Medellin is the most popular city in Colombia, and for good reason as it has so much to offer!
The city is based in the Aburra valley and has a great climate all year round, it’s surrounded by stunning mountain peaks and although it is huge and has it’s fair share of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings it’s got a real charm to it!
Even if you haven’t done any research into you Colombia trip yet the chances are you have heard of Medellin already. It’s famous for being one of the most dangerous cities in the world and has been given a bit of a bad rep, mainly because of one man. A lot has changed since the dark days of the 1990’s and it has now become a very popular and safe destination for tourists!
When to go and how to go get there?
Medellin is a domestic and international airport so the easiest way to get there is to fly! You can get buses around the country if you are visiting more than one place, however don’t underestimate how big the country is, it also doesn’t have the best roads so your buses are going to be extremely long!
Medellin has a pleasant climate all year round with an average annual temperature of around 22 °C because of this you can visit anytime of year. However if you can be really picky I would suggest between December and February as it will be less busy and it’s considered the ‘dry season’.
Here are a list of Festivals in Medellin, you will need to go at specific time if you were hoping to catch one!
- March/April – Semana Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated with religious parades.
- June – Festival Internacional de Tango.
- July – International Poetry Festival, see www.festivaldepoesiademedellin.org.
- 1st week of August Flower Festival (Feria de las Flores/Desfile de Silleteros) (www.feriadelasfloresmedellin.gov.co) is held annually with spectacular parades and music, one of the finest shows in Colombia.
- End of August – Otro Sabor gastronomy festival. Sep-Nov International Jazz and World Music Festival, www.festivalmedejazz.com.
Where to stay?
For me personally I love the social aspect of a hostel however am past the days of sharing a room with 20 strangers, lets call me a Glampacker…
When in Medellin I stayed in Los Patios and I would definitely recommend it, it was a 10/10! They have budget friendly dorms available but I stayed in a private room and it felt more like a boutique hotel. The staff were friendly, the activities and tours on offer were great, it was clean and had so many amenities that I took full advantage of!
The hostel/hotel is walking distance to the metro and also is one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Medellin, I felt safe and there is lots of options for dinner and nightlife. If there is no availability I would still recommend the area which is EL POBLADO.
If you are not on a budget and are looking for something extra special check out The Charlee Hotel, it is also based in El Poblado and is one of the top hotels in the whole of Medellin.
https://thecharleehotelmedellin.com-hotel.com/en/
Other areas to stay in that are considered safe and have local options for restaurants, cafes and bars are Laureles and Estadium.
How to get around?
The main method of public transport is travelling by Metro. It is cheap, quick, reliable and very easy to use! For the metro you pay per ride (no matter where you get on or off), it was 2,500COP per ride in April 22.
I was very surprised to find out that Medellin is a very bike friendly city, they have public city bikes that you are able to use up to an hour for free!
Taxi’s are cheap and from my experience comfortable and safe. It easy to flag down taxis however I would recommend using an app like Easy Taxi at night or if you are on your own just to be extra cautious.
As always I would recommend downloading Medellin on MAPS.ME so you don’t have to rely on having internet to know where to go.
A few things to remember…
Most importantly do not do the Escobar tour, and try not to say his name! The locals are not a fan of Pablo Escobar, he brought a lot of violence and caused a lot of harm to the city and people that live here. Doing the tour glorifies him and his actions and this is not something that I or you should support. There are ways to learn about him though and the history of the city, you can do a real city tour, check out my What to do in Medellin blog post for more details.
It’s a city and not a beach, I would recommend packing trousers and closed toe shoes, although it’s not essential you will feel more comfortable when walking around!
Remember your student ID if you have one, there is always opportunities to get a price reduction!
Even in the dry months it does rain, make sure to pack a waterproof jacket!
This is a great city for remote working, there are so many hostels and co working spaces that have everything you need to work abroad for a few weeks! I met loads of people living this lifestyle so you won’t be short of friends and likeminded people.
