Our 6 Favorite Things About Medellín, Colombia

Medellín, Colombia is quickly becoming a hub for expats, entrepreneurs, and digital nomads in South America.

We visited Medellín for long term stays in March and October. In this post, we’ll share a few of the best things we think Medellín has to offer and the top reasons why we loved it.

10 Reasons why we went to Medellín in the first place

People frequently ask us how we choose the places we visit. In the past, we’ve written generally about our rationale and strategy for choosing digital nomad destinations.

Here’s why Medellín came to the top of our list:

1. While in Ecuador, we met numerous travelers who raved about Medellin – and Colombia in general
2. It’s a beautiful city with a nice metro and all the amenities you could need
3. It’s a Digital Nomad hot spot
4. The country strives to make their history of drugs, crime, and war just that: history
5. Internet is decent
6. Weather is great. It’s nicknamed the City of Eternal Spring.
7. Cost of living is affordable
8. We can practice our Spanish there
9. Some nomad friends were planning to be in town around the same time
10. There is nice hiking and day trips nearby

>> P.S. Access a free interactive map with all of our recommendations for restaurants, places to go, and more!

Global Neighbor Interview: Medellin, Colombia

We are excited to share this short video compiled from interviews we had with some wonderful young adults who grew up in Medellin. It includes excerpts from their perspective on Medellin’s past, safety, tourism, and their dreams for Colombia’s future.

Medellín Top 6 Things We Love

These are just five of the reasons we’ve grown to appreciate this place so much.

1. A City Transformed

Colombia gets a bad rap.

I can’t tell you how many people back home referenced the show “Narcos” – a TV series featuring the infamous Pablo Escobar – when we mentioned that we were heading to Medellín.

True, Colombia has suffered economic woes, guerilla warfare, drug trafficking, crime, and civil unrest for decades. Conflict peaked in the 90’s, cementing news headlines of these horrors in the memories of the global public.

Today, things are different.

At the turn of the century, a newly elected president started investing aggressively in the country’s infrastructure and development.

This paved the way for the progress and security that Colombia’s citizens – and over 4 million visitors a year – now enjoy.

More recently, negotiations achieved disarmament of the guerilla group (FARC) in exchange for participation in congress, development of rural areas, and a peaceful resolution to years of fighting.

Medellín has gone from one of the most dangerous cities in the world, to being recognized as one of the most innovative.

According to our Real City Tours guide (more on that below), the transformation owes its success to two key strategies:

1. Democratic architecture – The city targeted poor, high-crime areas to revamp unsafe public spaces. The main square, pictured above, was once one of the more dangerous areas of downtown. The city transformed it into a beautiful, open park with a series of pillars that illuminate the area at night.

Below, the former Palace of Justice was saved from ruin through a contract with a shopping center that ensured the historic building was restored and preserved.

2. Education with dignity – Development efforts also focused on supporting education. Low income neighborhoods received their own combination library/community center/parks.

These new facilities provided a safe, friendly place to foster learning and build up the communities. As for school fees, the amount residents pay is adjusted based on the economic status of the neighborhood where they live.

The people of Medellín – known as paisas – are well known in Colombia for being enterprising. Businesses large and small are popping up in this international hub of entrepreneurship.

Our first impression of Medellín was that it was even more developed than we expected. There is a wide variety of restaurants and cafes, plenty of gyms, malls, co-working spaces, public transit, etc.

Selina hostel, bar, and co-working

It’s not a bad place to go for healthcare either.

We visited an English-speaking dentist for teeth cleanings and some dental work. The facilities and service were high quality and cost about half what we would pay in the States.

International Smiles dentist gives a quick facial massage before starting any procedure

2. Ciclovías

The Sunday bike-ways program is another thing we absolutely love about Medellín. Every Sunday morning, I found myself saying, “This is just the best.”

The city closes down multiple, major streets to traffic and thousands of people come out to walk, jog, bike, or blade. There are even some Zumba classes that pop up in the main squares.

The fact that this happens every single Sunday morning and holiday (plus weekday evenings in a couple locations) – is such a positive, healthy tradition!

We experienced something similar – though on a smaller scale – in Merida, Mexico. Both cities include separate areas for young children to get instruction on riding a bicycle.

In Medellín, the weekly event is called Ciclovías, and we highly recommend participating if you’re in town on a Sunday.

Our favorite was walking Avenida Poblado down to the Envigado area, where you can watch a lively group doing a Zumba dance work out in the main square.

We also found a bike rental one Sunday which allowed us to explore further. Along the route, you can always pull over at a fresh juice vendor or a cafe to stop and people-watch. In most areas, the roads stay closed until 1pm.

3. Diversity of Food Choices

We really enjoyed the food in Medellín. We typically made breakfast and dinner from the great, affordable produce from our neighborhood supermarkets.

For lunch, we liked to find a good menu del dia – it’s a set lunch option that usually includes a soup, main dish, and fresh fruit juice for about $3 or $4 USD.

Locals told us that the food scene has really expanded over the last 5 years. You can now find sushi, Thai food, Vietnamese, French, Italian, and many other new restaurants.

The neighborhoods we stayed in even had a few reasonably priced health-food restaurants, with options for vegetarians (a rare occurrence in the “developing” world).

We also discovered that paisas love burgers. Burger joints are everywhere – from food carts to fancy sit down places. And we’re told that burgers were around long before all the foreigners came.

>> See all of our restaurant recommendations on our interactive Medellin map!

Although we weren’t eating much dessert on our trip, we did splurge at one of Medellín’s long-standing sweet spots, Reposteria Astor. Chocolate cake, mil hojas, and cafe con leche totaled about $5.50.

It’s always nice when you can treat yourself on a budget!

4. Real City Walking Tours

The Real City Walking Tour came highly recommended from our friends, Troy and Dorene. We’ve enjoyed every single free walking tour that we’ve tried around the world and this was no exception.

This 4-hour tour goes above and beyond, so make sure to bring a tip for your guide.

Our guide was a former professor and did an amazing job at breaking down the history and politics of Medellín in an easy-to-follow and unbiased way.

As the company’s name implies, the tour is all about the real Medellín, not just the nicest places. They talk about the good and the bad – the rough history and the monumental transformations.

As you walk through downtown, they do an excellent job of preparing you to experience the city in a safe and respectful way.

For anyone visiting Medellín for the first time, this walking tour is hands down the best introduction to the city I can imagine. Don’t leave town without doing it!

Other places to visit in Medellín for your first time:

– Parque Arvi – a huge green space at the top of the mountains high above the city, only accessible by the metro cable car system.

– Explore the city using the Metro cable car with sweeping views of the Aburrá Valley.

– View the neighborhood that has undergone the biggest transformation, Comuna 13, a walking tour of history, strife, and resilience.

5. Getting Around Medellin With Ease

Medellin’s metro line

Regional bus station

While big cities are typically not our cup of tea, they’re a whole lot more manageable when they’re easy to get around. Fortunately, Medellín excels in the areas of public transit and walkability.

We walked most places and took a taxi or Uber after dark. (From the airport, the hour ride by Uber was about $20 – $25. In town, it was typically around $3 per ride.)

Most neighborhoods we saw have good sidewalks, so it’s not uncommon to see locals on a morning jog – always a good sign in our books.

There are also a series of bicycle highways through certain neighborhoods in the city.

We also took the bus when we had a good sense of where we needed to go. The main stops are displayed on the front window of the bus.

Bus fare is less than $0.75 per ride, which you pay to the driver or conductor as you get on the bus (best to have exact change).

Medellín’s crowning achievement is their metro system. It’s clean, efficient, and affordable – though it does get crowded during rush hour.

In many ways, the metro sets Medellín apart and is truly a source of pride for its citizens.

6. Nearby Day Trips from Medellin

Day trips are an important aspect of any good digital nomad destination. There are plenty of places to explore in and around Medellin.

Guatapé, Colombia

Since our time was quickly running short, we’re really glad we were able to squeeze in a visit Guatapé during our first visit. Travel time is less than two hours by bus.

On the way into Guatapé, the must-see attraction is El Peñol- an epic climb up a giant protruding rock with spectacular views.

Guatapé is known for being the most colorful town in Colombia. Every building in the center of town is photogenically painted with bright colors. The murals on the homes and businesses are called zocalos. They’ll make you want to take a picture pretty much everywhere you turn.

Medellin Outskirts

We also had the pleasure of doing a half-day Gastronomic Railroads Tour to explore the historic train line outside of Medellin and sample local specialties.

A visit to Comuna 13 on the edge of the city is also highly recommended. Be sure to go with a local guide who can tell you first hand accounts of how the community has transformed from violence to creative expression and entrepreneurship.

Read next: Best Overnight Trips and Day Trips from Medellin

Where We Stayed in Medellin

We stayed in Airbnb apartments near the trendy Laureles neighborhood and later in Frontera, just off the popular Avenida Poblado.

We paid less than $20 a day (when factoring in the monthly discount) for a private place with kitchen, hot water, good wifi, and a washing machine.

Most expats and foreign tourists gravitate to Poblado. It has a lot of great restaurants, cafes, co-working spaces, etc. But it feels more like California than Colombia.

Poblado was not really the experience we were looking for. Plus things tend to be more expensive in Poblado because it’s so trendy.

Personally, we like the Frontera neighborhood because it’s quiet, residential and convenient for going to Poblado or Envigado.

We would love to stay on the quiet end of Envigado as well. Hopping on the metro, which follows the river, makes it easy to get to downtown.

Laureles is also nice, though it feels a bit isolated since the metro is usually far away and there’s a lot of traffic to get to other places in the city.

(Check out the our interactive map for the location and link to our Airbnb.)

Our Favorite Places: Medellin Map

We put together even more tips in this interactive Google MyMaps. It includes 21 delicious restaurants and cheap eats, our favorite things to see, the location of our Airbnb, and even a recommendation for an awesome dentist.

It’s free and we’ll send you the link via email. Fill out the form below:

Final Verdict about Medellin Colombia

We liked Medellín a lot. So much that we came back a year later!

Colombia’s idyllic green mountains are somewhere we think we would be comfortable living for a few months at a time – whether in Medellín itself, or the surrounding area.

Have you been to Colombia? What were some of your favorite things to experience there? Let us know the comments below!

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