2. Februar 2024
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Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is located in the Andes Mountains, which provides stunning views and unique experiences. If you are planning a trip
Why Medellin is the next must-visit destination in South America
What stories haven’t you heard about Medellin? Once the most dangerous city in the world, it has changed dramatically since the death of Pablo Escobar. This vibrant metropolis has captivated us and we explain why you must visit the city of eternal spring on your South America adventure.
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1. How to go to Medellin
We flew from Bogota to Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, with Wingo for 40€ per person including checked baggage. Unfortunately, when we were in Colombia, there was significant flooding, which is why we had to skip Salento and the Coconut Valley and took the plane to Medellin, instead of taking a 6-hour bus from Bogota to Medellin.
The airport is a little further out of the city center of Medellin and it’s best to take an Uber. The ride takes about 1 hour and will cost you about 16€. Alternatively, you can take the bus, but it’s a bit more complicated, so we played it safe.
2. Where to stay and eat
The best area in Medellin is El Poblado. We stayed at Viajero Hostel and it’s an awesome choice. We paid about 17€ per person per night in a double room. It attracts many backpackers, there is a cool chillout area in the basement, and on the roof, it has a small pool. The parties here are legendary and the ride with the Chiva bus, a party bus across Medellin should not be missed. Alternatively, you can also party on the rooftop of the neighboring Los Patios Hostel.
Because the hostel was fully booked after 3 nights, we moved to the neighboring La Martina Hotel Boutique. There we paid about 18€ per person per night including breakfast. Masaya Medellin, Vita Hotel Boutique, or Nakúa: Stay + Work (more upscale) should also be decent options. For us, the best restaurant was the Hija Mia. They have delicious dishes, including a giant avocado toast at fair prices. We can also recommend the Pizzaiolo, Diverso Union de Cocinas, Loranzza Pizza, and 37 Park Medellin.
3. Explore Downtown
Unfortunately, Kathi was a bit sick that day, so Kevin went alone on a Free Walking Tour around Downtown Medellin. The meeting point is the metro station Alpujarra at 9.30 am or 2.30 pm. Our guide was Herman from Real City Tours and he was Medellin trough and trough. He was an enthusiastic guide and knew everything about his hometown.
Of course, this city is all about Pablo Escobar or as Herman said: the one whose name must not be mentioned, like Voldemort in the Harry Potter books. The background is that Escobar brought a lot of suffering, violence, and death to the city. The fact that he also did something for the poor, however, in no way justifies the thousands of deaths from the narco wars.
The tour starts with a short welcome and leads from the metro station to the Monumento a la Raza, which portrays the history of the locals. This square is also home to the City Hall, the Palace of Justice, and other government buildings. We continue to one of the once most dangerous spots in the whole city, the Plaza de las luces, the square of lights, which symbolically is always supposed to be bright and safe nowadays. We follow our guide through the city center, where you should take even better care of your valuables if you have any with you at all.
After a short break for ice cream, fruits, and a toilet break at the Centro Comercial Palacio Nacional, we head to the Plaza Botero, where there are 23 sculptures by Fernando Botero. He is a famous Colombian artist whose trademark is misproportioned, some say fat, sculptures. The tour ends at Parque Barrio, where you can also hop on the metro back to Poblado. In the late afternoon, the metro is usually even faster than an Uber, since there is traffic jam everywhere.
4. Visit Comuna 13
The highlight par excellence for us was visiting Comuna 13. We did a free walking tour with Zippy Tours 13. All the guides grew up here and know the neighborhood by heart.
For years, Commune 13 was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the entire world. It was controlled by various drug gangs or was fought for supremacy. Because of its location on the outskirts of the city and the way it is built (no streets, only narrow paths/stairs, enough hiding places from the police), the neighborhood became the hub for drug gangs, guerrillas, and other gangs.
Nowadays, the neighborhood has been pacified and has reinvented itself thru hip-hop, social work, and other things. It receives the second highest funding in Medellin (a kind of distribution key depending on how well or badly the neighborhood is doing) and with it, for example, six outdoor escalators were built from the bottom of the hill all the way up that replace 350 steep stairs.
We felt safe at all times and were happy to be able to admire the street art at our leisure. Finally, we had a mango-passion fruit ice cream from a local ice cream parlor, which is one of the best in the whole city. Fun fact: President Clinton had ice cream here as well. After the tour, we went to a bar with a great view over all of Medellin, where we had home-brewed beers. Our guides told us that was one of the ways the government wants to get the drug bosses from the streets. Teaching them how to make beer and sell that instead of drugs.
5. Go to a football game
If you have time and are interested in soccer, you should definitely attend a soccer match. It is an experience that has relatively little in common with Western European standards. The level is not that high, of course, but it’s still fun because the fans chant their team forward the whole game. We were at Atlético Nacional, the most famous team in Medellin (or probably entire Colombia) who were league leaders at the time and won the game 2-0. We had seats in the curve and paid just under 6€.
6. Do a daytrip to Guatape
You should definitely make a day trip to Guatapé to the famous Pieta El Penol. You don’t have to book a tour, you can just organize it yourself. You will need to take the metro or an Uber from your hotel to Terminal Norte in Medellin. You can buy tickets for the bus to Guatape at counter 14 (at least that’s how it was for us). We paid only 7,30€ per person for all transportation there and back. The ride from Terminal Norte to Guatape takes about 2-2.5 hours depending on traffic.
On the way there, the bus stops at the foot of the rock and you have to walk uphill for about 10 minutes to the entrance. The entrance fee to the huge rock is quite affordable at 4.60€. It is open from 8 am until 6 pm every day but we recommend going there as early as possible.
This natural wonder is made out of granite, over 70 million years old, but the lakes that surround it are man-made. It is believed to be the product of a volcanic eruption. You will have to walk up another 659 steps zig-zag until you reach the top and climbed the 220m high boulder. The rock is located at 2.135m above sea level and the ascent is really sweaty. But it will take only 10-20 minutes depending on your pace. At the top, you’ll be rewarded with a wonderful view of the lake scape.
Fun fact Nr. 2: the view from up there was the desktop background of an old Windows version.
On the way back, you’ll have to take a tuk-tuk to the town of Guatape, as the rock is just outside of town if you don’t want to walk. You can share this with other backpackers and it costs about 2€ per person. Afterward, you can stroll through the small and colorful city center of Guatape, have lunch there, and take the bus back to Medellin in the afternoon.
7. What we missed but you shouldn't
Unfortunately, we did not manage to take the cable car all the way to the top of one of Medellin’s many hills. The cable car is part of the public transportation system. Accordingly, you do not have to pay extra for this and can also use the cable car with your metro ticket. It’s best to combine a ride with the tour of Comuna 13 because you can get on a gondola at the metro station where the tour starts.
Alternatively, you can combine this with a visit to Parque Arvi, because the gondola will also take you across the favelas to the park. It’s a beautiful green oasis just outside of Medellin.
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