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.
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.
Getting to Medellín
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Worth seeing
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.
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.
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…
Getting around Medellín the local way
- 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.
- Go nextYou can canopy, trek, even sleep in the park.
- Go nextThere are most of 20 small towns southwest of Medellín (Suroeste Antioqueño) where you can see Juan, mule Conchita and Grab Life by the Beans.
From Wikivoyage: Medellín, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.