This harrowing museum dedicated to the urban conflict in Medellín is a must-visit for travelers wanting to fully understand the city (and Colombia). There…
© Getty Images / EyeEm / Fabian Schmiedlechner
Medellín
Situated in a narrow valley, Medellín packs the punch of a city twice its size. Its skyline reaches for the heavens, setting high-rise apartments and office buildings against a backdrop of jagged peaks in every direction. Its pleasant climate gives it its nickname – the City of Eternal Spring – and the moderate temperatures put a spring in the locals' steps, at work and at play. It's a bustling place of industry and commerce, especially in textile manufacturing and exported cut flowers. On weekends Medellín lets its hair down, its many nightclubs attracting the beautiful people.
The city sprawls north and south along the valley floor; slums hug the upper reaches of the hills. True to its paisa (people of Antioquia) roots, Medellín affects an indifference to the rest of Colombia, looking overseas for inspiration for its next great public-works projects.
Explore Medellín
- MMuseo Casa de la Memoria
This harrowing museum dedicated to the urban conflict in Medellín is a must-visit for travelers wanting to fully understand the city (and Colombia). There…
- La Comuna 13
Once one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Medellín, the Comuna 13, which clings to the mountainside above the San Javier metro station, has…
- MMuseo de Antioquia
In the grand art deco Palacio Municipal, Colombia's second-oldest museum (Museo Nacional in Bogotá is the oldest) houses one of the country's most…
- CCasa Museo Pedro Nel Gómez
Located in the house where the artist lived and worked, this fine museum has an extensive collection of pieces by prolific local painter Pedro Nel Gómez …
- MMuseo de Arte Moderno de Medellín
Set around a refurbished industrial building in Ciudad del Río, 'El MAMM' showcases changing exhibitions of contemporary art. The large new wing houses…
- MMonumento a la Raza
Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, Colombia's favorite designer of monuments, has a number of pieces around Medellín, but the most impressive work is this one in…
- PPlazoleta de las Esculturas
This public space in front of the Museo de Antioquia is home to 23 large, curvaceous bronze sculptures by renowned local artist Fernando Botero, including…
- EEl Cerro de Moravia
The densely populated neighborhood of Moravia was once Medellín's municipal rubbish dump with an open-air mountain of trash surrounded by a large shanty…
- PPalacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe
Adjacent to the Berrío metro station, this striking black-and-white Gothic Revival building designed by Belgian architect Agustín Goovaerts is one of…
Latest Stories from Medellín
Planning Toolkit
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Ways to maximize the fun without spending a dime on your next great adventure.
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Medellín.
See
Museo Casa de la Memoria
This harrowing museum dedicated to the urban conflict in Medellín is a must-visit for travelers wanting to fully understand the city (and Colombia). There…
See
La Comuna 13
Once one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Medellín, the Comuna 13, which clings to the mountainside above the San Javier metro station, has…
See
Museo de Antioquia
In the grand art deco Palacio Municipal, Colombia's second-oldest museum (Museo Nacional in Bogotá is the oldest) houses one of the country's most…
See
Casa Museo Pedro Nel Gómez
Located in the house where the artist lived and worked, this fine museum has an extensive collection of pieces by prolific local painter Pedro Nel Gómez …
See
Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín
Set around a refurbished industrial building in Ciudad del Río, 'El MAMM' showcases changing exhibitions of contemporary art. The large new wing houses…
See
Monumento a la Raza
Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, Colombia's favorite designer of monuments, has a number of pieces around Medellín, but the most impressive work is this one in…
See
Plazoleta de las Esculturas
This public space in front of the Museo de Antioquia is home to 23 large, curvaceous bronze sculptures by renowned local artist Fernando Botero, including…
See
El Cerro de Moravia
The densely populated neighborhood of Moravia was once Medellín's municipal rubbish dump with an open-air mountain of trash surrounded by a large shanty…
See
Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe
Adjacent to the Berrío metro station, this striking black-and-white Gothic Revival building designed by Belgian architect Agustín Goovaerts is one of…
Guidebooks
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