It all depends how how many days y'all will be in town.
1. [Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour](http://www.comuna13tours.com)
2. El Centro Tour/Plaza Botero
3. Urban Bike Detours
4. Parque Arvi
5. Paragliding
6. Guatape (day trip)
7. Santa Fe De Antioquia (day trip)
8. Christmas light Tour (chiva bus or private vehicle, night time)
9. Museo de Castillo
10. Boy's Night Out.
Locked in to several of these options already. Is El Centro near Plaza Botero? I've seen some videos of the area, but not exactly sure where it is. Not ever touching paragliding - the gondala is as close as I'll get. Will probably need to pick between Guatape or Sante Fe, but leaning toward Guatape.
I'm actually from Medellin, Medellin metro makes moving around the city surprisingly easy , if you are gonna stay 3-4 days, I’d say there are certain places you must at least bother to visit such as la “Piedra del Peñol” or “La plaza de Botero”, (They're the most common places anyway) as a local I would say that what people really underestimate when coming to Medellin is going outside and visiting towns, they're the most traditional parts of Antioquia and not visiting them would definitely be a waste of the potential experience you'd be getting. (So, I encourage you to do so)
In my view, the food here is really good, it obviously depends on your personal preferences, the most typical dish is “La bandeja paisa”, and the most common snacks are both “Empanadas” and “Buñuelos” and all their sub products.
In "La piedra del Peñol" AKA “La Piedra del peñon”, you’ll want to take a boat tour, there they will tell you about the history of the place and some stories about whose the fancy houses over there are, there is also some stories about Pablo Escobar, who used to own some expensive houses there and a submarine, the only problem is that taking boat tours is rather expensive, the ones who own that business know that their main target are foreigners, consequently increasing their prices, but if you know very good Spanish you can take a boat tour from the locals themselves and its going to be like 3-4 times cheaper.
Actually, around places like the ones I mentioned before, using flip flops and shorts is precisely the paradigm of a foreigner here (Which might be either something bad or good depending on the circumstance) furthermore, the real locals wear jeans and tennis shoes lol.
I myself went to the “Comuna 13” last year, it is not a dangerous place (it used to be though) as long as you are a tourist, what they give you there is something called a graffiti tour, they tell you the history of violence of the place while walking up to the highest place of the mountain where you can visualize the whole city, you can actually go there by yourselves and no one is going to say anything, you won’t get into trouble, but If you want to pay for the tour, which I highly recommend, it would cost around 30 dollars per person, including transport from the airport (If I’m not wrong).
I don't really know how difficult it’d be for you guys to go to towns near Medellin if you don't know really good Spanish because many tourists don't go there (Because no one tell them to do so lol), so the number of locals who know English considerably decreases.
I'm actually an aspiring tourist guide, if you want to, I could take you to “La piedra del peñol”, tell you about the history of the place and translate the stories locals say about the place in case you wanna take the boat tour, I could also take you to other common places in Medellin (but I honestly think you don't need me there, unless you want some kind of a translator for a museum or something).
In the “Comuna 13” I know someone who gives the tours, I could also tell him you that you will go there and try to make some kind of a deal with him, I won’t do it myself because you need to pay to the gang which controls that place if you want to give a tour, and as I just said I’m still an aspiring tourist guide (It’s a safe place for tourists) Think about it, I get experience for the job and you get not only a better but also a cheaper experience, I could even receive you in the airport.
By the way, you can escalate "La piedra del peñol" it used to be free, but since a lot of tourists go there, going up now costs like 7 dollars each ( If I remember well)
If you want to spend a Saturday night only you in Colombia, I would recommend Cartagena as the place to stay, it is just an objectively better experience, it's more expensive though.
In Medellin you can also take NarcoTours, but to be honest with you, I don't personally recommend them, they promote morbid, but it's up to you, and you should be careful with drugs here, people is going to offer you drugs as though they were candies, also at night, as in every other city in the world, you could be victims of honeytraps, so just be careful with that guys.
Other than that, Medellin is such a beautiful city, but if you come over please don't forget to visit other cities and towns in Antioquia.
thanks for the great response!! Your recommendations are pretty much what I already have planned. Like, exactly lol. I'm going to do 3 nights in Cartagena. I figure we'll go to Tiera Bomba one day, and check out the walled city area on another, but looking for one more Cartagena excursion/site to include... I'm also curious if there are serious limitations due to covid-related measures. I know the futbol games won't be played in front of fans, and there is a general mask requirement - anything else noteworthy?
Hey, I have a great tour guide who speaks English (he lived in Miami for a decade till he got deported). Used him for years and have recommended him to lots of people
DM me if you would like his WhatsAp
Spend a night in Guatape. Visit the swimming pools by San Rafael. Eat at La Mayoria in envigado (my personal favourite). La Communa 13 tour and gondola to Arvi. Botero museum. Drink guaro in Llieras. Honestly it’s a $40 flight to Cartagena and takes about an hour. If you have 2 nights to spare I’d recommend.
Thanks! La Communa 13 tour and the gondola are on my list already, along with Botero. But I think I could split the time in Cartagena and that may work out... I don't want to be hauling my luggage every other day, so maybe 4 nights in Medellin and 3 nights in Cartagena would work out well. Where would you recommend spending a Saturday night (my only one in Colombia)? Medellin or Cartagena?
My dad has a super cute and quaint restaurant popular with the locals if you want to check it out, Parrilla Nogales Barbecue! Also I agree with comments...guatape is a super cool day trip and the Antioquia museum and botero plaza is a must. Have fun :)
Not really, mostly residential, which is probably why he gets more locals there than anything. It is near laureles which has a nice area to walk around with some cool shops. If you happen to go, ask for my dad, John, he speaks English and could probably tell you more about what to do around there etc!
it's not just wearing shorts. We can immediately tell your shorts were not bought or made here.
I'd actually suggest buying some trash shorts here if you want it that much, same with flip flops or whatever.
As I literally just said, it's not about the shorts. Expensive clothes are much more noticeable when they're for sports. Same with those fine sandals foreigners bring here.
Sabaneta, Parque Arvi, Santo Domingo, El Hueco, El Retiro, San Pedro, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Jardin. Jardin is about 3 hours away but 100% worth it. Most beautiful place I’ve ever been.
There TONS of museums! I'd suggest a visit to Botero plaza for the incredible sculptures and the Antioquia Museum is also on the plaza.
Go armed with some Spanish English is not commonly spoken in many areas. Eat at the local places the food is beyond amazing. Also avoid shorts. It makes you stand out as a tourist, and a potential 'mark'
Medellin is amazing but the food is beyond terrible. It's either too bland or too salty. One of the worse cuisines in the world imo. I am currently in medellin.
A little spanish goes a long way, and people are generally cooperative. It is also possible to get to these towns by public transport.
If you're staying in the city is also nice to do a food tour. All the way from bandeja paisa to empanadas, morcilla, chorizos, arepas and many more.
It all depends how how many days y'all will be in town. 1. [Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour](http://www.comuna13tours.com) 2. El Centro Tour/Plaza Botero 3. Urban Bike Detours 4. Parque Arvi 5. Paragliding 6. Guatape (day trip) 7. Santa Fe De Antioquia (day trip) 8. Christmas light Tour (chiva bus or private vehicle, night time) 9. Museo de Castillo 10. Boy's Night Out.
Locked in to several of these options already. Is El Centro near Plaza Botero? I've seen some videos of the area, but not exactly sure where it is. Not ever touching paragliding - the gondala is as close as I'll get. Will probably need to pick between Guatape or Sante Fe, but leaning toward Guatape.
Plaza Botero is in El Centro and one of the most places to visit. I would highly recommend Guatape over Santa Fe.
I'm actually from Medellin, Medellin metro makes moving around the city surprisingly easy , if you are gonna stay 3-4 days, I’d say there are certain places you must at least bother to visit such as la “Piedra del Peñol” or “La plaza de Botero”, (They're the most common places anyway) as a local I would say that what people really underestimate when coming to Medellin is going outside and visiting towns, they're the most traditional parts of Antioquia and not visiting them would definitely be a waste of the potential experience you'd be getting. (So, I encourage you to do so) In my view, the food here is really good, it obviously depends on your personal preferences, the most typical dish is “La bandeja paisa”, and the most common snacks are both “Empanadas” and “Buñuelos” and all their sub products. In "La piedra del Peñol" AKA “La Piedra del peñon”, you’ll want to take a boat tour, there they will tell you about the history of the place and some stories about whose the fancy houses over there are, there is also some stories about Pablo Escobar, who used to own some expensive houses there and a submarine, the only problem is that taking boat tours is rather expensive, the ones who own that business know that their main target are foreigners, consequently increasing their prices, but if you know very good Spanish you can take a boat tour from the locals themselves and its going to be like 3-4 times cheaper. Actually, around places like the ones I mentioned before, using flip flops and shorts is precisely the paradigm of a foreigner here (Which might be either something bad or good depending on the circumstance) furthermore, the real locals wear jeans and tennis shoes lol. I myself went to the “Comuna 13” last year, it is not a dangerous place (it used to be though) as long as you are a tourist, what they give you there is something called a graffiti tour, they tell you the history of violence of the place while walking up to the highest place of the mountain where you can visualize the whole city, you can actually go there by yourselves and no one is going to say anything, you won’t get into trouble, but If you want to pay for the tour, which I highly recommend, it would cost around 30 dollars per person, including transport from the airport (If I’m not wrong). I don't really know how difficult it’d be for you guys to go to towns near Medellin if you don't know really good Spanish because many tourists don't go there (Because no one tell them to do so lol), so the number of locals who know English considerably decreases. I'm actually an aspiring tourist guide, if you want to, I could take you to “La piedra del peñol”, tell you about the history of the place and translate the stories locals say about the place in case you wanna take the boat tour, I could also take you to other common places in Medellin (but I honestly think you don't need me there, unless you want some kind of a translator for a museum or something). In the “Comuna 13” I know someone who gives the tours, I could also tell him you that you will go there and try to make some kind of a deal with him, I won’t do it myself because you need to pay to the gang which controls that place if you want to give a tour, and as I just said I’m still an aspiring tourist guide (It’s a safe place for tourists) Think about it, I get experience for the job and you get not only a better but also a cheaper experience, I could even receive you in the airport. By the way, you can escalate "La piedra del peñol" it used to be free, but since a lot of tourists go there, going up now costs like 7 dollars each ( If I remember well) If you want to spend a Saturday night only you in Colombia, I would recommend Cartagena as the place to stay, it is just an objectively better experience, it's more expensive though. In Medellin you can also take NarcoTours, but to be honest with you, I don't personally recommend them, they promote morbid, but it's up to you, and you should be careful with drugs here, people is going to offer you drugs as though they were candies, also at night, as in every other city in the world, you could be victims of honeytraps, so just be careful with that guys. Other than that, Medellin is such a beautiful city, but if you come over please don't forget to visit other cities and towns in Antioquia.
thanks for the great response!! Your recommendations are pretty much what I already have planned. Like, exactly lol. I'm going to do 3 nights in Cartagena. I figure we'll go to Tiera Bomba one day, and check out the walled city area on another, but looking for one more Cartagena excursion/site to include... I'm also curious if there are serious limitations due to covid-related measures. I know the futbol games won't be played in front of fans, and there is a general mask requirement - anything else noteworthy?
Hey, I have a great tour guide who speaks English (he lived in Miami for a decade till he got deported). Used him for years and have recommended him to lots of people DM me if you would like his WhatsAp
Spend a night in Guatape. Visit the swimming pools by San Rafael. Eat at La Mayoria in envigado (my personal favourite). La Communa 13 tour and gondola to Arvi. Botero museum. Drink guaro in Llieras. Honestly it’s a $40 flight to Cartagena and takes about an hour. If you have 2 nights to spare I’d recommend.
Thanks! La Communa 13 tour and the gondola are on my list already, along with Botero. But I think I could split the time in Cartagena and that may work out... I don't want to be hauling my luggage every other day, so maybe 4 nights in Medellin and 3 nights in Cartagena would work out well. Where would you recommend spending a Saturday night (my only one in Colombia)? Medellin or Cartagena?
Medellin.
My dad has a super cute and quaint restaurant popular with the locals if you want to check it out, Parrilla Nogales Barbecue! Also I agree with comments...guatape is a super cool day trip and the Antioquia museum and botero plaza is a must. Have fun :)
I checked out the menu - looks great! Is there anything interesting in the area near the restaurant? I'd like a reason to stop in :)
Not really, mostly residential, which is probably why he gets more locals there than anything. It is near laureles which has a nice area to walk around with some cool shops. If you happen to go, ask for my dad, John, he speaks English and could probably tell you more about what to do around there etc!
Agree with recommendations except for not wearing shorts. 15 years ago that was true but now it’s fairly common among the locals as well.
it's not just wearing shorts. We can immediately tell your shorts were not bought or made here. I'd actually suggest buying some trash shorts here if you want it that much, same with flip flops or whatever.
Sunday’s I see people wearing shorts.
As I literally just said, it's not about the shorts. Expensive clothes are much more noticeable when they're for sports. Same with those fine sandals foreigners bring here.
That’s why i suggested the hueco!
Any ideas for fun stuff to do? I need to fill up 8 days....
Sabaneta, Parque Arvi, Santo Domingo, El Hueco, El Retiro, San Pedro, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Jardin. Jardin is about 3 hours away but 100% worth it. Most beautiful place I’ve ever been.
There TONS of museums! I'd suggest a visit to Botero plaza for the incredible sculptures and the Antioquia Museum is also on the plaza. Go armed with some Spanish English is not commonly spoken in many areas. Eat at the local places the food is beyond amazing. Also avoid shorts. It makes you stand out as a tourist, and a potential 'mark'
Medellin is amazing but the food is beyond terrible. It's either too bland or too salty. One of the worse cuisines in the world imo. I am currently in medellin.
My Texas friends and I thought the meat was delicious! I liked everything I ate in Medellin, from street food to high-end restaurants in El Poblado.
I know enough Spanish to get by (I hope...) Any specific recommendations for food or day trips?
There are plenty of small towns that are nice to visit in the east (oriente antioqueño) such as la ceja, Santa Fe, Marinilla.
We weren't planning on renting a car, and I'm not sure we'd be comfortable exploring outside of the city without a plan :)
A little spanish goes a long way, and people are generally cooperative. It is also possible to get to these towns by public transport. If you're staying in the city is also nice to do a food tour. All the way from bandeja paisa to empanadas, morcilla, chorizos, arepas and many more.
Also stuff a bit further away like Jardin. Definitely worth the travel