Gondola to Parque Arví Hovers over Medellín, Colombia

Everybody loves Medellín. We seriously didn't run into a single traveler that didn't think it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. It's huge and varied, but unlike Bogotá it feels more homey and foreigner friendly. That doesn't mean that transport within the city will always be a piece of cake; it's still massive. Read on for where to stay, what to eat, and how to explore a city that has completely turned its reputation around.

Quick and Dirty

In a sentence?

A hip city that has reinvented its past as the cocaine capital of the world.

Worth it?

YES.

How long?

At least three days. If you want to settle in Colombia for awhile, this could be a good place to do it.

Our favorite?

Tres Cordilleras brewery.

Our least favorite?

Another spread out city.

Hidden Gem?

The up and coming Laureles neighborhood.

Recommended Daily Budget?

200,000 pesos per pair.

Location?

Central Colombia, north west of Bogotá.

The best of the city in 72 hrs

What to Do

Day One

11:00AM Check in to el Poblado (40,000 - 80,000 per night per pair)

You've probably heard whisperings of El Poblado, but let's get it straight. It's a super hip part of town, which can be a mix of refreshing and frustrating. There are tons of travelers, good food, and quaint streets. We normally try to stay away from of super touristy areas, but in this case, we'd recommend staying there. We didn't, and we regretted it, mostly because we felt that we were going back to a place in the evening that was far away from, well, everything. El Poblado has lovely dinner spots and great coffee, so it's perfect to begin and end your day. There are a slew of hostels, though this part of the city will be a bit more expensive. We'd be impressed if you found anything decent for less than 20,000 pesos a person. Do book in advance; you'll get better prices in the big city that way. We prefer Hostelworld.

Also, depending where you're coming from, it is possible to get most anywhere with public transport. We took a 9,500 peso bus from José María Córdova airport, which is around an hour away, and then transferred to a local bus (2,000 peso tickets).

12:00PM eat some soup (30,000 - 50,000 pesos per pair)

Once you've settled in, tuck into some local specialties. Ajiacos y Mondongos is a simple, popular little spot that is named for two essential Colombian dishes. Ajiacos is actually from Bogotá, but this place does it pretty well, too. It's sort of like a chicken soup, but with a big hunk of corn in the middle and capers on the side. Hold your judgment: mondongos is a pork and tripe stew that is just offal (hehe it is stomach but it's not awful). The soups aren't cheap: they start at about 13,000 pesos, but they are hearty.

1:00PM Climb for a view (0 - 5,000 pesos per Pair)

Head a bit north to get a feel of the city. Pueblito Paísa is a strange little place. In reality, its a touristy mock town built on top of a mound to look like a countryside village. While this might sound a bit grim, Pueblito is also a spectacular overlook of the city. You can get shuttles up the hill, but we'd recommend getting an Uber (5,000 pesos a ride) to drop you off at the bottom (it's kind of far from public trans) and taking your time walking up through a grassy, green park. Skip all the touristy views at the top and head straight to the viewpoint. You could sit there for hours and admire the surprisingly huge Medellín.

4:00PM Comuna 13 (9,000 - 15,000 pesos per pair)

To truly experience Medellín's changing culture, visit Comuna 13; previously one of the most dangerous cartel neighborhoods in the city, it's now a bastion of street art, which is the big draw. The centerpiece is the the escalera eléctrica, a huge escalator. It's masterful piece of public works that allows easy access to communities whose residents previously had to walk up miles and miles of steep hills to reach their homes after work. There are a lot of expensive tours, but go on your own using public transport, and talk to locals if you can. It will give you a better feel. And you don't need a guide to admire the glorious art that lines the street. We felt completely safe, but we would recommend going during the day time. We're planning to write a little guide about how to get there, but there are some good resources available already. Check out this write up for the basics of public trans.

7:00PM Break free of the meat on meat diet (30,000 - 50,000 pesos per pair)

While you're in the area, get an introduction to the lovely Laureles neighborhood. Unlike El Poblado, it's filled with locals and you can definitely feel the grit of old Medellín. Take a quick Uber from Comuna 13 ( about 5,000 pesos) and search out one of the many popular restaurants. We'd recommend Korea House. We know, sounds a bit weird, but Korean food is tasty and exciting and very different from the Colombian food you'll have been eating for the last god knows how long. Korea House is full of Korean expats and has a bustling vibe.

9:00PM Play some pong (5,000 - 20,000 pesos per pair)

We spent one too many nights at this fun bar. For just the price of a single juice (2,000 pesos) you can play pingpong and overlook the neighborhood for as long as you like. Of course, there's also food and beer. A great alternative to a normal night out.

Day two

9:00 AM Sip on some coffee (4,000 - 25,000 pesos per pair)

El Poblado is awash with tasty, if gentrified, coffee (around 5,000 pesos for the cheapest cup). Don't miss Pergamino and its lovely front patio - perfect for people watching.

11:00 AM tour around EL MAMm (0-20,000 pesos per pair)

Journey upward toward the center of Medellín. You can either take the metro (2,000 pesos) or grab a technically illegal Uber (under 6,000 pesos). It's a strange part of town, but worth a visit for this museum. There's some great art, and the building is one of the coolest in the city. Plus, students get a discount (3,000 pesos off a 10,000 peso ticket)! Check the website for various free days.

1:00 PM Get european for lunch (20,000 - 50,000 pesos per pair)

Within walking distance is Mercado del Rio is a European style food hall, full of vendors and some large scale restaurants. Lots of menus mean you can sample tons of yummy things, from Peruvian ceviche to Spanish tapas. Dishes tend to be no less than 10,000 pesos so don't come expecting an uber cheap market meal. It seems to be popular with the work crowd and doesn't open till lunch time.

3:00 PM Take a stroll (0 - 4,000 pesos per pair)

Head even farther north to old town Medellín. Again, the metro isn't super convenient, but might be worth it because of traffic in the north (2,000 peso ticket) . The area isn't as quaint as the old town in Bogotá (there are a lot of homeless and drunk people, and it can get a bit sketch in the night time), but there's lots to see and do. The botanical garden is on the northern end of this area and it's a surprising park. It isn't glamorous by any means, but huge and peaceful in a city where the exhaust fumes and honking horns can become exhausting. There are large green spaces and soothing ducks and surprisingly fancy restaurants, if you're in to that sort of thing. And it's free!

5:00 PM Check out botero in his own town (18,000 - 36,000 pesos per pair)

It's kinda a must-do. See more of Botero's all-things-chubby than you ever thought you would. There are other things in the Museo de Antioquia, but he's the star. It was surprisingly quiet when we were there, and we nearly had the place to ourselves. A lovely stroll to understand the art of the Antioquia region a bit better. A bit expensive at 18,000 pesos for foreigners, but it's half off for students!

7:00 PM Enjoy open air botero (0 - 10,000 pesos per pair)

Outside the museum is one of the most famous plaza's in Colombia, filled with art dedicated by Botero himself. Take selfies with the jumbo horses or sip coffee at the museum's cafe (5,000 pesos) and get a view over the crowds.

8:00 PM Restaurante Itaca (40,000 - 50,000 pesos per pair)

Extremely charming restaurant, it's a step up from your normal menú del dia. Not fancy, just welcoming and with good food. It took us a couple times to find the restaurant open, so might not be the most reliable in terms of that. A super nice husband and wife team. They seem to specialize in meat (not unlike the rest of Colombia).

9:00 PM Drink barrels of the best beer in colombia (46,000 - 56,000 pesos per pair)

Essential. You must do this when you are in Medellín. Most Thursdays and Fridays Tres Cordilleras has a 'brew tour,' which may consist of minimal informational purposes, but none the less provides a grand introduction to Medellín night life. 23,000-28,000 pesos may seem like quite a bit, until you realize you get FIVE beer tokens, live music, and a fancy glass if they have any left. Plus, there will be about a million people that decide they don't want to drink five beers before 11:00 PM and give you their left over tokens. So it's essential and endless well of craft beer.

Day Three

10:00 AM Another day another coffee (10,000 - 20,000 pesos per pair)

Mmmm, Velvet. It might have a slight edge on Pergamino, but it's right across the street so feel free to test em out for yourself. The perfect start to another busy day, especially after the hangover you surely got from all that Tres Cordilleras. About 5,000 pesos a cup.

11:00 AM Stop Through a Proper Market (24,000 pesos - 40,000 pesos)

Stick to the coffee though! You'll want to stop by the spectacular Mercado Minorista for an early lunch on your way up north (again, I know). It's right off a metro line, so public trans is a no brainer for this one (2,000 peso ticket). There's plenty of marvelous tropical fruit available, but also some nice restaurants downstairs where you can sit at the counter and admire all the fresh produce. Highly recommended is Aqui Paro Lucho (ask around till you find it), but there tons of other worthy stops (10,000 pesos for a simple main). We also stopped by Mercado Mayorista, which is bigger, but not nearly as satisfying in our opinions.

1:00 PM See What All the Hype is about at Parque Arví (18,400 - 40,000 pesos per pair)

Parque Arví is the farthest north you'll likely go, and up, up over the mountains to the east. You can get there totally by public transport and the last leg takes you on a extremely long gondola ride up into the mountains with spectacular views. Make your way to Acevedo station with the metro, then link up to Santo Domingo on a cable car (2,000 peso ticket), where you'll see a special line for gondolas to the park (4,600 peso ticket). We had mixed feelings about the place. Getting there is half the excitement. Once you arrive, you'll see a yummy little farmers market with various goodies (starting at 500 pesos) and be handed maps of the park if they have them that day. You can go on guided tours (5,000 - 7,000 pesos), which honestly might be the way to do it. There are areas of the park that cost money (from 2,300 pesos), but we chose to skip these. We walked on our own, but you're not allowed in very many areas by yourself, and the ones you can access are dirty and require walking on the road. Worth the trip, but don't go expecting the most spectacular wildlife in Colombia.

5:00 PM Visualize Medellín's sordid past (0 - 10,000 pesos per pair)

On your way home, stop through an important part of Medellín's past in Museo de la Memoria. We thought about taking a Escobar tour, being connoisseurs of Narcos. In the end, we didn't want to shell out 90,000 or so pesos, plus felt a little weird knowing the locals got annoyed with cocaine tourism. So, we stopped by this museum, which is free and open to the public and had some interesting, personal accounts about Medellín's nastier years. You'll probably want to take a mix of public trans and Ubers to get here.

7:00 PM Splurge on Dinner (100,000 - 250,000 pesos per pair)

Okay, expensive, but worth it dinner alert. Carmen: probably the best food we had in South America, definitely the best food we had in Colombia. We split to mains and an appetizer for 160,000 pesos, but you could easily spend more on drinks and such. It's back in El Poblado in a hip space and serves upscale Colombian fair. We'd highly recommend (and you'll probably need to snag a reservation).

10:00 PM Parque Lleras (0 - 10,000 pesos per pair)

End the night with an El Poblado special: a well lit park between a ton of wild bars where people love getting drunk. It's fun, beers are cheap (2,000 pesos or so for a big one at the convenience stores nearby), and you can wile the night away watching the gringos go crazy.