Where to eat, drink, stay, frolic, etc in Medellin, Colombia

welcome to one of the most epic cities you’ll ever visit: Medellin, Colombia. pronounced med-e-jean (it’s tricky, i know).

every person i encountered on my travels said the same thing: oh you’re gonna LOVE medellin. i was like duh i know.

it’s the vibe, it’s the trendy bars and restaurants, it’s the leafy green streets and epic skyline lined with lush mountains. it’s the nightlife that has backpackers trudging off to salento or the north looking for some major r&r because medellin knows how to freaking PARTY. #papipapipapipapipapi

it’s the fascinating, relevant, and polarizing history that was interpreted differently by netflix, tourists, and locals, which smacks you with an unavoidable reality check as you get to know it for yourself.

it’s the transformation that earned it the title of most innovative city in the world in 2013. it’s the incredible turnaround from being the most violent city in the world and an unthinkable destination to tourists just 20 years ago, to being the most sizzling city on your modern day bucket list.

it’s magic. medellin is magic.

before you read this, i suggest reading my rant on why narcos made me feel like an asshole when i visited medellin. some food for thought for everyone who plans on visiting medellin, whether you have binge watched the netflix series or not.

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okay so you need at least 3 days in medellin to do the main things (city walking tour, comuna 13, guatape) but i stayed a week and it wasn’t enough. don’t forget to slot in some time to be hungover, and to chill and eat amazing food. it’s so liveable here.

here’s everything you need to know about travelling in medellin:

tours:

guatape tour with van por colombia. the best tour i have done in my life. cruising around in a van with a hilarious, energetic, knowledgeable guide David whose dj skills are on point, stopping at a farm in the hills for an amazing fresh breakfast, riding on top of the van through the countryside, stopping at adorable colonial towns in the mountains, jumping off a bridge, hiking 740 steps to the incredible viewpoint from Peñol rock. the lunch was INSANE, so healthy, best meal i’ve had. strolled around the adorable colourful artsy town of guatape, got some booze for an epic dance party the whole way home. suchhhh good vibes, my best day (do i say that about every day? i’m serious though.)

comuna 13 graffiti tour: this is a must!! this neighbourhood used to be the most dangerous in medellin and possibly the world 20-30 years ago, and now it has been transformed by art and innovation. the most stunning street art, galleries, escalators running up the hills. i did the free (tips-based) walking tour with Zippy, our guide Laura grew up in Comuna 13 and used to be ashamed of her neighbourhood, but now she is proud. her stories made me tear up. imagine the government sending helicopters overhead and just sniping everywhere, aiming to flush out the rebels but killing so many innocents. bodies piled up with the garbage. the things these people have been through are unfathomable, yet they are so positive, colombians are the nicest people i have met on my travels. an incredible tale of rebuilding and transformation.

downtown walking tour with real city tours: less flashy and beautiful than comuna 13, but it is so important to do this tour and understand the history of medellin. they don’t say pablo’s name, but call him “that crazy criminal” and call cocaine the “white powder” because the locals walking by don’t need to hear his name. it is suspicious and disrespectful. you’ll see sites of historical importance and learn what makes medellin what it is today.

downtown Medellin. yo no se what the uniforms were about.

biking tour with capture colombia: medellin is like a jungle in the city, it’s so stunning, leafy tree-lined streets, cluttered orange buildings climbing up the lush mountains framing the valley. it’s the only city in colombia with a metro system, and it costs $2,550 pesos: $1 CAD. this also gets you on the cable car systems to allow ease of transit for poorer residents in the neighbourhoods on the hill. these were and are absolute game-changers for the city. anyway the city is filled with bike lanes so we got to cruise around these with capture colombia and it was an amazing breezy way to get the lay of the land.

where to stay:

stay in El Poblado, it’s trendy, safe, and so beautiful! tons of amazing bars and restaurants, cute shops, leafy streets climbing up the hill. it’s filled with expats/travellers and locals. another affluent area to stay or go out in is Laureles.
los patios is the best hostel in medellin, and as a solo female traveller it couldn’t have been more perfect. the people here became my family, and i loveloveloved just going up to the rooftop around 5 or 6 to see all my friends and just drink into the night. my liver hurts btw. the hostel does a bar crawl every night and it’s impossible to pass up. plus the staff was AMAZING, literally so nice and on top of it, shout out to my queen carolina!! the hostel has 2 rooftop bars with INSANE views of this STUNNING city. each bed has an outlet, light, small shelf, curtain. backpackers know the luxury of these things. there is an amazing chill hammock area on the roof. it’s centrally located near the supermarket, metro station, and all the clubs and restaurants (although my biggest issue here was i was craving a local, solo experience but i never wanted to tear myself away from the hostel). i can’t say enough about this place. amazing experience. i’m going back fo sho.

Los Patios Hostel rooftop to rooftop views.

bars:

ziruma tiki bar, los patios rooftop: you think you want a local medellin experience, but when the hostel bar is that nice and that much fun, it’s kinda hard to escape. so i drank here every night. views are unreal.
el social: no-frills salsa bar or go early for chill drinks on patio seats on the sidewalk, felt kinda havana-y. very authentic, i will definitely be back here when i move to medellin.
alambique: unreal vibes, go through the unmarked door to the terrace for chill oldies tunes, awesome decor, communal and social.
envy: boujee rooftop bar with a pool and pretty insane view of the city and mountains.
went to some amazing bars and clubs but that’s all i remember really guys, sorry. i wanted to go to a speakeasy called La Bronca if that helps, can someone go and let me know how it is?

restaurants:

i ate the same brunch at Seré 3 times, it’s like an eggs benny on a biscuit with salad and potatoes. drooling.
pizza at Olivia, sooososososo good
authentic colombian at hacienda, i got the ajiaco (colombian chicken soup with potatoes and corn). it’s a chain but there’s one by — you guessed it — los patios.
i had some chicharrón at el social, a typical colombian dish of fried pork belly, it was good but i recommend sharing because my body was starting to feel like a trash can with all this fried food.
Mundo Verde in Provenza (a trendy area of El Poblado) is good healthy food but i clearly didn’t make it there

my fave brunch at Seré that i definitely overindulged on.

i also took the cable car up to arvi park for amazing views of the city, went paragliding but conditions were meh and we flew over the mountains instead of the city (also they lost my gopro footage so i’m bitter lol). my friends did a food market tour with 400 fruits and loved it. did a bit of shopping downtown/in the trendy Provenza hood of El Poblado, and at the supermarket exito. the medellin to-do list is vast.

can’t wait to go back and will build my recos list accordingly!! here are some photos! 💃🏼💃🏼

***If you have questions about Medellin or my time here please send ‘em over and I will update this article!***