Medellín

No reviews yetCity Antioquia, Colombia

Plaza Botero, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Museo de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

About Medellín

Set in a green valley in the Colombian Andes, Medellín enjoys such mild weather all year that it is called the City of Eternal Spring. Colombia's second city has also become a symbol of renewal: once known worldwide for drug violence in the 1980s and 1990s, it reinvented itself through bold public projects such as its metro, cable cars climbing to hillside neighbourhoods, library parks and outdoor escalators.

The city's people, the paisas, are known for their warmth, entrepreneurial spirit and hearty food, above all bandeja paisa, a platter of beans, rice, pork crackling, egg and arepa. Fernando Botero was born here, and his rounded sculptures fill a plaza in the centre, while every August the Feria de las Flores celebrates the flower growers of the nearby mountains.

Visitors split their time between the leafy restaurant streets of El Poblado and the centre, with cable car rides, murals in Comuna 13 and the forests of Parque Arví above the valley. The colourful lakeside town of Guatapé makes a popular day trip.

Best seasonYear-round; December-March and July-August are driest

Ideal stay3-4 days

ArrivingJosé María Córdova International Airport, Rionegro

12 Things You Shouldn't Miss in Medellín

Neighborhoods 2

Comuna 13

Once among the most dangerous districts in the city, this hillside neighbourhood in San Javier has become a symbol of Medellín's t...

Parque Lleras

This small leafy park in El Poblado is the centre of the city's best-known dining and nightlife district. The surrounding streets...

Arts 1

Plaza Botero

In front of the Museo de Antioquia, 23 bronze sculptures donated by Fernando Botero, the city's most famous son, fill this busy pu...

Museums 3

Museo de Antioquia

One of Colombia's oldest museums occupies the striking Art Deco former city hall facing Plaza Botero. Its most popular rooms hold...

Museo Casa de la Memoria

This thoughtful museum near the centre explores Colombia's long armed conflict and its effects on Medellín through personal testim...

Parque Explora

Housed in bold red buildings in the north of the city, this interactive science museum has hundreds of hands-on exhibits on physic...

Parks 1

Jardín Botánico de Medellín

Named after the botanist Joaquín Antonio Uribe, this calm garden in the north of the city holds tropical plants, a butterfly house...

Nature 1

Parque Arví

High above the city in the Santa Elena area, this large nature reserve protects cloud forest, pine woods and old pre-Hispanic trai...

Landmarks 2

Metrocable Line K

Opened in 2004, Line K was one of the world's first cable cars built as part of a public transport system, linking the metro at Ac...

Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe

Designed by the Belgian architect Agustín Goovaerts in the 1920s, this striking Gothic Revival building with its bold black-and-wh...

Viewpoints 1

Pueblito Paisa

On the summit of Cerro Nutibara, a small hill in the middle of the city, this replica of a traditional Antioquian village has a wh...

Events 1

Feria de las Flores

Every August, Medellín celebrates its flower-growing heritage with concerts, parades, classic car shows and horse processions. The...

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