Arvi covers 16,000 hectares with 1,760 of forest and 56 miles of walkable trails. You can hike and cycle amongst the wildflowers, butterflies and nature before heading back to the food market close to the cable car for a snack.
👉 https://parquearvi.org/Paginas/index.aspx
🌙 Evening: Dinner in Laureles followed by some salsa in Son Havana
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🕖 19:00 – 22:30
In the evening, you can go for dinner in Laureles, the neighborhood recently named the coolest in the world by Time Out.
The streets of the mainly residential neighborhood circle out from two central parks (Parque Laureles 1 and Parque Laureles 2). There is an excellent range of food options available depending on what you fancy.
Italian food at Olivia, Argentine steaks at La Pampa, deserts at Crepes and Waffles, seafood at Lo Exquisito del Mar, local dishes at Mondongos, Mexican at Milagros, burgers at Home Burgers, Korean at Oppa Osado or Peruvian at Puerto Inka.
Following some delicious food of your preference, you can head to Son Havana for some salsa.
Optional Day 3: Cultural Deep Dive
☀️ Morning: Get some morning exercise with thousands of locals on the Ciclovia
🕙 10:00 – 12:00
Every Sunday morning, major streets including Avenida Poblado are closed to traffic and thousands of people head out to jog, cycle and walk their dogs.
It is a great place to get some exercise but also meet the community in a fun, upbeat, warm environment.
Along the route, you find places to rent bicycles for a few dollars and you can get some amazing fruit. I am a big fan of the freshly squeezed orange juice.
If you are in Poblado you can head South to the municipality of Envigado or North to go downtown. The roads are re-opened at midday and the route is managed by staff.
☀️ Lunch: Play pool and paintball after a tasty lunch with a view above Envigado
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🕧 12:30 – 13:30
I would suggest going for a job from Poblado South to Parque Envigado, where there is a beautiful church and a charming central square. From there you can take a taxi up to Mahalo Action Sports Cafe.
They have an amazing view overlooking the city and you can take some great pictures sitting on the half pipe outside the cafe.
The food is very good plus you can also do paintballing, play pool and other games they have available. It is a very relaxing place with great views and some cozy spots inside in front of a roaring fire where you can play Uno with friends.
🌤️ Afternoon: Graffiti, music, food, drink and stories of revival in Comuna 13
🕒 15:00 – 17:00
In the afternoon head to Comuna 13.
This was once one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world under the control of armed groups who patrolled the densely packed houses overlooking the city.
Today the area has been transformed into a vibrant cultural center which is very popular with tourists and locals.
The construction of the world’s first urban escalator used for transportation was an important step in this revival. A chain of multiple escalators run up the steep hills of the neighborhood allowing locals to get around without having to climb hundreds of steep steps.
The walls of the neighborhood are filled with beautiful graffiti telling the stories of the area, break dances and freestyle rappers perform and you can sample some delicious local snacks.
There are also now some great little bars and rooftop spots to dance and enjoy music. You can book a guide in advance or just arrive and find a tour. Alternatively, you can explore on your own but I would recommend only doing this during the daytime.
While the neighborhood is much improved, safety still can be a concern later into the evening.
🌙 Evening: Experience the incredible atmosphere at the stadium
🕔 17:00 – 23:00
Finally, no trip to Colombia is complete without a visit to the stadium and the intense sensory experience that brings with it.
Medellin has two major clubs who both use the 45,000 capacity Atanasio Giradot stadium.
Atletico Nacional, the “king of the cups” with green and white striped shirts, are the big, established international power while Deportivo Independiente Medellin (DIM), “el poderoso” (powerful) who wear red and blue, are the team of the city looking to surpass their better-known rival.
The North and South stands are the “popular” sections with cheaper tickets but also the most intense and sometimes slightly crazy fans. The “oriental” is the largest stand with mid-range tickets but no roof and the “occidental” is the covered, slightly more expensive section. Nacional’s barra, hardcore, organized fan group, is in the south and DIM’s is in the north.
You can buy Medellin tickets on the DIM Plus app and Nacional tickets via their website. It is also possible to buy in the official club shop, at the stadium the morning of the game or in malls.
Nacional fans gather on the 70 street before and after the game to drink in front of and inside the bars and clubs. DIM fans meet at Obelisco, a small mall on the other side of the stadium.
The derby is generally safe now and an amazing atmosphere, be careful not to bring anything that is too valuable just in case and avoid the “populares” on your first visit.
Curious for an insider’s take on Medellin’s soccer scene? Dive into my expert guide on experiencing a game at Atanasio Giradot Stadium. As a seasoned sports journalist and scouter, I attended many games and I’ll give you the real scoop from the heart of the action.