The town of San Agustín is full of small hotels, guesthouses, hostels, and cabañas, both within the town limits and in the country. There is also a luxury option available.
Usually involving a big gathering of friends and family, sancocho is one of the most popular Colombian dishes. It’s a stew with a mishmash of meat and vegetable ingredients, so much so that the people cooking it sometimes forget every single ingredient that went into making it.
Parque Explora is an award-winning hands-on museum in the Aranjuez district of Medellín near University Station (Estación Universidad). It’s a great place to take kids to learn about the human body, physics, and nature.
The pleasant town of Ciudad Bolívar is about 3 hours from Medellín. It’s worth checking out if you have extra time and are driving through the area. It’s not worth going out of your way for unless you’re really interested in seeing authentic towns in Antioquia.
I thought my search for Colombia’s most beautiful town ended with Jardín. The equally if not more beautiful town of Jericó gives it stiff competition. Jardín wins the plaza competition, but Jericó hands down has better preserved and better constructed traditional homes and buildings.
Jericó has several budget options for hotels. It’s best to go and ask around. Most of the accommodation is within a couple blocks of each other.
Just a stone’s throw from Medellín (well, maybe a little further), is the quaint town of Concepción, which is nestled among beautiful green hills. Far less touristy and much closer than other more popular towns in Antioquia, Concepción is a good alternative for those wanting to visit an authentic Paisa village on a day trip from Medellín yet running short on time.