Medellin was the murder capital of the world when Pablo Escobar was making billions with his drug cartel. Comuna 13, a neighborhood of Medellin, was one of the most dangerous areas of that time. Now it’s a reformed tourist destination full of graffiti art, street performers and tourists following guides explaining the history of its reformation.
The streets are situated on the steep mountainsides that circle Medellin. There are outside escalators to help you make it up to the many levels of street art. Plenty of t-shirt and hat vendors, beer, wine and michelada stands, small eateries and art galleries are sprinkled between the graffiti to help you spend a couple hours shopping and taking pictures.
The Metrocable is a 15 minute cable car ride that is FREE with your metro ticket. You’ll find the entrance at the same metro stop as Comune 13, so might as well take a ride.
Stolling through downtown Medellin is a great way to spend an afternoon. The metro system is cheap, clean and easy to use. We got off at Parque Berrio, saw lots of churches, palaces, artwork, and plazas and got back on the metro at San Antonio.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Medellin. People were polite, helpful and friendly. There were plenty of quality international restaurant options in the Poblado neighbourhood where our hostel was located. We felt like four days was a good amount of time to spend in this vibrant, hip city.
Travel Tip: there are LOTS of neighborhoods that make up Medellin. When looking for a place to stay we recommend Poblado which was about a 10 minute metro ride from downtown.
Next up, the beautiful town of Guatape and climbing the 659 steps of Piedra del Penol!