10 things you have to do in Medellin
Without a doubt, Medellín is one of the cities that, has a perfect temperature and an enviable cultural offer. That is why today, we are going to see the 10 things that you have to do in Medellín, on your visit. We will bring safety recommendations for the city, but also a map with the places you have to visit in Medellín, as well as a brief description of each one of them.
Before to start let me tell you that Medellin is safe, but it is important to be always aware of any suspicious activity around you, as the Colombians said Do not give PAPAYA. It’s a very clever concept that basically means don’t walk around on the street giving someone opportunities to rob you.
So do not bring out your latest generation cellphone, do not wear your Rolex depending on which places in the city, or do not leave your wallet neglected on a table on the terrace of a restaurant. In short, do not give papaya. If you avoid these rookie mistakes, you won’t have any trouble walking around town.
Now you know and its better to prevent than to be sorry. Also always live you passport at the safety box in the hotel and have with you a photocopy of it and a photocopy of your vaccination cards you may need it.
I will prompt you some accessories that help me on my trip.
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Now that you are ready lets enjoy Medellin.
10 things you have to do in Medellín
- Take a tour of the city…and surroundings.
- Lose yourself walking through the center.
- Ride the only metro in Colombia and get on the Metrocable.
- Admire the great Botero.
- Enter the Museum of Antioquia.
- Go to Pueblito Paisa.
- Go up to Parque Arví.
- Have a quietly walk through El Poblado.
- Try the paisa gastronomy.
- Enjoy the night life in Medellin.
Take a tour of Medellín…and surroundings
Whenever you go try to find a tour. Because I think that someone local is the best person who can show you the city. Also, you meet other travelers and you really learn a lot.
A Free Walking Tour its always a good option, at the end of the tour you give to the tour guide wherever you think its ok. This tours goes last about 4 hours and you will get to know Medellín from start to finish, especially important topics about its history. As you may know at the 80s Medellin was very dangerous, there were bombs and much delinquency, it was the Cartel of Medellin with his leader Pablo Escobar who was in charge of this chaos.
Happily, this days it’s a city that open his arms to the tourists. Medellin it’s a spot on the anybody’s journal.
Lose yourself walking in the center of Medellin
The center of Medellín is a place worth visiting, but always keep in mind where you are going. That is, do not stray too far from the center, or think about going down at night to take pictures. In general, you have to be as careful as in other big cities, but if you can avoid giving papaya that would be the best option in this city.
One of the nicest places is a walk through the heart of the paisa cradle is undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Medellín, seeing its businesses, its people go by.
As you may know Latin American countries have their own hot way to do things on the street, Medellin it’s not an exception so just have extra careful.
TIP CORNER: On the center is the San Antonio metro station, around this area you can find the best Snickers replicas from expensive brands at unbeatable prices. Also, you will find that people will try to sell to you clothes, jeans, t-shirts, etc. don’t pay more than 70K Colombian pesos for a jeans, 50K for a t-shirt or around 180K for a AAA or 1:1 replica snickers. By the way the Money exchange in this area is the best, there is an Exchange place that has very good rates. I will do another Post with another great tips.
Travel on the only metro in Colombia and get on the Metrocable
Yes, Medellín is the only city in Colombia that has a Metro. It is true that many people may think that how a city as large and immense as Bogotá does not have this essential public transport, right? Well, because of its terrain, and the general chaos that is the city. In Bogotá they have a bus system called Transmilenio.
The Medellín metro is cool. The Medellín metro is modern, and it is not underground, so you can see the whole city from above! . Get a ticket and enjoy the ride, but let me tell you this … if you go in the metro on the busy hours you will see your self cooking, the metro doesn’t have AC, so you may avoid this hours that are usually early morning and after 5 in the afternoon.
In addition, there are many cable cars connected to the metro stations, and from there you can go up to communes and see beautiful views of Medellín. So it could be a great plan to simply tour the city in the heights.
TIP CORNER: But check the weather if there is a storm or if it start raining the cable cars will stop working until there is no more weather problems and you will need to get off on the closets station.
Admire the great Botero
Botero is perhaps the most important artist that Colombia has produced. The paisas (people from medellin) are very proud of Fernando Botero and his art.
In the center of the city we find Plaza Botero, with 23 sculptures that the Colombian sculptor donated to his city of Medellín. We will see many animals, figures of men, women, all with dimensions much larger than reality, the main characteristic in the art of Fernando Botero.
Without a doubt, it is the most beautiful place and something essential to do in Medellín. The pink colors come together with the outdoor sculptures, and the bustle of people.
As nice is this plaza be extra careful with the peak pockets, or the ladies with happy ending benefits that may approach to you.
TIP CORNER: If you want to get extra fun with the ladies, I will write a post about this topic later on.
Enter the Museum of Antioquia
The Museum of Antioquia (Department of which Medellín is the capital) is a museum in the center of the city with very important collections.
It is the second museum that was founded in the entire country, and we find it right in front of Plaza Botero, our last recommendation of what to do in Medellín. So you can take advantage of a morning or an afternoon to see both and thus soak up the paisa culture. The closest metro, by the way, is Parque Berrío.
TIP CORNER: I’m not a museum person but if you want know a little bit from Medellin juts give it a try.
Come to Pueblito Paisa
Very close to the center of the city of Medellín, at the top of Cerro de Nutibara, we find this curious place. The Pueblito Paisa is a place where the traditional towns of the department of Antioquia are represented, it is a replica that represents the paisa traditions.
You will see a square, a church, the town hall, and some characteristic shops. You will also find some balconies with tremendous views of the city of Medellín. Being located in a valley means that places like this make up for the slopes and mountains. Upstairs, in Pueblito Paisa, you will also find restaurants with all kinds of traditional food and a huge amount of juices and fruits.
TIP CORNER: Buy from here your Medellin Souvenirs they have good deals.
Go up to Parque Arví or the famous Comuna 13
The famous Comuna 13 and Pablo Escobar You can’t talk about Medellín without naming its most illustrious character (sadly, of course). Pablo Escobar, the most famous drug trafficker of all time and who changed the city of Medellin so much, the country of Colombia and drug trafficking worldwide.
If you have seen the Narcos series, so popular on Netflix, you can see that it is real, Pablo Escobar built an entire neighborhood to win the votes of the population. Today Pablo Escobar’s neighborhood can be walked in daylight, and it is not what it was in the 80s, one of the most dangerous places in the world. In addition, there are a lot of guided tours that will tell you all the information about that place.
On the other hand you have the option to get to know is Arví Park, a place that you can access first by metro and then by cable car from where you will appreciate tremendous views of the city. Without a doubt, something highly recommended to do in Medellín, and a perfect sunset.
Try paisa gastronomy
As we will discuss a little later, you will have to try the bandeja paisa, a high-calorie dish with a mix of meats and patacones. An authentic delight that they serve in the Department of Antioquia, so enjoy. Of course, think that they are usually quite large, so think about sharing if you are not very hungry.
But to talk about the food in Medellin I will need to make another post, the gastronomy in this city its very eatable if there is a denomination for that. From a arepa, empanadas, chicharrones, mazamorra, etc, etc. I can’t mention a specific restaurant but there are some that I will mention later.
Take a walk in El Poblado
El Poblado is a very quiet area of Medellin, where more than once you will find people speaking another language as English, French or German. It is considered the safest area to sleep, and later in this article we will leave you some recommendations.
El poblado at night converts in the wild wild west, around parque lleras its where the fun begins, clubs, bars, music and a lot of action.
TIP CORNER: Be careful with some of the girls around this area at night, you can play around but never take them to your hotel unless you know her. If you want to get ex fun have the exactly amount of money with you.
I hope you enjoy this post, if you have questions or need any advice for your trip to Colombia, write me to soporte@elpobladomedellin.com I will anwer to you a soon as posible.
