What to do in Medellin
Take a free walking tour
The free walking tours with Real City Tours have a great reputation. I rarely take guided tours of the cities I visit, but decided to give this one a go. The tour has to be booked in advance. As it fills up really quickly I didn't get to take the tour until my third day in the city. I would recommend taking it as early as possible as it provides you with a great overview of Medellin. Learning the story of the city and its transformation is truly what has made me enjoy my time in Medellin so much. The tour takes you to about ten places with great significance for turning Medellin into the safe and developed city that it is today. It is quite a long tour (3-4 hours), but it is incredibly interesting.
Price: Free, but remember that the guides don't get paid for the amazing job they do. They definitely appreciate a tip if you liked the tour. I bet you will.
Take a tour of Comuna 13
Once the most dangerous neighbourhood in Medellin, but now a proof of the transformation and innovation that has been going on in Medellin for the past years. I took a graffiti tour organised by my Spanish school, but people I've talked to have also recommended the company "Stairway Storytellers", who offers a similar tour.
Comuna 13 is overpopulated and located on a hill. This means here are both huge level differences within the neighbourhood and way too many houses put closely together to house all the people living there (as is the case with several neighbourhoods in Medellin). The neighbourhood suffered greatly during the reign of Pablo Escobar and even afterwards, as the drug cartels remained in control of the area after Escobar's death.
A controversial operation in 2002 put a stop to the violence and fights. Instead the people of Comuna 13 started voicing their opinions and emotions through graffiti. Since then both national and international artists have come to the neighbourhood to express themselves through art and support the people living there. It is clear that happiness, peace and hope have returned to Comuna 13. Going there, hearing the stories of the people and witnessing this with my own eyes truly was one of my favourite experiences in Medellin. At the end of the tour our group was even allowed to make our own little masterpiece.
Here's a few reflections I made while visiting Comuna 13. It was a powerful experience.
Take a day trip to Guatapé
Another must-do whilst in Medellin! Guatapé might be the most colourful city in Colombia, and is well worth a visit. Buses leaves quite frequently from Terminal Norte, located next to the Caribe metro station. The journey takes about 1,5 - 2 hours.
I got off the bus at La Piedra to climb the 740 steps of El Peñol. From the top you can take in the amazing view and drink a Cerveza Michelada. This is a local drink based on beer that I'm not completely convinced about, although most people seem to enjoy it.
Safely back on the ground I decided to make the trip to Guatapé by foot. I expected it to take me about 45 minutes to get there, but I spent no more than 30 minutes and quite enjoyed the walk. Tuktuks are available for those not eager to walk. Their prices start at about 8000COP, but the drivers eagerly haggled the price down for me while chasing me as I walked. Their final offer was 2000COP, but I still walked.
As I arrived into the town of Guatapé the colourful streets instantly brightened my day even more. I spent hours just walking aimlessly around, greeting the locals and simply enjoying myself. Eventually hunger struck and when I quite randomly walked past a restaurant advertising their vegetarian menu del dia, I was instantly sold. For only 15 000 COP (40 NOK) I was served the most amazing three course meal I have had in Colombia. The restaurant is called Ramé and I would highly recommend it.
A lot of people go to Guatapé on organised tours. Some even allow you to go paintballing in Pablo Escobar's former mansion. I opted to go by myself as I wanted to be able to choose how to spend my time. Personally I was pleased with my choice. I compared my expenses with a friend who went on an organised tour, and we appeared to have spent about the same amount. How you choose to do it is simply down to personal preferences.
Price: 10 000 COP for the bus from Medellin to La Piedra. 13 500 COP back from Guatapé. 18 000 COP to climb El Peñol.
Ride the cable car and visit Parque Arvi:
One of Medellin's biggest attractions is its cable cars, and I don't think you've really been to Medellin unless you've ridden one of them (or both). I took the one that leaves from the metro station Acevedo and terminates at Parque Arvi, as I wanted to go hiking in the park. It actually takes two cable cars to get there and you have to change at Santo Domingo to go all the way to the top. The ride takes a while, but provides you with a great view of the city and some of its (seemingly) less fortunate neighbourhoods. I found myself (once again) overwhelmed by the size of the city and how incredibly densely built it is. However, I love a city seen from above and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
The second cable car leaves from San Javier metro station, which is also where Comuna 13 is located. I didn't actually try this one, so I couldn't tell you which one is better.
I would recommend doing a little bit of research on Parque Arvi before going there. I went there quite spontaneously and therefore didn't plan anything beforehand. When I also wasn't in a hiking mood after all, I felt like I didn't get as much out of the park as I could have. The park has a lot of different trails where you get to experience the nature and fauna of the area. You can follow the marked trails or go on a guided tour. I (obviously) opted for the first, but ended up getting lost on numerous occasions and having quite a lot of trouble finding my way out of the park.
My favourite part of Parque Arví ended up being the lentil burgers sold in the market outside the cable car, but don't take my word for it. I'm sure the park is great.
Price: 2300 COP for the metro to the cable car. As long as you don't exit the Acevedo metro station you can get on the first cable car without buying a new ticket. The second cable car costs 5200 COP each way.
Visit Pueblito Paisa and enjoy a great view of the city:
Pueblito Paisa is a mock Antioquian village located on top of Cerro Nutibara. It portrays how Antioquian villages are usually put together. To get there you take the metro to Industriales, walk for about 10 minutes and climb a cute amount of stairs (a little workout, really). The little village has a church, a restaurant that offers traditional paisa dishes such as Bandeja Paisa, and a few souvenir shops. It is also very cute and colourful, just like the actual Colombian pueblos.
After having had a look around the little village you make your way to the mirador to enjoy an amazing panoramic view of the city. There is also a little city museum up there which is pretty interesting, with exhibitions that are frequently changing.
Price: It is free to walk around Pueblito Paisa and to enjoy the view. The museum only costs 1000 COP (2,60 NOK), so you might as well have a look while you're up there.
Explore the nightlife:
It has to be mentioned! Medellin is known for its nightlife, at least among backpackers. Even I, who have steered clear of partying for quite some time, found myself going out every night for a week and extending my stay in the city just to go out some more. I guess I've enjoyed myself.
Price: It can be done pretty cheaply if you buy your alcohol in a tienda and drink it on the street. It's both fun and social! Beware of the police, though. They will give you fines for consumption in public places. Bars and clubs come at all price ranges, so how much you spend really depends on your budget.
Inside tip/warning: For my last Thursday in the city I went to a club called Bandita Seas with a group of friends. Every Thursday they have free entry for girls (40 000 COP for boys). Once you're in you get as many free bottles of rum or aguardiente as you can drink before 00:30 am. We went there around 11 pm, emptied quite a few bottles and showed up to school a little bit reduced the following day. There's just something about unlimited amounts of free alcohol so go there at your own risk...
