15 Best Things to Do in Medellín, Colombia

The best things to do in Medellín are riding the Metrocable over the hillside neighborhoods, a guided walk through the street art of Comuna 13, a day trip to the rock of El Peñol in Guatapé, the Botero sculptures in the center and a coffee farm in the hills. Four days covers the city and one day trip.

Medellín, the capital of Antioquia, sits in the Aburrá Valley at about 1,500 meters, which gives it warm days and mild nights all year. Locals call it the City of Eternal Spring.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, it was known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world, the base of the Medellín Cartel and Pablo Escobar. Since then, cable cars, escalators, libraries and parks have transformed many of the poorest hillside neighborhoods, and the city is now one of the most visited in South America.

Medellín is good at public space, street art, food and day trips into the green hills of Antioquia. It is oversold as a party city, and travelers still need more care with safety here than in most of Europe or North America.

To help you know where to start, we asked a group of travel bloggers about their favorite activities in Medellín, and their recommendations are credited below. Universal Traveller updated the prices, opening hours and practical details in October 2026 and added seven more experiences.

Things to Do in Medellín Compared

1. Ride the Metro and Metrocable

Medellín has the only metro in Colombia, opened in 1995, and its cable cars are part of the same network. Bogotá’s first metro line is still under construction, with service planned for 2028.

The Metrocable lines climb from the valley floor to hillside neighborhoods that once had no direct public transport. Riding Line K from Acevedo to Santo Domingo, or Line J from San Javier, gives you a view across the whole valley for the price of a metro ticket.

Locals are proud of the metro, and it shows. The stations are clean, and eating or drinking on board is not allowed.

Verdict: Worth it, and the easiest way to understand how Medellín changed. Ride a cable car line to the top and back in good weather.

2. Take the Cable Car to Parque Arví

Recommended by Stefan and Sebastien from Nomadic Boys

One of the best ways to see the city from above is to take the cable car from Acevedo metro station all the way to Parque Arví. You ride Line K to Santo Domingo, then change to Line L, which crosses the mountain ridge east of the city into a pine and cloud forest.

The ride is long, a good 20 minutes on Line L alone. Parque Arví itself is good for walking trails and picnics, and there is a small market at the top station.

Tip: bring a sweater, as it is noticeably cooler up there than in the city.

Verdict: Worth it only if you want a half day in the forest. For the view alone, Line K to Santo Domingo is enough and costs a fraction of the price.

3. Explore Comuna 13

Recommended by Vicky from Buddy The Traveling Monkey

Comuna 13, on the western hillside of the city, went through decades of violence between guerrilla groups, paramilitaries and gangs. It was fought over because it controlled a route out of the city.

In December 2011, the city opened a set of outdoor escalators up the steep hillside, a first for a residential neighborhood. They cut a 30-minute climb to a few minutes and received a full overhaul in 2026.

Today, Comuna 13 is famous for its murals, many with messages of hope and memory. During our visit, we took a walking tour with a guide who grew up in Comuna 13, which made the experience far more personal.

The neighborhood is now very busy with visitors, especially at midday and on weekends. Go with a local guide, and buy food and drinks from local stalls to support residents.

Verdict: Worth it, but only with a local guide. Without one, it can feel like a crowded open-air souvenir market.

This tour with a resident guide includes street food, rated 4.9 from nearly 2,500 reviews.

4. Take a Day Trip to Guatapé and El Peñol

Recommended by Claire from Tales of a Backpacker

Guatapé is a small town about two hours from Medellín, famous for El Peñol de Guatapé, a giant granite rock above a reservoir dotted with islands. The rock was first climbed in 1954, and today 740 steps zig-zag up one side.

From the top, you see the reservoir and its green islands in every direction. Afterwards, head into Guatapé, where every house has brightly painted carved panels, called zócalos, along the bottom of its walls.

Many of the carvings show the trade of the people who live there, and each design is different. Most people visit on a day trip, but staying a night lets you see the town after the tour buses leave.

Verdict: Worth it, and the best day trip from Medellín. Go on a weekday, as weekends bring long lines at the rock.

This full-day tour includes the rock, a boat ride on the reservoir and lunch, rated 4.7 from over 2,600 reviews.

5. Join the Ciclovía

Recommended by Jen from Long Haul Trekkers

Colombia is one of the most passionate cycling countries in the world and created the ciclovía, which started in Bogotá in 1974. On Sundays and public holidays, Medellín closes major roads to cars so that cyclists, runners, skaters and walkers can use them.

Along the route, you find free exercise classes and food stalls selling fresh fruit and juices. Bike shops in El Poblado and Laureles rent bicycles for the morning.

Verdict: Worth it if you are in Medellín on a Sunday. It is one of the best ways to see how locals use their city.

6. See the Botero Sculptures in Plaza Botero

Recommended by Elisa from World in Paris

Medellín is the birthplace of Fernando Botero, the Colombian painter and sculptor known for his rounded figures, who died in 2023. Plaza Botero in the city center displays 23 of his bronze sculptures, which he donated to the city.

You do not need a guided tour. Start at Parque Berrío metro station and walk around the square, where you will find his women, horses and a fat cat, among others.

Verdict: Worth an hour, combined with the Museo de Antioquia on the same square. Do not linger in the center after dark.

7. Visit the Museo de Antioquia

Recommended by Yariella from The Beauty Backpacker

The Museo de Antioquia, on Plaza Botero, is one of the oldest museums in Colombia, founded in 1881. It houses one of the largest collections of Botero’s work in the world, much of it donated by the artist himself.

Beyond Botero, it shows Colombian and Latin American art from colonial times to today. The museum shop sells textiles and jewelry by young Colombian designers.

Verdict: Worth it for Botero fans and on a rainy afternoon.

8. Explore the Museum of Modern Art (MAMM)

Recommended by Daniel from Layer Culture

The Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín, known as MAMM, shows contemporary art by young Colombian and Latin American artists. It is in Ciudad del Río, in a former steel mill building from the 1930s, with a newer extension next door.

The gallery rooms are well designed and lit, and the top floor has an open terrace with a view over the city. The surrounding park is popular with locals on weekends.

Verdict: Worth it if you like contemporary art. It is less essential than the Museo de Antioquia for a first visit.

9. Time Your Trip for the Feria de las Flores

Recommended by Gearoid from Unlatinoverde

The Feria de las Flores, the Flower Festival, is Medellín’s biggest event of the year, held over about ten days in late July and early August. The highlight is the Desfile de Silleteros, when more than 500 flower growers from Santa Elena parade with huge flower arrangements carried on their backs.

There are also concerts, a classic car parade and an orchid, bird and flower exhibition at the Botanical Garden. In 2026, the festival ran from July 31 to August 9.

Verdict: Worth planning a trip around if the dates work. Outside the festival, you can visit the silleteros in Santa Elena on a farm tour.

10. Visit the Botanical Garden and Parque Explora

The Jardín Botánico de Medellín, in the north of the city, is a free garden with tropical plants, a lake and the Orquideorama, a wooden structure that shelters orchid displays. It is a quiet escape from the traffic.

Parque Explora, next door, is an interactive science museum with an aquarium, popular with families.

Verdict: Worth it with children, or for a quiet morning in the garden. Skip Parque Explora if you have no children with you.

11. Visit the Museo Casa de la Memoria

The Museo Casa de la Memoria tells the story of the armed conflict in Medellín and Antioquia through the voices of the people who lived through it. Photographs, testimonies and audio make it moving rather than academic.

It is the best place to understand the city’s past without glorifying the people who caused it.

Verdict: Worth it, and a far better use of a morning than a Pablo Escobar tour.

12. Climb to Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara

Pueblito Paisa is a replica of a traditional Antioquian village on top of Cerro Nutibara, a hill in the middle of the city. It has a small church, a plaza and souvenir shops.

The village is touristy, but the view over the valley from the top is one of the best in Medellín, especially at sunset.

Verdict: Worth it for the view, not for the village. Take a taxi up and back in the evening.

13. Visit a Coffee Farm

Antioquia is one of Colombia’s main coffee regions, and several farms in the hills around Medellín offer tours. You follow the coffee from the plant to the cup, pick and roast beans, and taste the result.

Many tours also include tropical fruit tastings and a view over the valley. Farms in Fredonia, about 1.5 hours south, offer longer, more traditional tours.

Verdict: Worth it if you will not visit the Coffee Region around Salento. Choose a working family farm rather than a show farm.

This tour includes transport, snacks and tastings on a working farm, rated 4.7 from over 1,500 reviews.

14. Go Paragliding in San Félix

San Félix, in the hills north of the city, is one of the best-known paragliding spots in Colombia. Tandem flights take off from a grassy slope above the valley and float over green farmland with Medellín in the distance.

No experience is needed. The pilot does the work, and most operators film the flight for you.

Verdict: Worth it on a clear morning. Flights are cancelled in bad weather, so keep a backup day.

This tandem flight includes GoPro photos and video, rated 4.9 from over 1,500 reviews.

15. Watch a Football Match at the Atanasio Girardot

Medellín has two big football clubs, Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín, which share the Estadio Atanasio Girardot. A home match is loud, colorful and passionate.

The stadium is being renovated until December 2027. Matches continue during the first stage, but in the second half of 2027, both clubs will play at the Estadio Cincuentenario instead.

Verdict: Worth it with a group tour or local friends. Going alone to a big match is not recommended.

This tour includes tickets, transport and a pre-game with locals, rated 4.9 from over 150 reviews.

More Medellín tours and day trips are listed on GetYourGuide.

Is Medellín Safe for Travelers?

Medellín is far safer than in the 1990s, but it still needs more care than most cities in Europe or North America. In March 2026, the US State Department rated Colombia at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, with higher warnings for some border regions.

The main risk for travelers is being drugged and robbed, often after meeting someone through a dating app. The US Embassy issued another warning about this in Medellín in July 2026.

• Meet new people only in busy public places, and never leave a drink unattended
• Use registered taxis or ride apps, especially at night
• Keep your phone out of sight on the street, and do not resist if you are robbed
• Stay in El Poblado, Laureles or Envigado, and avoid the center after dark

Where to Stay in Medellín

El Poblado is the most convenient area for first-time visitors, with the most hotels and restaurants, and Provenza is its liveliest corner. Laureles is calmer and more local, with good cafes and restaurants along La 70 and La 33.

• For design: The Charlee Hotel in El Poblado, with a rooftop pool and bar
• For something smaller: Sites Hotel, a 23-room boutique hotel in El Poblado
• For something new: Marquee Medellín on Avenida El Poblado
• For space and views: InterContinental Medellín, on the hillside above the city

Getting to and Around Medellín

José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) is in Rionegro, east of the city, about an hour from El Poblado. Taxis charge a fixed fare of COP 132,000, and the airport bus costs COP 20,000 to the city center (2026).

In the city, the metro and Metrocable are the fastest way to cover long distances. For the evenings, use registered taxis or ride apps rather than hailing cars on the street.

Medellín is well connected by bus and air to the rest of Colombia. See how to get from Medellín to Bogotá, Medellín to Cartagena and Medellín to Salento, or the guide to getting around Colombia.

Best Time to Visit Medellín

Medellín has spring-like weather all year, with highs of 27 to 29°C and lows of about 17 to 18°C. The driest months are December to February and June to August.

There are two rainy seasons, from March to May and from September to November, when afternoon storms are common. Early August brings the Feria de las Flores, and December brings the city’s Christmas lights.

Climate data: 1991 to 2020 averages for Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellín. Crowd levels are Universal Traveller’s assessment.

Suggested 4-Day Medellín Itinerary

• Day 1: Plaza Botero and the Museo de Antioquia in the morning, the Museo Casa de la Memoria, sunset at Pueblito Paisa
• Day 2: Comuna 13 with a local guide in the morning, the Metrocable to Santo Domingo in the afternoon, dinner in Laureles
• Day 3: a day trip to Guatapé and El Peñol
• Day 4: a coffee farm or paragliding in the morning, the Botanical Garden or MAMM in the afternoon, a night out in Provenza

On a Sunday, start with the Ciclovía. With an extra day, add Parque Arví or a match at the Atanasio Girardot.

More Universal Traveller Guides to Colombia and South America

• Best things to do in Bogotá
• Why Colombia should be your next travel destination
• How to get from Medellín to Guatapé
• Best things to do in Lima
• Best things to do in Quito
• Best places to visit in South America
• All South America guides

Frequently Asked Questions About Medellín

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Pauline Joie

Pauline has a bachelor’s degree in Tourism and is a professional content writer. She specializes in writing about travel and food. Pauline spent most of her career life in Dubai and is a Travel Expert for the United States and Costa Rica.

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