Five days in Medellín itinerary

Medellín is one of my favourite cities and I could have stayed so much longer than four nights. But in that time we were able to explore a fair amount of the city and its nightlife. 

We visited Medellín in late March as part of a two week trip to Colombia. We flew from Salento (Pereira airport), which took about 30 minutes but if you’re on a budget, there’s a coach that takes 5-6 hours. 

How long to spend in Medellín

We spent four nights in Medellín; the longest we stayed anywhere in Colombia. I could have stayed longer than a week, but in four nights and five days we were able to fit in a long of the main sights – even accounting for hangovers. Medellín is known for its nightlife so if you like to party, plan in recovery time! 

Where to stay in Medellin

We stayed at the Viajero Hostel in Medellin. After a good experience in Salento, we were looking forward to staying here. In comparison the rooms were more modern, but smaller which is expected in a larger city where space is a premium. Our double room was £185 for four nights and was probably the nicest place we stayed. 

But overall, the vibe at Viajero Medellín was even better. From the rooftop you can take in views across the city, relax with a beer in the two hot tubs, and drink and dance into the night – we spent more time here than I would ever usually spend at my accommodation!

The hostel also runs a range of tours and activities like day trips to Guatape, and can put you in touch with other guides who run tours like Comuna 13 and football matches. 

The best places to eat and drink in Medellin

We are out a lot in Medellín, but these were our favourites: 

• Los Birria tacos in El Poblado

• Le Brunch (great food but slow service)

• Mercado del Rio

• El Altar Taqueria

• Casa El Ramal (nicer and more expensive) 

• Brooklyn Pizza 

• Mija for brunch 

• Viajero rooftop

• Mad Radio

The best things to do in Medellin

There is so much to do in Medellín and so many things we didn’t have time for – including Parque Arví. But of the things we did get to see and do, these were our favourites.

Explore Plaza Botero

This square in the city centre is dotted with statues by Fernando Botero (who I knew best as the artist behind the y tho? meme… so cultured). There’s also a gallery of his art on one side of the square. Plenty of walking tours will take you through the plaza as it has a lot of history, including a bombing that left one of the sculptures damaged. 

Take a day trip to Guatapé

We took a day trip to Guatapé with the Viajero hostel we were staying at in Medellín and it was a great day out. There are plenty of options for getting to Guatapé and you don’t have to take an organised tour, but for £26 per person including travel, food, and drink this was the best and most convenient option for us. 

Guatapé is a lake area outside of Medellín that’s the result of flooding in the surrounding valleys. The massive rock, La Piedra del Peñol, is a famous landmark and from the top you get an incredible view across the lakes.

Find out everything about our day trip to Guatapé from Medellín here. 

Go to a football match

Football is big in the UK. But it’s even bigger in South America. Everyone said that going to a football match was a must while we were here, so we booked tickets through a tour with connections to our hostel. We didn’t actually join the tour – they organise drinks beforehand that you can go to and enter the stadium together. But since the seating wasn't reserved and there were already seven of us, we just got our digital tickets sent to us and did our own thing.

The day of our match was the El Clásico Paisa – basically a derby but specifically referring to the rivalry between Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín. They share a stadium and we were told that both team’s supporters don’t usually go in at the same time, but on this day there were supporters from both sides. 

We ate lunch at a restaurant on the western side of the stadium where Independiente Medellín fans go as we had tickets for that side. The opposite side of the stadium is a sea of green Atlético Nacional fans and there was a lot of energy in the air as we walked around. There’s parades and fireworks and people singing in the street and the vibe generally seemed a lot happier than it does near a football stadium in the UK on match day. But it didn’t take long for a fight to break out, meaning we had to leave the restaurant and decided to just head into the stadium.

In the stadium you can only buy 0% alcohol beer, so sitting there for 3 hours waiting for the match to start wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, but we had arrived in the area early following our Comuna 13 tour so we didn’t have much else to do. When the game started, the vibe was good again – lots of singing and chanting and jumping around. I’m not that interested in football so I couldn’t tell you if it was a good match, but it was definitely an experience! 

Join a guided tour of Comuna 13

Comuna 13 in a neighbourhood in western Medellín that used to be run by drug traffickers and paramilitaries, and has only really been safe for visitors since about 2008. Now, it’s known for its street art, street dancers, winding lanes of food vendors, and buzzing atmosphere. We booked a tour with a local guide through Viajero Hostel, who met us at Poblado station. But once you arrive at San Javier there are hundreds of other guides offering tours.

Due to the size of our group, we were able to essentially have a private tour, and our guide took us the full length of the cable cars that run from San Javier (Line J, La Aurora). I do not like cable cars so this was a slightly scary experience for me, but while we rode over the houses in the gondola, our guide told us about the fascinating history of the area so I was distracted from my fear! The views are amazing, and learning about how the cable cars and electric escalators that were installed in Comuna 13 in the 2000s had such a huge impact on the social mobility of people living in the neighbourhood.

We spent about 3-4 hours in Comuna 13, and chose to go in the morning (leaving at 9am) to avoid wandering the busy streets in the mid-afternoon sun. Our guide told us that the afternoon tours are unbearably busy, and it was hard to imagine the streets getting much busier than they already were at 11am on a Sunday.

Walking through the Comuna you can see that there is still a lot of poverty here. But the tours are well worth going on, and tourism is encouraged as it helps local businesses survive.

Party in Provenza

Medellín’s famous for its nightlife, and one of the best-known areas for tourists is Provenza. At night, the city isn’t entirely safe (find out more here) so sticking to fairly touristy areas is advisable especially if you don’t speak Spanish. I loved the vibe in Provenza, and we had a great night out at Mad Radio. I just wish I’d had more time to explore more – but I’ll be back!

Find out more about our Colombia itinerary here.