Downtown and eastern Medellín with the mountains behind
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Medellín in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 5.1 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days let you see Medellín from above and from the inside. On top of the three downtown walks, you ride the Metrocable up to the forests of Parque Arví, look over the valley from Comuna 13 and Cerro Nutibara, and spend a morning on art and memory. The pace is relaxed: one walk a day and plenty of time for unhurried lunches.

Day 1Bronzes and a cable car to the forest

Start in Plaza Botero with “Downtown Medellín highlights: from Botero to Junín” and carry on past Berrío Park and the Coltejer to the Metropolitan Cathedral. After your bandeja paisa, take the metro north: wander for a while in the Botanical Garden by Universidad station, then continue to Acevedo to board the Metrocable. Up top, Parque Arví greets you with forest and cool air. Come down in good time, before dark, and rest up: tomorrow is all about history.

  1. Morning

    Downtown Medellín highlights: from Botero to Junín

    Mixed · 1.3 km · 1 h 30 min

    1. Plaza Botero and the Museum of AntioquiaTwenty-three sculptures given by the city's most famous artist, in front of the old city hall.
    2. Berrío ParkMedellín's living room since the 17th century: tinto, deals struck on benches and the metro overhead.
    3. Coltejer BuildingA 175-metre needle raised on the ruins of the city's largest theatre.
    4. Junín PromenadeThe street where Medellín invented a verb: «juniniar», strolling unhurriedly past shop windows and cafés.
    5. Metropolitan Cathedral and Bolívar ParkA cathedral of more than a million bricks, built over a stream nobody ever fully tamed.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Bandeja paisa at Hacienda Origen (sede Junín). Carrera 49 n.º 52-98, segundo piso (Junín)

  3. Afternoon

    Medellín Botanical Garden

    A large, peaceful garden beside Universidad station, with a lake, patches of tropical forest and the Orquideorama, a striking wooden structure shaped like giant flowers. It is right on the way to the Metrocable and ideal for a shady break.

    Directions

    Parque Arví

    A vast nature park on the Santa Elena plateau, with forests, trails and stalls selling local farm produce. You get there by Metrocable, Line K from Acevedo and then Line L, with spectacular views; Line L sometimes closes for maintenance, so check before you go.

    Directions

Day 2History, mondongo and murals

In the morning, “From the village of La Candelaria to the railway city” takes you past the Palace of Culture, the National Palace and the old station to Botero’s birds in San Antonio Park. Right there you can catch metro Line B: get off at Estadio for a mondongo antioqueño at Mondongo’s in Laureles, then ride on to San Javier and head up to Comuna 13. Round off the afternoon with a taxi to Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara and watch the lights of the valley come on.

  1. Morning

    From the village of La Candelaria to the railway city

    History · 2 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. Basilica of Our Lady of La CandelariaThe church that gave the town its name: Medellín began here, long before it was a city.
    2. Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of CultureA Gothic palace in light and dark stripes that was never finished: only part of the plan was ever built.
    3. National PalacePost office, courts and barracks in a 1920s concrete palace that is now a shopping centre.
    4. Cisneros Square and the Vásquez and Carré buildingsThe old heart of Guayaquil, the market and railway district, turned into a forest of light poles.
    5. Old Medellín Station of the Antioquia RailwayThe station that, after forty years of works, pulled Medellín out of its isolation among the mountains.
    6. San Antonio Park and Botero's birdsTwo bronze birds, one shattered and one whole: the way Medellín chose to remember its dead.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Mondongo antioqueño at Mondongo's La 70. Carrera 70 n.º C3-43, Laureles

  3. Afternoon

    Comuna 13

    The hillside neighbourhood that has become a symbol of Medellín’s transformation, with outdoor escalators, murals that tell its story and viewpoints over the valley. From San Javier you go up by bus or taxi; it is best visited with a local guide from the comuna.

    Directions

    Pueblito Paisa

    A replica of a traditional Antioquian village, complete with square, church and balconied houses, on top of Cerro Nutibara. The real draw is the viewpoint over the whole Aburrá Valley; take a taxi up, ideally late in the afternoon, when the view is gorgeous.

    Directions

Day 3Art, memory and ghosts

Give the morning to museums. Start at the MAMM in Ciudad del Río, then take the metro back to San Antonio and hop on the Ayacucho tram to the Casa de la Memoria Museum. At midday, have some empanadas at Versalles and a tinto on Junín. Late in the afternoon, “Medellín of lost souls, hidden streams and ghosts” leads you from La Veracruz to San Ignacio Square and Avenida La Playa. Just round the corner, Hatoviejo Centro awaits with chicharrón with arepa to say goodbye to the city.

  1. Morning

    Museum of Modern Art of Medellín (MAMM)

    A modern and contemporary art museum housed in a former industrial building, with an important collection of works by Débora Arango, a pioneer of Colombian painting. It is a short walk from Industriales station; see which temporary exhibition is on before you go.

    Directions

    Casa de la Memoria Museum

    A museum devoted to the memory of the armed conflict in Medellín and Antioquia, told through the victims and the work of reconciliation. Entry is free and the visit is calm and moving; the Ayacucho tram links it easily with San Antonio Park.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Empanadas at Versalles. Carrera 49 n.º 53-39 (Junín)

  3. Early evening

    Medellín of lost souls, hidden streams and ghosts

    Mysteries & legends · 1.8 km · 1 h 35 min

    1. La Veracruz ChurchThe outsiders' chapel: foreigners who died far from home were buried here.
    2. Berrío Park: gallows, market and buried treasureThe old main square was a market, a place of executions and, tradition says, the keeper of hidden treasure.
    3. San Ignacio Square and the ParaninfoFranciscan friary, barracks and university: a building from 1803 where, people say, a friar still walks.
    4. Avenida La Playa: the buried streamBeneath the asphalt flows the Santa Elena stream, and with it the water myths that paisa grandparents used to tell.
    5. Pablo Tobón Uribe TheatreThe theatre where the myths and legends parade sets off every 8 December, and where a headless Italian is said to roam.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Chicharrón with arepa at Hatoviejo Centro. Carrera 47 n.º 52-17 (avenida La Playa con Sucre)

The map

Medellín in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Medellín in 3 days

  • Check that the Metrocable is running before heading up to Arví: Line L sometimes closes for maintenance, and it is better to know before you reach Santo Domingo.
  • Several museums close one weekday, often Monday: try not to let day three fall on a Monday, and check the opening hours of the MAMM and the Casa de la Memoria.
  • Wear comfortable shoes and bring an extra layer for Arví: it is cooler up there than in the valley, and the slopes of Comuna 13 and Nutibara will make themselves felt in your legs.

Questions

Medellín in 3 days: your questions

Is it worth spending three days in Medellín?

Yes: three days let you see downtown at an easy pace and add what makes the city unique, its cable cars, Comuna 13, the viewpoints and the museums of art and memory. It is the most balanced plan if you don’t want to rush.

How far will I walk in total?

The walks add up to about 5.1 km (1.3 on day one, 2 on day two and 1.8 on day three). Add the trails at Arví and the stairs of Comuna 13, which you can stretch or shorten as you like; between neighbourhoods, the metro does the rest.

What if I want to visit Guatapé and the Rock of El Peñol?

It is a full-day trip, about two hours away by road, so it won’t fit into this plan without giving up another day. Ideally, add a fourth: an early bus from the North Terminal or an organised tour, back by nightfall.

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