When I think back on my time in Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia, I will remember the brick buildings throughout the valley and all of the graffiti scattered throughout the city. Many of the travelers I met during my 5 days in Medellin mentioned they extended their trip. Many also are planning to come back or they want to move here. Once you spend some time in this city, you can understand why.
Medellin is in the Antioqui province. The citizens of Medellin are known as Paisa’s as they live in the “micro country” of Paisa. Paisa’s are known to be a bit arrogant because they not only think they are different, they think they are also better than other Colombians. This stems from the agriculture boom with coffee and the introduction of railroads in the industrial boom. Medellin is the only city in Colombia with a metro system, which I found to be really nice.
5 days in Medellin was the perfect amount for me. Here are the attractions and activities I did.
I love free walking tours because they are a great way to learn about the history of a city. You need to book online before, but can also show up and be added to the waitlist. Being me, I booked the wrong day…I was still able to do it since they had some extra room.
This was probably my favorite attraction in Medellin. You truly are able to see the transformation of this community through the graffiti and public escalator. You can make your way to this neighborhood on your own but I thought the tour guides provided meaningful insights and background. Well worth the 59,000 pesos (June 2017).
Botanical Garden:
This was a great free activity to do in Medellin. It is conveniently located right off the Universidad metro station. My friends from my hostel (Wandering Paisa) and I saw three iguanas in the park. Unfortunately, we missed the mariposa (butterfly) garden because it closed at 4:00PM. The best thing we saw was two girls on a picnic blanket who were scared because of a duck. As the girls stood nearby watching the duck, this cute little 3 year old boy starts walking up and chasing the duck away. He had his arms on his hips like wings. So adorable. I also knew I found a great group of friends when we stopped at the Dulce (sweets) truck because we had ice cream🍦on the way in as well 😊
Metro Cable Cars:
Medellin has a great metro system. I found the train rides to be very smooth, the cars to be quite clean, and the times to be very fast (waited only up to 5 mins). What makes the metro system even cooler is that it includes cable cars! Most of these are included in the metro, yet if you wish to go up to Parque Arvi you must pay an additional 10,000 pesos. One day, I actually just rode the metro for a few hours as I went up to the Santa Domingo cable car then back to the San Javier cable car. Great way to practice my Spanish as well when I was left alone with a Paisa.
Futbol Match:
My Wandering Paisa friends and I were lucky to be in town for the Medellin vs. Bogota semi-final game. My hostel is located a short 10 minute walk from the stadium. A group of 11 of us went to the game on Sunday night. It rained the entire night and everyone was soaked. The field was extremely wet which made playing soccer very difficult. Standing in the rain for so long was finally worth it when Medellin scored the only goal during the final stoppage time!! Honestly, I was just glad the game was ending.
Pueblito Paisa:
This is a cute little town located on the top of a big hill in the center of Medellin. The climb to the top was easy and it lead to great views of the city.
Guatape, Colombia:
This town is located 2 hours East of Medellin. It is well known for La Piedra (the Rock) that overlooks the reservoir and the colorful town. I was underwhelmed by this experience. The views from the 750 stair climb was pretty cool.
Park Botero:
This is a park full of large statues with some piece that is not proportional. Check out my blog about the Free Walking Tour for moe info on the history of the black and white building.
Park Berrio:
Another nice park to visit 🙂 Evidence of the transformation of the city.
I really enjoyed my stay in Medellin. Staying at the Wandering Paisa Hostel really made a difference. It mainly consisted of solo travelers from around the world. It was nice to be located in quiet neighborhood Laureles versus the Poblado nightlife district. The city was full of attractions and activities to keep you busy. Having 5 full days also allowed for plenty of relaxation in the hostel with my new friends.
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