Decades after the death of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, it's still hard to talk about Medellín without acknowledging its tumultuous past. Colombia's second city has come a long way in the last 30 years, transforming from the war-torn epicenter of a cocaine empire to a modern, progressive metropolis and travel hot spot — instrumental in Colombia’s recent tourism boom and hailed as one of the World's Greatest Places by TIME in 2023.
Today, Medellín draws droves of vacationers, digital nomads, and business travelers with year-round springlike weather, thumping nightlife, blossoming gastronomy, and an emerging tech scene. In addition, the city is home to some of the friendliest locals (nicknamed paisas) you'll ever meet.
"Paisas are known for kindness and hospitality," says Howdy.com Medellín Community Manager Caro Taborda. "[We] love to talk about our city's history and culture."
Exploring the sweaty salsa haunts, hip coffeehouses, and sprawling museums in this sunny ascending city would take years. But — if all you've got is a few extra days tacked on to your work trip — you can see a lot in just 72 hours with the right itinerary (and a bit of hustling). Here is a complete three-day itinerary for travelers combining business with pleasure in Medellín.
Where to stay: El Poblado
Envy Rooftop at The Charlee | Source: The Charlee Hotel
One of Medellín's poshest and most popular neighborhoods, El Poblado, is where you'll find much of the city's best cafés, bars, restaurants, and tourist attractions. There is no shortage of excellent hotels in El Poblado, but top picks include:
- The Charlee Hotel: Funky retro decor, expansive balconies, and ultra-cool rooftop pool and bar make Medellín institution a traveler darling.
- The Click Clack Hotel Medellín: This design-forward hotel has a leafy open-air lobby, a sleek, sexy rooftop cocktail bar, and three onsite restaurants.
- Marquee Medellín: Modern with a hint of Great Gatsby glamor, this intimate 42-room property features a subterranean speakeasy that plays live jazz.
Day 1: El Centro and El Poblado
Pergamino | Source: Pergamino
Cold brew and croissants at Pergamino
Kick off your day with a cold brew and almond croissant at Pergamino, an iconic family-owned cafe serving some of the city's finest coffee. The menu includes roasts from local growers and filter preparations such as Chemex and Aeropress. For a superb souvenir, grab a freshly roasted bag of Lomaverde, Pergamino's flagship beans grown on its farm in the Santa Bárbara mountains.
Boteros and street snacks in El Centro
Once you're good and caffeinated, take a 20-minute Uber to Medellín's historic El Centro neighborhood. In this gritty, bustling barrio, street vendors hawk produce, treats, and flowers beneath colonial churches. This is your chance to sample the city's street food — don't miss the crispy potato empanadas or green mangos sprinkled with salt and lime.
Street snacks in hand, walk to Plaza Botero, a buzzy square populated by 23 pudgy bronze statues made by Fernando Botero, the city’s native son. After rubbing the statues for luck (as legend dictates), pop into the adjacent Museo de Antioquia. The second-oldest museum in Colombia features a collection spanning 19th-century and contemporary Colombian art.
Hearty lunch at Hacienda Junin
For lunch, stop by Hacienda Junin for hearty Colombian staples like chicharrones and empanadas. The original location of a long-time local chain, Hacienda Junin is an excellent spot to try the bandeja paisa — a feast of beans, rice, carne en polvo (minced beef), ripe plantains, egg, pork cracklings, avocado, and an arepa. The traditional Colombian dish was originally for field workers who needed a carb- and protein-heavy meal to fuel a long day of manual labor. Be prepared to take a nap afterward.
Window shopping in El Poblado
After sleeping off the bandeja paisa in your hotel, work up an appetite for dinner by exploring El Poblado on foot. The affluent, central neighborhood has a little bit for everyone: Eco-chic boutiques, cocktail joints, parks, and museums. Should you need a second cup of coffee, you have plenty of exceptional options — Cafe Primavera and Mon Rou being chief among them.
You may or may not have time before dinner to hit Museo El Castillo, a 17th-century mock gothic castle surrounded by French-style gardens. Once home to the wealthy landowning Echavarria family, El Castillo offers free tours and a permanent collection of French and Spanish artwork and antiques. The castle is around a 30-minute walk from El Poblado and closes at 5 p.m.
Pulpo at Carmen | Source: Carmen Medellín
Contemporary Colombian cuisine at Carmen
Make reservations well in advance to score a table at Carmen. This legendary establishment incorporates locally sourced ingredients — from line-caught Pacific Coast fish to wild duck from Cumaral — into contemporary Colombian dishes. Standouts include the crab and shrimp empanadas with ají de guanábana (soursop chile), pulpo (octopus) with nut sauce, and Caribbean cassava cake. Dinner is served in an open-kitchen-adjacent dining room and an ivy-clad courtyard.
DJs, dancing, and drinks at Salón Amador
Cap off the night with a thoughtfully crafted cocktail or two at Salón Amador — a hip watering hole where lively, stylish crowds dance to electro and house music deep into the night. If you stay long enough to befriend any locals, you'll inevitably be offered a shot of aguardiente (literally "firewater"), Colombia's national liquor with a fiery kick and anise flavor. However, you may want to politely decline unless you want to spend the next day hungover.
Day 2: Paque Arví and Comuna 13
Eggs benedict at Al Alma
However you spent the preceding night, the bacon-stacked eggs benedict at Al Alma Café will leave you re-energized and ready for another day of sightseeing. Al Alma has several locations in the El Poblado area, but the Al Alma Provenza location is the most central.
Cable car to Parque Arví
Once you're restored back to life, it's time for a hike through the city's leafy mountaintop park, Parque Arví. The 4,350-acre nature reserve enchants with its pine and eucalyptus forests, lakes, lookout points, and butterfly garden.
The journey to Parque Arví might be as cool as the park itself, involving a gondola ride over hillside barrios and a birds-eye view of Medellín. You can hop on a cable car at the Acevedo metro station and transfer at Santo Domingo to Parque Arví.
After a morning of hiking, stop at Mercado Arví to refuel on pastries and other goodies from local farmers and artisans. For something more substantial, try a classic Colombian lunch at one of the many nearby local eateries. A popular option is Estadero El Tambo, which serves a traditional Colombian "menu del dia" with a soup, drink, and main course.
History and graffiti at Comuna 13
The next stop on your itinerary is Comuna 13, a colorful community on the western fringes of the city and one of Medellín's most compelling highlights. Once run by violent drug trafficking organizations, Comuna 13 was transformed by community projects and escaleras electricas (outdoor escalators), which connect the once violent and isolated hillside barrio to the city below. Today, the formerly bullet-riddled walls are covered in bright murals and street art.
While you can visit Comuna 13 on your own, it’s safest (and more interesting) to go with a local guide. The Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour from Visit Medellín Tours is a trusted option that includes an English-speaking local guide and snacks.
International eats at Mercado del Rio
For dinner, head back to El Poblado to check out Mercado del Rio. The trendy food hall, housed in a nineteenth-century soap warehouse, is jammed with food stalls serving international eats and craft cocktails. Popular vendors include the pork-focused Cerdología and the upscale Italian-inspired Parmesano.
Salsa at Son Havana
Still have some steam left after a day of sightseeing? Head to the hipster neighborhood of Laureles to Son Havana, a dark and moody Cuban-style salsa bar with live bands and a packed dance floor. The crowd is welcoming, comprised of locals and foreigners of varying experience levels — from novices to seasoned steppers. No matter where you fall on the salsa talent spectrum, you'll likely find plenty of partners eager to take you for a spin.
Day 3: Guatapé
Flat white and avocado toast at Hija Mia
Founded by a New Zealander, Hija Mia serves what might be the best flat white and avocado toast in the city. Its coffee is roasted onsite using beans sourced from several coffee farms around Santa Maria in Colombia's Huila region. You’ll want to arrive early to get a spot at the intimate, original Manila location, but if you don't make it in time, the cafe has a larger second location on the floor of the nearby Nomad Hostel.
Massive monoliths and colorful murals
For your third and final day in town, venture outside the city to Guatapé, a postcard-pretty pueblo on a sparkling lake. The town is best known for La Piedra del Peñol, a 70-million-year-old rock once worshiped by the Tahamies Indians. The 10-million-ton monolith offers striking views of the surrounding lakes and islands for those who climb the winding, 649-step staircase to the top.
After huffing and puffing up La Piedra, it's worth spending a few hours wandering the narrow cobblestone streets and brightly painted bas-relief murals. Follow the main street with a colorful ceiling of umbrellas to Plazoleta de los Zocalos, a public plaza with cafes and craft shops. Grab an outdoor table at the plaza-side Kaffa Cafe to people-watch over a frozen cafe affogato or fruity sangria.
The easiest way to get to Guatapé — a two-hour drive from Medellín — is through a tour group. Plenty of options are easily discoverable online; this highly rated, full-day group tour through Viator includes round-trip transportation from Medellín, a boat tour, and a traditional Colombian lunch.
Short ribs and 80s music at Oci
Once you're back in town, it's time for your final Medellín meal (until your next visit, anyway). Reserve a table at one of the city's best restaurants, the edgy and urban Oci. Parisian-trained Chef Laura Londoño fuses local produce with Asian flavors and '80s tunes play overhead. Don't miss the fall-off-the-bone short ribs or classic guanabana merengón (a meringue-based dessert).
Farewell drinks at Envy Rooftop
Toast the trip with a farewell cocktail at the Envy Rooftop at The Charlee Hotel, which draws pretty people with its poolside bar and live DJ. In addition to being one of the hottest spots in town, the design discotheque offers dazzling views of Medellín's skyline.
Practical information
When to go
When people refer to Medellín as "La Ciudad de Eterna Primavera" (the City of Eternal Spring), they aren't exaggerating. Its year-round temperatures rarely exceed the low 80s (26°C) during the day or dip below the low 60s (15°C) at night.
Considering these constants, there's really no bad time to visit Medellín. That said, the city tends to see less rainfall during its dry season, generally from December to March.
Are you the type of traveler who enjoys concerts, crowds, and parties? You may want to plan a trip during the summer when you can catch the city's famous Flower Festival (August), International Tango Festival (August), Poetry Festival (July), or Colombiamoda (July) fashion show.
What to eat
Colombians have notoriously conservative palates, favoring fried foods and shying away from spice. Medellín is slowly shaking this reputation, introducing new dishes that push culinary boundaries while incorporating local ingredients and honoring the town's Indigenous roots.
Still, no Colombia trip would be complete without sampling a few of the country's time-honored classics. Taborda, Howdy's Medellín Community Manager, encourages travelers to try the following:
- Bandeja paisa. The national dish of Colombia hails from the Antioquia region, and typically consists of a massive platter of ground beef, chicharron, rice, beans, avocado, an egg, an arepa, and plantains.
- Sancocho. This hearty traditional stew is typically made with chicken, pork ribs or oxtail, potatoes, yuca, corn, and plantains. It’s paired with rice, avocado, and ají (a dipping sauce with tomato, cilantro, peppers, and onions) on the side.
- Arepas. These cornmeal pancakes are often served as a side at meals. You can also find street vendors who serve arepas split open and filled with cheese, meat, and fried eggs.
- Buñuelos. These popular fried dough balls are made with tapioca flour, corn flour, and aged queso fresco — think a savory donut hole. These ubiquitous, calorie-packed pastries pair well with coffee.
- Empanadas. The empanada is common across Latin America, but Colombia's version is deep fried and thereby uniquely decedent. Popular fillings include cheese, seasoned ground beef, and potatoes. In Medellín, empanadas are often served with ají and a slice of lime.
- Mazamorra. Mazamorra is a pudding-like dessert made with mushy corn, often served with milk and panela, a soft candy made from sugar cane.
- Hot dogs. You didn't fly to South America to eat hot dogs — but hear us out. Colombian-style hot dogs aren't the typical ketchup-squirted weenies you see in the US. These street snacks are piled high with crumbled potato chips, bacon, and quail eggs, then crisscrossed with strings of garlic mayo, salsa rosada (ketchup with mayonnaise), and pineapple sauce, Served by street vendors and at late-night joints around the city, Colombian hot dogs are the ultimate way to end a late night of drinking and dancing.
Using money
Colombia uses the Colombian Peso (COP), which — at the time of writing — roughly translates to 4,100 COP per $1 US dollar.
While hotels and higher-end restaurants accept cards, many local establishments and vendors are "solo effectivo" (cash only). You can withdraw Colombian pesos from ATMs at the airport and throughout the city.
Pro tip: ATMs generally dispense 50,000 peso notes, which many local eateries, street vendors, and market stalls won't accept. Try to break your larger bills at fancier hotels and restaurants, and hang on to your smaller 2,000-, 5,000-, 10,000- and 20,000-peso notes for smaller spots.
Getting around
Medellín is connected with a clean and efficient metro system, which includes bus, cable car, and rail networks. The six-line gondola system whizzes up the surrounding hills like a ski lift and is worth riding for the dazzling city views alone. You can pay per ride and purchase tickets at the stations for 2,500 COP.
Getting to and from the airport
Medellín’s Jose Maria Cordova International Airport is located in Rionegro, around 30 minutes southeast of the city. The airport is small but busy, with signs in both Spanish and English. To get to the city from the airport, request an Uber or use the official taxi line.
Head to the airport a couple hours early when catching your departure flight. Security is relaxed, but the airport can get crowded. Once you're through security, the terminal has restaurants, cafes, bars and souvenir shops where you can spend your last remaining pesos.
Speaking the language
You can survive on minimal Spanish in Medellín. Tours are offered in English, which is widely spoken by hotel and restaurant staffers in heavily touristed areas like El Poblado.
That said, you'll have a smoother experience if you brush up on your Spanish basics, and a little effort to speak the local language will go a long way. Here are a few words and phrases you will likely hear throughout your three-day trip:
A la orden - A common Colombian customer service idiom meaning "at your service." You'll hear it after saying "gracias" after finishing a transaction, or from shop staffers and market vendors trying to catch your attention.
Bacano - Slang for "great" or "awesome."
Dar papaya - A popular phrase used to describe putting yourself in risky situations. For example: Flashing your brand-new iPhone or a wad of bills would constitute dar papaya.
Parce - Short for parcero or parcera, which means "pal" or "buddy."
Pues - A word Colombians use to fill dead air, similar to "um" or "eh." Pues can also be used as emphasis — for example: ¡Hágale pues! (Do it, already!)
Que pena - A way to apologize, translating roughly to "how embarrassing," or "how inconvenient," or "sorry to bother." You won’t hear this in other parts of Latin America — but in Medellín, you'll hear it several times a day.
¿Que mas? - A slang greeting, similar to "what's up?" You can respond by saying, "Bien, y tú?"
Que chimba - A common expression typically used to refer to something great or awesome but also to express displeasure, depending on the context. While used abundantly, the phrase is technically a swear and may not be appropriate for formal situations.
Rumba - A word for "going out" or "party."
¿O Qué? - This expression translates to "or what?" and is typically used at the end of questions in casual conversation. For example: "¿Bien o qué?" ("All good, or what?").
