Not long ago, Medellín, Colombia, was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world. It was completely off limits to tourism. Now it’s transforming into one of Latin America’s hotspots and has recently been named one of the most innovative cities in the world.
My Posts on Medellín
The pages for each district (comuna) listed below contain information on attractions and areas located within the district. For example, you’ll find everything about the Botero sculptures in the city center page, and nightlife and restaurants in the El Poblado page.
General Info:
Districts:
- Aranjuez
- El Centro (La Candelaria)
- El Poblado
Tours:
Museums:
Parks:
Misc. Attractions:
Events:
Introduction to Medellín
The image of Medellín has suffered internationally from stories of the drug cartels and Pablo Escobar. Not too long ago, it was the most dangerous city in the entire world and completely off limits to tourism. The city is still trying to move past the violence and negative publicity but things have changed dramatically.
Medellín has a beautiful setting in a valley surrounded by green mountains. High rises built up into the hills tower over the city. There are good museums and beautiful new plazas with public art installations. In August, Medellín springs to life with the annual Flower Festival, a spectacular celebration of flowers.
When I visited for the first time, I saw a relatively safe, innovative, and modern city with welcoming residents, great food, and incredible nightlife. There are many places to visit, and the city continues to improve. However, there are still areas that tourists should avoid.
Airports in Medellín
With two airports, getting to Medellín from most places is fairly easy.
José María Córdova International Airport
The international airport, José María Córdova International Airport, serves routes to the US, Spain, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Panama, among others (as of May 2024). It’s located about 45 minutes from El Poblado near the city of Rionegro.
Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport
Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport, which is in the city center, serves regional flights. I’ve used this airport several times on Clic Air (formerly EasyFly) to and from Pereira and it’s very convenient. It’s also a beautiful scene during take off and landing.
Carlos Gardel Exhibit
Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport contains an exhibit featuring several memorials to French-Argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), who was killed there in a plane crash. There are also a few old photos of the airport when it served as the city’s international airport.
Medellín Bus Terminals
There are two bus terminals in Medellín, both connected by a bus between them if necessary. Terminal del Norte and Terminal del Sur. Terminal del Norte serves the Caribbean cities to the north and Bogotá along with the popular tourist attraction El Peñol and towns such as Guatapé and Santa Fe de Antioquia. It’s connected to the metro system at the Caribe stop.
Terminal del Sur is located next to the regional airport and serves cities to the south such as Cali and Pereira, as well as some of the scenic towns in Antioquia south of Medellín, including Jardín and Jericó. It’s located near El Poblado but a taxi is necessary to get there.
I’ve traveled between Medellín and Pereira using Flota Occidental. It takes about six hours with a half hour stop for lunch. Other companies running from Pereira’s bus terminal are Empresa Arauca and Flota Ospina. If you can get on a Kia with Flota Ospina the ride will be much faster.
Getting Around Medellín
Getting around the city is very convenient with a modern, safe, and clean metro system. The Metro de Medellín takes you pretty much near anything worth seeing in the city.
It’s possible to buy a metro card with as many rides as you need or just a single ride ticket. With the metro card, press the card to the sensor to enter the platform. On your last possible ride, the machine will beep and you insert the card into a slot to enter.
Cable cars (Metrocable) have also been installed as part of the transportation system to make things easier for its citizens. Line L is popular with tourists to visit Parque Arví for nature and stunning views of Medellín on the way up and down. It’s connected to Line K, which starts at Acevedo Station (Estación Acevedo).
Shopping Malls
For shopping, I’ve visited two great malls in El Poblado. Centro Comercial Oviedo is very beautiful and has an outdoor portion. There is a good food court and cinema with some upscale shops and department stores. Centro Comercial Santafé is a bigger mall with tons of stores. It had an ice skating rink during our visit at Christmas.
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