Two Paper Boats
  • Guides
    • Guides

      Summer Trip to Svalbard – Everything You Need…

      Guides

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Guides

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Guides

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      Guides

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      Guides

      Exploring Quito

      Guides

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Guides

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Guides

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Guides

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Guides

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

      Guides

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Guides

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Itineraries
    • Itineraries

      One Year Around the World

      Itineraries

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      Itineraries

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      Itineraries

      Ten Day Galapagos Itinerary

  • South America
    • South America

      Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

      South America

      San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

      South America

      How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa…

      South America

      A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

      South America

      Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

      South America

      3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

      South America

      One Week Medellin Travel Guide

      South America

      3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

      South America

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      South America

      Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

      South America

      Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto…

      South America

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      South America

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      South America

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      South America

      Witnessing the Worst Protests in Chile in 3…

  • Europe
    • Europe

      A Wes Anderson Inspired Hotel in Oslo

      Europe

      We Bought the Nordic Choice Unlimited Hotel Pass

      Europe

      How Much It Cost Us to See the…

      Europe

      Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

      Europe

      Beginner’s Luck – Seeing the Northern Lights on…

      Europe

      Finnish Lapland in October

      Europe

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Europe

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Europe

      Why Vienna is the Most Livable City in…

      Europe

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Europe

      Dolmabahçe Palace, An Istanbul Gem

      Europe

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Europe

      A Winter Weekend in Andorra

  • Middle East
    • Middle East

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Middle East

      Honest Thoughts on Traveling in Egypt

      Middle East

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Middle East

      Finding the Best Hummus in Israel

      Middle East

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

  • Asia
    • Asia

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Asia

      My Search for Lamprais or “Lump Rice” in…

      Asia

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Nomad Life
    • Nomad Life

      2020 – Travel Interrupted

      Nomad Life

      Packing Super Light for a Trip Around the…

      Nomad Life

      How We Afford to Travel Full-Time

      Nomad Life

      The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part…

      Nomad Life

      Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World

ColombiaSouth America

One Week Medellin Travel Guide

by Lu February 16, 2020
February 16, 2020 2.1k views

Getting In

From Cartagena we flew to Medellin, Colombia’s city of eternal spring set in the lush Aburrá valley. Once the most dangerous city in the world in the 1980s, Medellin has transformed itself into the most innovative city in the last decade. It’s now an expat hub and tourist destination with a fast-growing economy and one of the best public transit systems we’ve ever encountered. As long as you exercise street smarts (don’t flash your smartphone in public), Medellin is pretty safe.

From the airport we took the white shuttle buses parked right outside the terminal to the city center, where we called a cab to our Airbnb using the inDriver app, which lets you make offers for rides. As of February 1, 2020, Uber has exited Colombia. Taking a cab all the way from the airport would have cost 75,000 pesos; the bus is only 10,500 pesos per person.

First Impressions

We liked Medellin immediately, pleasantly surprised by how green it was even amongst the urban density. It’s an absolutely huge city that goes on farther than the eye can see, but fortunately it’s well connected by a modern metro system, the city’s pride and joy. Along with cable cars, the metro connects all the city’s different hillside communities.

Where to Stay

We stayed just north of El Poblado, an affluent neighborhood popular with expats. It’s far calmer than the center of the city and is well connected with its own metro stop. The leafy tree lined streets, restaurants, cafes, and new apartment buildings command a higher price, but we felt pretty safe walking to our apartment even after dark.

El Poblado Medellin

Climate

The climate in Medellin is cooler than in Cartagena or Santa Marta. We visited in early February. Midday was still quite warm at 85°F but evenings were pleasantly cool. At night we kept the windows open to cool the house down. Most buildings in Medellin don’t have air-conditioning for this reason. Luckily we only encountered a single mosquito during our entire week.

Botero

We came to Medellin to see Boteros, learn about the city’s troubled history with drug cartels, and see how it’s thriving today. Our favorite museum in the city was the Museo de Antioquia, which houses a large collection of paintings and sculptures donated by Fernando Botero, one of the world’s most famous living artists.

  • IMG_20200209_134817

The museum is housed in a beautiful courtyard building in Plaza Botero, surrounded by 23 sculptures by the Medellin native whose signature style depicts fat people, animals, and even fruit. How can an orange be more round? It’s magic.

  • IMG_20200209_142019 (1)
  • IMG_20200209_141052

Free Walking Tour

Near Plaza Botero we met up with Real City Tours for their tip-based free walking tour of downtown Medellin. This informative tour is essential to understanding the city. We learned how violent Medellin was during Pablo Escobar’s time, why the metro is a beloved symbol of the city’s revival, how democratic architecture transformed the city, and the state of Colombia’s cocaine production today.

It was one of the most memorable walking tours we’ve ever been on (out of 20+), but quite long at four hours, so devote half a day, or if you travel slow like us, an entire day.

Cable Cars

The best way to see how big Medellin is to take one of the cable cars. One popular route is from Acevedo to Parque Arví. You only have to pay for the metro once, and then it’s a free transfer to the cable car. You can then visit Parque Arví or just ride the gondola back down.

You’ll pass over the rooftops of some of the poorer neighborhoods in Medellin and see how people in different parts of the city live. It made me realize how important public works projects are; without the cable cars, these poorer neighborhoods would be completely cut off from the rest of the city.

Comuna 13

One really popular hillside neighborhood is Comuna 13. Once a criminal part of the city, it’s now safe and quite touristy, revitalized by colorful graffiti art, hipster coffeeshops, and outdoor escalators to get you up and down the steep hillside.

  • rpt

While hiking around Comuna 13, stop by Cremas Doña Consuelo, a popsicle shop selling homemade mango, coconut, passionfruit, and soursop ice pops for 2000 pesos each. You eat them dipped in salted lemon juice. They’re deliciously refreshing on a hot sunny day. From the top of Comuna 13 you can also get a sweeping view of the city below.

  • IMG_20200213_131708

Medellin is a culturally rich place with a lot to explore. We could spend a month in El Poblado alone just eating our way through all the restaurants. It’s easy to see why so many expats have chosen to live here.

More Information on Visiting Colombia:

Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

Is Santa Marta a Good Nomad Base?

To see where we are now, follow us on Instagram.

Lu

previous post
3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena
next post
3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

You may also like

Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

August 18, 2020

San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

March 8, 2020

How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa Rica

March 6, 2020

A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

February 29, 2020

Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

February 25, 2020

3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

February 20, 2020

3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

February 13, 2020

How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

February 12, 2020

Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

January 28, 2020

Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto Williams

January 26, 2020

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Travelgrams

Popular Posts

  • The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part Later” Option

    June 23, 2019
  • Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto Williams

    January 26, 2020
  • Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

    January 31, 2019
  • Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World

    June 15, 2018
  • Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

    January 28, 2020
  • Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

    February 10, 2019
  • 17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

    November 1, 2018
  • Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

    August 14, 2019

  • Privacy Policy

COPYRIGHT © 2022 TWO PAPER BOATS


Back To Top
Two Paper Boats
  • Guides
    • Guides

      Summer Trip to Svalbard – Everything You Need…

      Guides

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Guides

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Guides

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      Guides

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      Guides

      Exploring Quito

      Guides

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Guides

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Guides

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Guides

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Guides

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

      Guides

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Guides

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Itineraries
    • Itineraries

      One Year Around the World

      Itineraries

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      Itineraries

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      Itineraries

      Ten Day Galapagos Itinerary

  • South America
    • South America

      Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

      South America

      San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

      South America

      How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa…

      South America

      A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

      South America

      Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

      South America

      3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

      South America

      One Week Medellin Travel Guide

      South America

      3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

      South America

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      South America

      Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

      South America

      Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto…

      South America

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      South America

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      South America

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      South America

      Witnessing the Worst Protests in Chile in 3…

  • Europe
    • Europe

      A Wes Anderson Inspired Hotel in Oslo

      Europe

      We Bought the Nordic Choice Unlimited Hotel Pass

      Europe

      How Much It Cost Us to See the…

      Europe

      Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

      Europe

      Beginner’s Luck – Seeing the Northern Lights on…

      Europe

      Finnish Lapland in October

      Europe

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Europe

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Europe

      Why Vienna is the Most Livable City in…

      Europe

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Europe

      Dolmabahçe Palace, An Istanbul Gem

      Europe

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Europe

      A Winter Weekend in Andorra

  • Middle East
    • Middle East

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Middle East

      Honest Thoughts on Traveling in Egypt

      Middle East

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Middle East

      Finding the Best Hummus in Israel

      Middle East

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

  • Asia
    • Asia

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Asia

      My Search for Lamprais or “Lump Rice” in…

      Asia

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Nomad Life
    • Nomad Life

      2020 – Travel Interrupted

      Nomad Life

      Packing Super Light for a Trip Around the…

      Nomad Life

      How We Afford to Travel Full-Time

      Nomad Life

      The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part…

      Nomad Life

      Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World