Medellín in 3 Days: Day-by-Day Itinerary

How to Organize Medellín in 3 Days

To see Medellín in 3 days, it's advisable to dedicate each day to one area: the center, the west and northeast (Comuna 13 and Metrocable), and the north (science museums and Botanical Garden). This way, you spend less time in traffic and more in the places.

Before starting:

• Buy a Cívica card or ask at the metro ticket office for the current payment method; with it, you can use the metro, Metrocable, and tram.
• Stay near a station: the center, Laureles, or El Poblado work well for this plan.
• Start early: the most visited places, like Comuna 13, have fewer people in the morning.
• Check schedules: museums and line L of the Metrocable have closing days and their own schedules.

If you arrive by plane, the airport bus drops you off at San Diego or at the Nutibara Hotel, next to Plaza Botero: you can start day 1 as soon as you drop off your luggage.

Day 1: Downtown, Plaza Botero, and Pueblito Paisa

Morning. Start at Plaza Botero, opened in 2002, featuring 23 monumental sculptures by the artist. Next to it is the Museum of Antioquia, located in the old Municipal Palace (art déco, 1937), with a room dedicated to Fernando Botero. Nearby are the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture and Parque Berrío, with its metro station.

Lunch. The downtown home-style restaurants serve daily specials and bandeja paisa.

Afternoon. Take the metro to San Antonio and the Ayacucho tram to the Bicentenario stop to visit the Casa de la Memoria Museum, free of charge, about the armed conflict and its victims. It's the best introduction to understanding Comuna 13, which you'll see the next day.

Evening. Take a taxi to Pueblito Paisa, atop Nutibara Hill: a replica of an early 20th-century Antioquian village, inaugurated in 1978, with a viewpoint over the Aburrá Valley. On the same hill, there's a sculpture park created with the MAMM.

In downtown, keep your phone stored away and avoid lonely streets after dark.

Bus to the airport with COMBUSES

Start and end your trip hassle-free: the COMBUSES bus connects José María Córdova Airport with San Diego and Hotel Nutibara, next to Plaza Botero, every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. Luggage included.

Buy your ticket →

Day 2: Comuna 13 and Metrocable to Parque Arví

Morning: Comuna 13. Take metro line B to San Javier, at the end of the line. From there, reach the Las Independencias neighborhood, where the outdoor escalators were inaugurated in December 2011: six double sections that replaced an ascent of more than 350 steps. Along the way, you'll see murals, graffiti, and local artists. Guided tours by neighborhood residents explain the history of the comuna, including Operation Orion in 2002, and its transformation.

Afternoon: Metrocable and Arví. Return to the metro, switch to line A, and get off at Acevedo. There, take the K line of the Metrocable (opened in 2004) to Santo Domingo Savio, with views over the northeastern slopes. In Santo Domingo, you can continue on the L line to Parque Arví, a 16,000-hectare reserve with forest trails.

Note that the L line is tourist-oriented: it has its own fare, different from the metro, and usually does not operate on Tuesdays for maintenance. Check the schedule and fare on the Metro de Medellín website before going. Bring a jacket: it's cooler in Arví than in the city.

Day 3: Parque Explora and Botanical Garden (or Guatapé)

Option A: Northern museums. Take line A to the University station. Just a few steps away, you have:

• Parque Explora: interactive science museum with one of the largest aquariums in South America, a vivarium, and a planetarium. Paid entry.
• Joaquín Antonio Uribe Botanical Garden: 13.2 hectares, more than 1,000 plant species, and the Orquideorama. Free entry, except for special events.

In the afternoon, cross the city to the south to see the MAMM in Ciudad del Río, with the largest collection of works by Débora Arango, or end the trip in El Poblado and Provenza, with its restaurants and cafés.

Option B: Guatapé. If you prefer to leave the city, dedicate the day to Guatapé and the Piedra del Peñol. It's a full-day trip by bus or tour; check our guide to Guatapé from Medellín to organize it.

If your flight leaves on the night of day 3, have your suitcase ready in the morning and allow extra time to reach José María Córdova Airport in Rionegro.

Tips for making the most of the 3 days

• Avoid metro rush hours if you're carrying luggage: early in the morning and after work, the trains are crowded.
• Don't give papaya: that's how locals say not to expose yourself unnecessarily. Keep your phone stored away in the street, no visible jewelry, and order taxis via app or from official sites.
• Layered clothing: it's hot during the day in the city center, but it cools down in Santo Domingo, Arví, and the airport highlands.
• Cash in small bills for shops, buses, and tips on neighborhood tours.
• Confirm schedules: museums, the L line, and some tours change schedules or close on certain days.
• If you have an extra day, add Guatapé, a nearby town like Santa Fe de Antioquia, or a more relaxed afternoon in Comuna 13.

With this plan, you'll see the neighborhoods, recent history, and nature surrounding Medellín, and you'll mostly use public transportation.

Places on the map

Frequently Asked Questions

More guides to Medellín

Photo: User: (WT-shared) CONOCER at wts wikivoyage (Public domain, Wikimedia Commons)