Things to do in Northwest Colombia
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Jardín Botánico Joaquín Antonio Uribe
Across from the Universidad de Antioquia is the city's Jardín Botánico. Opened in 1978, the garden has 600 species of trees and plants, a lake, herbarium, auditorium and the Orquideorama where an orchid display is held in March and April. Just across the street is the sleek, all-concrete Parque de los Deseos, a favorite hangout of the area's college students.
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Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe
Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe, adjacent to the Berrío metro station in an ornate black-and-white building, hosts concerts and events, art expositions, conferences and workshops. Check its website for what’s on.
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La Gorda
Thanks to a local law that requires major new buildings to include public art, central Medellín can seem like a vast, outdoor art gallery. Besides the Plazoleta de las Escultras, you can see Botero's massive bronze woman's torso known as La Gorda, in front of the Banco de la República in Parque Berrío. There are also three more Botero sculptures in the Parque San Antonio.
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Il Forno
Set in the middle of the zona rosa (nightlife zone), this open-air Italian restaurant doesn’t do gimmicks or discounts, just good, solid food at a fair price. It serves pizza and sandwiches, lasagna and ravioli, and even steak. There’s a good range of salads for the herbivores. Desserts are a mere COP$6000. It may not be gourmet, but at this price, who cares?
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Café Colombo
On the top floor of the building also housing the Centro Colombo Americano, this minimalist spot serves up light meals along with stunning views of the city and mountains. Go for the set meal (COP$15,500), which changes weekly, or try the crepes, pasta, steak or trout. Its 10th-floor outdoor terrace is a great spot for cocktails early in the evening.
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Jardín Botánico
Newly refurbished and fabulous, the Jardín Botánico boasts 600 species of trees and plants, a lake, herbarium, auditorium and the Orquideorama, where an orchid display is held in March and April. The gardens are easily accessed from the nearby metro stop Universidad.
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Museo de Antioquia
In the grand art-deco Palacio Municipal, the Museo de Antioquia is Colombia’s second-oldest museum and one of its finest. The collection includes pre-Columbian, colonial and modern art collections, as well as many works donated by native son Fernando Botero.
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Catedral Metropolitana
Overlooking Parque de Bolívar, the vast Catedral Metropolitana boasts a neo-Romanesque design. Construction began in 1875 and was completed in 1931. Its spacious but dim interior has Spanish stained-glass windows and a German-made pipe organ.
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Pueblito Paisa
On top of the 80m-tall hill known as Cerro Nutibara, 2km southwest of the city center, sits the kitschy Pueblito Paisa, a miniature version of typical Antioquian township. Views from an adjacent platform across the city are stunning.
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Restaurante Hatoviejo
A favorite of Medellín's carnivores, this is the best place in the center for regional dishes such as plato montañero, an artery-clogging conglomeration of ground beef, eggs and fried pork skin.
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Cycling
Paisas tend to be avid cyclists, and on weekends the mountain roads around the city fill up with bikers. Contact the tourist office for current information about opportunities to join local groups.
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Ermita de la Veracruz
Ermita de la Veracruz is the city’s oldest church. Its construction was reputedly begun in 1682, but it wasn’t inaugurated until 1803. It has a stone facade and a white-and-gold interior.
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Plaza Minorista José María Villa
Home to a huge, bustling undercover market with more than 2500 stalls, selling mostly food. It was established in 1984 to remove hawkers from the streets. Open daily.
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Mercado de San Alejo
A colorful craft market great for cheap buys or simply to stroll around.
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Zona Rosa
To truly understand Medellín, you have to see its people in party mode. Paisas love to dress up, show off, throw some money around, and have a good time while they're at it.
The center of the action is around Parque Lleras in El Poblado, an area that is also known as the Zona Rosa. Roughly between Calles 9 and 10A, and Carreras 36 and 42, it draws the young, the beautiful, the rich, the surgically augmented and the merely enthusiastic. The area is packed with restaurants, bars and discos, many of which have large outdoor patios. Bars and clubs come in and out of fashion very quickly, so for the latest word on the street head to Parque Lleras and confer with locals. Cove…
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Río Claro Valley
Thanks to Colombia's improving security situation, it is once again safe to visit the Río Claro Valley in eastern Antioquia, where a crystal-clear river has carved stunning shapes into its marble bed. It's also a favorite spot for bird-watchers, who come to see everything from hummingbirds to herons to vultures.
You can stay in the lodge known as El Refugio, which is about 1km from the river and near the town of Puerto Triunfo. Río Claro is located just off the main road that connects Bogotá and Medellín. Most buses that connect the two cities will drop you off in Puerto Triunfo. Note that nighttime travel in this area remains risky; check current conditions.
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La Fogata
This fine restaurant is one of the best in town. It does good steaks and seafood, and the menu offers a few twists, like bistec de caballo (horse steak) and vuelve a la vida, a fish soup rumored to be an aphrodisiac. The restaurant sits on a triangular property not far from CC Portal del Quindío – look for the manicured bushes outside. The point of the triangle is an attached cafe-bar, open Monday to Saturday from 5pm to midnight, that serves gourmet cocktails (COP$15,000).
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Catedral
The Catedral is sometimes referred to as the Catedral Madre, as it was the first church built in the region. However, the original church was destroyed by fire, and the large building you see today was not completed until 1837. Until that year, Iglesia de Santa Bárbara did the honors as the cathedral. Once inside, have a look at the Last Supper in the right transept, and at an image of San Francisco de Borja with a skull in the transept opposite.
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Vinacuré
A piece of SoHo seems to have broken off and floated all the way to the hills south of Medellín. This outrageously imaginative place looks like a Frida Kahlo painting on acid, with choreography by the Cirque de Soleil. Give yourself over to the experience as you are greeted by honking geese, served by sexually ambiguous waitrons, and wowed by the circuslike live shows. It is a long and expensive cab ride (about around US$8) but worth every penny.
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Termales El Otoño
Termales El Otoño is outside Manizales on the way back to town, which helps alleviate the cracking headache and nausea you will experience on the trip down the mountain. It sells beer, liquor and snacks. On weekends the place turns into a party zone, and there are 15 luxury cabins nearby (COP$155,000 to COP$294,000). To get here on your own take the bus marked ‘Termales El Otoño’ from the Manizales terminal (COP$1200, 40 minutes).
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Los Toldos
Elderly waiters wear traditional paísa costumes at this typical paísa place. Old-style Colombian folk music plays on the stereo. Go for the daily special, around COP$15,000, or indulge in a hearty bandeja paísa (platter). It prepares typical desserts like arequipe, breva and quesito (sample all three sweet and creamy treats for COP$5000). It’s a bit camp but the food is excellent.
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El Solar
Just a few hundred meters from the zona rosa (nightlife zone) is this top-notch grill restaurant with the funky decor. Kids’ bikes, umbrellas and empty wine bottles dangle from the ceiling, and bamboo shoots creep in from the outside. Friday night is a big night here, when there’s live music and beer prices double after 8pm. Afterward walk 200m downhill and take your pick of half-a-dozen discos.
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Boomerang
With optimum wind currents and stunning topography, Medellín has become Colombia's premier destination for paragliding. Boomerang is one of the best local gliding schools, with highly experienced pilots and good equipment. It offers courses, equipment rental and tandem flights over the city (spectacular views) with a skilled pilot. No previous gliding experience is necessary for tandem flights.
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La Fonda Antioqueña
A block from Plaza de Bolívar is this fine paísa restaurant. It serves traditional fare, including bandeja paísa (platter), and on weekends, sancocho. There are good views of the countryside from the 2nd-floor perch. Be sure to try mazamorra, a typical Zona Cafetera drink made of cooked corn with a guava bocadillo (sweet), served with a splash of milk.
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La Fonda Antioqueña
A block from Plaza de Bolívar is this fine paísa restaurant. It serves traditional fare, including bandeja paísa (platter), and on weekends, sancocho. There are good views of the countryside from the 2nd-floor perch. Be sure to try mazamorra, a typical Zona Cafetera drink made of cooked corn with a guava bocadillo (sweet), served with a splash of milk.
reviewed
