Let me start by saying, I’m in love with Medellin! Coming to Medellin was the best way to start our Colombian trip. The capital of Colombia’s Antioquia province has breathtaking views of the green mountains and hills. The food is delicious and cheap. The weather is spring-like every day – which makes sense since Medellin is coined “the city of eternal spring”. People are very friendly, and there is beautiful art everywhere.
Now that I’ve gotten that out, let me continue with this travel guide:
Where to stay
I booked an Airbnb in the El Poblado area. El Poblado is known as the “gringo” area in Medellin, but I stayed in a low-key area away from the main touristy area. I was less than a 15-minute drive away from the main area. Our Airbnb was actually in Class Suites – a relatively newer hotel in El Poblado. Class Suites has a rooftop pool, breakfast (for $5), parking lot, rooftop view (see cover photo), gym, and more. There’s also a grocery store across the street.
Just like most accommodations in Medellin, the rooms in Class Suites are fairly inexpensive. For four nights, it cost $60 a night. The room was a two-bedroom, two-bath “apartment” with a lovely balcony view, washer, and more.
Where to eat
There are so many good places and things to eat in Medellin, my favorites were:
Pedacito de Amor
This was my FAVORITE restaurant in Medellin, hands down. I’m still dreaming about the food and drink and I had there 🤤.
Located in the Envigado neighborhood, Pedacito de Amor is a steakhouse that serves you your food while it’s still sizzling. I ordered the Costillos Baby – ribs accompanied with BBQ sauce out of this world, and two sides of your choice. I picked papa francesa (traditional fries) and platano aborrajado – essentially a fried sweet plantain ball with a guava filling. The food was DELICIOUS, I can’t stress this enough. The mojito I ordered was also made to perfection. I was practically in a coma afterwards and all the food was very inexpensive. Everything I ordered cost COP 24,500, which is ~$7!
The ambiance also needs to be highlighted. It’s definitely the perfect place to go for date night. They have indoor and outdoor seating, but it doesn’t really matter where you sit. The entire restaurant is very romantic. I also love that you can see the chef and cooks working in the kitchen. The service was also impeccable too. I was seated and served almost immediately – granted it wasn’t extremely crowded when I went on a Saturday night.
Alambique
A rooftop bar and restaurant in El Poblado. Alambique can be hard to find as it’s above an art gallery. Look for blue double doors and go up the stairs. The first level is the art gallery. You’ll have to walk through the gallery and up another flight of stairs to get to Alambique.
The ambiance in Alambique is beautiful. There’s greenery everywhere, a wooden interior, dimmed lights, and a cluster of ornaments. Even the women’s bathroom has a beautiful aura. It almost felt like someone’s vintage living room instead of a typical rooftop bar. Speaking of rooftop bars, if you’re expecting to get a stunning view of Medellin, think again. You do, however, get a nice view of the streets below and a little mountain view.
I didn’t eat much at Alambique, but the drinks were good. Fairly pricey compared to other spots I went to, but that’s to be expected in the heart of El Poblado. For food, I tried their coconut rice mixed with shrimp and plantain on the side. If you’re going to eat here for dinner, I’d suggest making a reservation. I sat at one of the high tables that had a view of the street. But, I did notice a lot of tables reserved for a Monday night.
Envy Rooftop
A rooftop bar at the Charlee Hotel. Envy rooftop definitely has great views of Medellin. I was able to watch the sunset, which was stunning. The vibe was very chill and the music was good.
When you exit the elevator to the rooftop bar, the first you’ll notice is the aquarium-style pool. Yes, there’s an aquarium-style pool in the middle of the rooftop bar. There are lounge chairs/couches, and different high-top tables/chairs throughout. I didn’t order food but did have delicious drinks.
Since it’s on top of a 5-star hotel, you can expect drinks and food to be pricey.
Asados las Palmas
I actually stumbled upon this restaurant by luck. Initially, I was heading to Restaurante La Gloria de Gloria, but realized it was closed once we arrived. Although, the hours online said they were indeed open. I was pretty bummed but remembered seeing Asados Las Palmas a couple of minutes away. So, I walked there and had lunch – which I’m honestly glad I did. There was only one other couple there, but I took a chance.
The service was amazing. Our waiter was so nice and attentive. After ordering our food and drink, he immediately served complimentary arepas and tostones with a delicious sauce. I ordered fish that came with fries and a delicious salad, and the prices were great too!
Where to play
Comuna 13
Getting to Comuna 13
You can take an Uber to Comuna 13, just put “Comuna 13 Graffitour” in the drop-off/pick-up location. Or, you can get to the closest metro station San Javier, then walk to the escalators, or take a bus/taxi. I took an Uber because it was inexpensive. Comuna 13 was once dubbed Medellin’s most dangerous neighborhood due to the drug trafficking organizations that ran the area. Its proximity to a major highway made it a prime area for illicit goods.
This community has seen an amazing transformation in the last decade. After decades of big cartel organizations running the neighborhood. Then a series of raids in the early 2000’s, launched by then Colombian President Álvaro Uribe. The government began working to improve the hillside community. From redeveloping the brick houses and creating community centers to building outdoor escalators and a Metrocable System. All of these (and many other) components have helped to reshape Comuna 13. Locals can get to work, shop, and do their other day-to-day things. All of which previously required a strenuous hike up, and down, the steep hillside.
Artists have also played a tremendous role in the transformation of Comuna 13. The murals around Comuna 13 depict the area’s violent history, and/or the artist’s hope for peace. The government also provides funding for local artists to create street art, creating more job opportunities. If you visit Comuna 13, you’ll most likely see Black and White C13. A hip-hop-breaking dancing crew that was amazing to watch perform.
Comuna 13 Tips
- While Comuna 13 is relatively safe, you shouldn’t venture off to unpopulated areas alone.
- Go to Comuna 13 during the day. You’ll see plenty of tourists and locals walking around during the day.
- Take a walking tour, if you’d like. There are a few organized tour companies that’ll show you around Comuna 13 and discuss the street art, the history of the community, etc.
- Explore on your own. I know this is contradictory to the bullet above, but it isn’t necessary to have a tour guide. As long as you go during the day and practice common sense, you’ll be fine to walk around Comuna 13. We decided to walk around without a guide and never felt unsafe.
- Bring water, and wear sunscreen and comfortable shoes. There’s a lot of walking and stairs, so you should wear comfortable shoes. For extra protection from the sun/heat, you can also bring an umbrella. I’ll say it can get fairly hot when walking around.
- Try ice cream from Cremas Doña Alba. This award-winning ice cream is basically a ripped and green mango popsicle dipped in lime juice. You can taste the mango chunks in the popsicle. It was really good!
Arví Park
Honestly (IMO), there isn’t much to see at Arví Park. I think the biggest attraction is riding the cable car. However, if you love nature and hiking, then Arví Park is perfect for you! They have different trails you can hike, but you’ll need to pay for a tour guide. Otherwise, you’ll probably only go to check out the Arví Market or eat at one of the restaurants.
I went to Arví Park, hung around the market briefly, then went to a restaurant further down. When you first get off the cable car, you’ll immediately see the market on your left. If you walk down the path on the right, you’ll stumble upon restaurants. Both restaurants seem to be called Cable a Tierra. One restaurant is vegetarian, and the other serves traditional Colombian food. I went to the first restaurant, which served traditional Colombian food.
I got the bandeja de chicharrones – which is a traditional Colombian dish, with chicarrones (usually fried pork belly or rinds). You might’ve heard of the bandeja paisa, the dish I got is a variation of that. Bandeja paisa is a very popular meal, especially in the Antioquia department and Paisa region.
My meal came with chicharrones, beans, salad, avocado, rice, plantain and arepa. Bandeja paisa can include beans, rice, chorizo, fried egg, plantain, avocado, and arepa. The food at this restaurant was pretty inexpensive, which was surprising since it’s in a touristy area. My meal was COP 16,000.
How to get to Arví Park
The main way to get to Arví Park is via the Metrocable. To get to the Metrocable, you’ll have to start your journey at Acevedo station (Line A on the metro)
- From Acevedo station:
- Transfer to Line K (metrocable) to Santo Domingo station
- From Santo Domingo station, transfer to Line L (metrocable) to Arví Park
Please note that you’ll have to pay a separate fee when going from Santo Domingo station to Line L to Arví Park. The cost is COP 6000 for one-way.
You could also take a taxi/Uber to Acevedo station or Santo Domingo and start your journey to Arví Park from there.
Pergamino Cafe
I went to Pergamino Cafe because I heard it’s THE place in Medellin for coffee. I didn’t technically have their coffee while I was in Medellin. But, I went here to grab coffee for my mom as a souvenir and she’s obsessed!
I can say the ambiance at Pergamino Cafe was nice from what I did notice. It’s located right in the heart of El Poblado. The staff was super friendly and seemed very knowledgeable about coffee. They asked how I brew my coffee so they could give me a package of bean or grounded coffee.
Day trip to Guatapé
If you have enough time in Medellin, you should take a day trip to Guatapé. You could also stay in Guatapé for a night, but that depends on how much time you have. I didn’t have a lot of time but still wanted to see El Peñol and Guatapé. So I set out for a day trip.
Read my blog post on how to take a Day Trip to Guatapé.
Additional Medellin tips
Getting around
- Uber: I took these 95% of the time. They’re VERY cheap in Medellin. The most I spent on an Uber was going to, and from, the airport. Which I believe was ~$15 for a 35-minute ride. When coming from the airport via Uber, my driver asked for my passport info. Since Uber is illegal in Colombia, this was a precautionary measure for the driver in case he was pulled over.
- Metro: Medellin’s metro/subway is clean, efficient, cheap, and easy to navigate. There are only two main lines, the A and B lines. We stayed on the A line since our Airbnb was close to the Poblado stop. A ticket to get on the metro was COP 2,500 (less than $1). Plus, you get an incredible view of the mountains in Medellin (or at least you do on the A line).
- Taxi: There is an abundance of taxis in Medellin. However, taxis in Colombia don’t have meters. So you’ll have to be knowledgeable about how much you should be paying to get to your destination. You’ll also have to be willing to negotiate a price before getting into the taxi.
