Medellín

Contents

• 1. My Top Things to Do
  1. 1.1 Cable cars
  2. 1.2 Plaza Botero & Museum of Antioquia
  3. 1.3 Soccer games


• 2. Food and Drink
  1. 2.1 Food
  2. 2.2 Coffee


• 3. Neighbourhoods
  1. 3.1 Laureles
  2. 3.2 El Poblado
  3. 3.3 Comuna 13
  4. 3.4 Envigado
  5. 3.5 El Centro (La Candelaria)

My Top Things to Do

There are a few different cable cars that you can take and they all offer quite spectacular views. If you are keen to visit a park you can take the one up to Parque Arvi. This offers a great view of the city then takes you to a large park where you can take a walk around and enjoy the nature. They are quite cheap to take and are easy to access by using the metro system. For the Parque Arvi line get off at Acevedo station and if you want to visit another cool one you can go to San Javier station and take the cable car up from there. There's a great view and street food waiting at the top. The views of the city from the cable car are great and the cable cars highlight Medellin's excellent public transport system. These cable cars, which are popular with tourists, also serve as the main public transport for the densely populated hillside areas which were built informally and don't have the infrastructure to support other forms of transport such as buses or trains.

Parque Botero en El Centro is a cool place to visit. It's a big plaza with a bunch of sculptures made by famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero. The Museum of Antioquia right next to the plaza is also full of great art. It's a lively area with many restaurants and vendors around. There were more street markets in this area as opposed to the shopping malls in El Poblado. You can get to this area by the metro easily from Laureles or El Poblado. Just get off at Parque Berrio station. Plaza Botero is free to wander around and the Museum of Antioquia costs 18,000 COP which is about 3.50 usd.

Another great experience is to go to a soccer game here. I went to a game between Medellín and Cali (The third biggest city in Colombia). The energy was contagious and I don't think a single person on the Medellín side was sitting at any point throughout the game. There is dancing, singing and drumming all happening in the backdrop of the soccer game. It really is a great experience. The stadium is located in the Laureles neighbourhood right next to the best nightlife street of the neighbourhood so you'll see the streets fill up with supporting fans and every bar and restaurant in the area come to life. Tickets for the games can be quite cheap and can be bought at the stadium, through agents or even from some accomodations.

Food and Drink

There is lots of delicious food in Medellín. My personal favourite has to be the bandeja paisa. Traditionally, a Bandeja Paisa consists of two types of Colombian sausage, ground beef, rice, red beans, a fried pork rind called chicharrón, an arepa, a plantain, a slice of avocado (you know, to be healthy) and a fried egg to top it all off. You can find these at many different restaurants around and they can be as cheap as 5usd and quite easily feed 2 people. Another Colombian classic are the arepas rellenas (filled arepas). These are one of the more common street foods around. Arepas are like a type of bread made of ground maize dough. They cut open the arepas and have a large variety of fillings such as beef, chicken, chorizo and mixed. An arepa rellena can cost as little as 2 usd. A few other classic foods I enjoyed in Medellin were buñuelos and cazuela de mariscos. To add to these great local dishes areas like El Poblado and Laureles offer food from many different regions. I enjoyed eating things like tacos, pho and chicken wings as well. There are a bunch of really good restaurants in the area of Avenida 74 and Avenida Nutibara in Laureles. As with most places the local food is typically quite cheap compared to non-local options. I always found the food quality to be high in Colombia.

Also, as it is Colombia I have to mention the coffee! The locals often drink something called "tinto" which is like a smaller espresso shot with a sweet taste. They are very cheap sometimes as low as a few hundred pesos. You can also find more traditional coffees like Cappuchinos and Americanos at cafes such as Juan Valdez. Juan Valdez is a franchise that I've seen around Latin America. It's definitely worth stopping by for a coffee.

Neighbourhoods

I spent most of my time in the neighbourhoods of Laureles and then El Poblado. El Poblado is the more touristy area which offers great nightlife, many restaurants and lots of commercial activity. Laureles felt a bit more residential but still had good places to eat, go out at night and shop at. The best areas for nightlife in my opinion are in the Parque Lleras area of El Poblado and on Carrera 70 in Laureles and the surrounding area. In both of these areas there are dozens of bars, nightclubs and restaurants. They are great areas to explore, meet new people and have a good night out. Parque Lleras has more of a touristy feel and you'll see many foreigners here while Laureles is a bit more local feeling and offers a different ambiance. El Poblado is the most expensive area in the city and you can expect to pay much lower costs in Laureles and other areas. I spent a month in Laureles in the Conquistadores neighbourhood. It was a beautiful area to stay in as the neighbourhood is full of lush parks. It's also a very central area to stay because you can walk to Laureles, El Centro and easily train to Poblado from here. The city is very accessible by train and it can take you almost anywhere you need to go. I would recommend to stay in Laureles if you want a more local experience and El Poblado if you want an area with all the touristy comforts such as more English speakers, shopping etc. Both are very enjoyable neighbourhoods!

Comuna 13 is an inspiring part of the city to visit. It used to be extremely dangerous but has undergone a revitalization effort that has turned it into a fantastic urban experience focused around art, break dancing, rapping and DJing. The area has become safer and the quality of life has been improving because of these changes. It's definitely worth a visit or a few. You can stop here then go on the cable car from the San Javier metro station. They have the famous outdoor escalator which takes you up to the top of the neighbourhood for a fantastic view and great urban experience. Make sure to get some street food and sugar cane juice while you're here.

Another cool neighbourhood in the South part of the city is Envigado. It used to be a town that sort of got annexed by the city. I'm not certain if it operates as it's own town or as part of the city. One unique feature is the buildings here can't be over a certain height which gives it much more of a town feel than other areas of the city. The main plaza is full of action and there are many businesses like restaurants, cafes, bars etc. It's also easily accessible by the train line. Just get off at Envigado station. This would also be a good area of the city to stay in and would offer a different experience than areas like Laureles and El Poblado.

If you visit Medellín you will likely spend some time in El Centro. This is where Plaza Botero and the Museum of Antioquia are. There are also many other sights to see in this area such as impressive churches, parks and government buildings. It's also got a very large outdoor marketplace which begins around Calle 45 and Carrera 52. You can walk up Carrera 52 through the market to arrive at Plaza Botero. Under the train line adjacent to Plaza Botero there are also more street vendors. They sell anything from clothes to souvenirs. There are restaurants, barber shops, and many other businesses around. It's good to visit during the day and is easily accessible by train. I didn't spend any nights here however as it has a bit of a reputation for being seedy at night.