Medellín
Medellín, officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín, is the capital of the department of Antioquia, and the second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá.
Medellín, officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín, is the capital of the department of Antioquia, and the second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central region of the Andes Mountains, in northwestern South America. The city's population was 2,427,129 at the 2018 census. The metro area of Medellín is the second-largest urban agglomeration in Colombia in terms of population and economy, with more than 4 million people.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Medellín
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Estadio Atanasio Girardot
Atanasio Girardot Stadium, commonly referred to as El Atanasio, is a multi-purpose stadium in Medellín, Colombia. Located in the Laureles comuna of Medellin, the stadium is currently used mostly for football matches by Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín, the most popular clubs in the Antioquia Department.
2.9 km · stadium in Medellín, Colombia · Wikipedia - 02University of Antioquia
The University of Antioquia, also called UdeA, is primarily a public research-based university, located in the city of Medellín, Colombia. With regional campuses in Amalfi, Andes, Caucasia, Carmen de Viboral, Envigado, Puerto Berrío, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Segovia, Sonsón, Turbo and Yarumal, it remain one of the oldest university in the region.
4.7 km · university in Colombia · Wikipedia - 03Metropolitan Cathedral of Medellín
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Medellín, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, is a Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception. It is located in the central zone of the Medellín in the Villanueva neighborhood on the north side of Bolívar Park.
3.9 km · cathedral in Medelln, Colombia · Wikipedia - 04Pontifical Bolivarian University
The Pontifical Bolivarian University, also referred to as UPB, is a private university in Colombia with its main campus in Medellín, where it was founded in 1936. As of 2023, the university is ranked among the top four universities in Colombia and among the top 30 universities in Latin America by QS World University Rankings.
1.3 km · Private university in Colombia · Wikipedia - 05Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex
Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex is a sports complex located in Medellín, Colombia. The complex includes Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín Sports Coliseum, Luis Alberto Villegas Stadium, and Alfonso Galvis Duque Stadium.
2.9 km · sports complex including multi-purpose stadium and coliseum in Medellín · Wikipedia - 06Medellín Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art of Medellín is a museum of modern art in the Colombian city of Medellín. It was founded in 1978.
2 km · museum in Medellín · Wikipedia - 07Cerro El Volador
The Metropolitan Regional Natural Park Cerro El Volador is the largest natural park located within the metropolitan area of Medellín, Colombia. The park comprises 106 hectares and also is one of the seven so-called "guardian hills" in the city.
4.1 km · hill in Colombia · Wikipedia - 08Museum of Antioquia
The Museum of Antioquia is an art museum in Medellín, Colombia. It houses a large collection of works by Medellín native Fernando Botero and Pedro Nel Gómez.
3.4 km · national monument of Colombia · Wikipedia - 09Coltejer Building
The Coltejer Building is the tallest building in Medellín, Colombia and the tenth-tallest in Colombia as of 2016. It was completed in 1972.
3.5 km · building in Medellin, Colombia · Wikipedia - 10Cerro Nutibara
Nutibara Hill is a rocky hill formation located in the Colombian city of Medellín, in the geographic center of the Aburrá Valley and on the west bank of the Medellín River. It is one of the few ecosystems that is conserved in Medellín and is considered one of the city's seven "guardian" hills.
1.3 km · hill in Colombia · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Pueblito Paisa is a reconstruction of a typical but tiny Antioquia village. It's located on top of el Cerro Nutibara and has a pleasant view over the city. Also atop the hill is the Museum of the City (Spanish: Museo de Ciudad)(COP $7000) which houses photos from the city’s past and a large 3D scale model.
From Wikivoyage: Medellín, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Metrocables. There are two cable car extensions of the Metro: For the line K take a metro train to Acevedo station and from there take the Metrocable up to Santo Domingo for a nice view over the city. The cablecar is included in your metroticket. Go during the day and walk around to see what working-class people live like.
From Wikivoyage: Medellín, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Colombian cuisine is varied and regional. The more typical dishes are referred to as comida criolla. Some examples are: sancocho de gallina (chicken soup), carne molida (ground beef), arepas de choclo (fresh corn tortillas), empanadas (meat-filled fried turnovers), ají (hot sauce), ajiaco (Bogota's chicken and potato soup), bandeja paisa, natilla, buñuelos (fried cheese puffs), hojuelas (fried puff squares), rice…
From Wikivoyage: Medellín, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Medellín
- Airports
- Jose Maria Córdova (MDE), 20 km · El Dorado (BOG), 233 km
- Stations
- Medellín-E. Olaya Herrera, 1.2 km · La Aurora station, 6.2 km · Juan XXIII station, 4.6 km · San Javier station, 3.9 km · Santa Lucía station, 3.4 km
- Bogota → Medellín245 km · quickest by road, 8h 20m · COL$69,400–92,550
- Cali → Medellín330 km · quickest by air, 5h 1m · COL$260,950–404,980
- Cartagena → Medellín462 km · quickest by air, 4h 29m · COL$262,470–407,190
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Medellín
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Medellín. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inAirlines: Aexpa, Avianca, EasyFly Satena, and charter flights from Searca.
- Get aroundTraveling through the city is easy and quick, with the two line Metro system, The Metroplús (bus rapid transit (BRT) extension to the Metro), Tranvía (Tram system) and the six-line Metrocable, a sky train or cable car that has revolutionized transport in the city.
- Get aroundTake a day trip to Santa Fe de Antioquia, Santa Helena, El Peñol or Llano Grande in Rionegro.
- Get aroundDriving from Medellín allows for spectacular views as you climb up and out of the city into the surrounding mountains that lead to your day trip destination.
- Go nextDay tours from Medellín are also available with optional activities to choose from such as cave trekking, white water scenic rafting, kayaking and canopy adventures to name a few.
From Wikivoyage: Medellín, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01330 km
- 021,248 km
- 031,721 km
- 041,803 km
- 051,845 km
If you know how people move in Medellín – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Medellín
Medellín is 12 km from Bello, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.