For many, a mention of Colombia will bring one of two things to mind: a country known for its coffee exports or the infamous drug wars. While you would be justified in thinking either of these, Colombia is hard at work and well on its way to kicking that perception. If you have followed along on our Colombia Itinerary, we haven’t explored either of these sides of Colombia during the stops in Bogotá and Cartagena. Well, that has finally caught up with us, and we will be exploring these two topics (among others) on this stop in Medellín. The following is a 4 day itinerary for exploring the dynamic history and people who are Medellín, Colombia.
This is the final part of a three-part Colombia Itinerary. For the other portions of the Colombia Itinerary, visit the main itinerary page or the city-specific pages below:
- The Colombian Capital City – Bogotá
- Cartagena – Colorful, Vibrant, Colonial
- Medellín – Coffee and Drug War History (this post)
Post Contents
Day 7
Casa de la Memoria
Medellín was rocked by violence as part of the drug wars that dominated this area. While Casa de la Memoria will provide some information on the drug wars, it is primarily a monument and museum to those whose lives were impacted by the violence. The many exhibitions tell the somber stories of lives disrupted, friends and family killed, and loved ones lost. The museum also includes some timelines of events that led to the drug wars and escalation of violence.
Similar to other museums in Colombia, the majority of the exhibits are in Spanish. The vast majority of the exhibits do have a visual aspect so non-Spanish speakers can pick up on the context. By far the most impactful part of the museum is the personal account videos. These audio/video exhibits have English subtitles so most guests will be able to follow along. The accounts go deep into the hardships, losses, threats, and other tragedies that many had to go through. These accounts are all collected from people who lived through the drug wars in recent history.
While this is undoubtedly a somber way to start a morning, much of modern Medellín was shaped by these events. There will be other opportunities (especially with guided tours) to learn more about this history during the itinerary. Understanding the history and struggles of the people in this city really help a visitor appreciate everything that they see. Colombia’s progress will become evident when compared against the stories in the Casa de la Memoria.
Museo Antioquia
Antioquia is the name of the region in which Medellín is located. Contrary to what many believe, this is not a museum of antiquities. Rather, the Museo Antioquia is primarily an art museum of works from the local region. The museum takes visitors through many different centuries, styles, and influences of art. These include portraits, comics, and political art. There are also a couple of exhibits dedicated to Botero sculptures. Given that Botero was from Medellín, it is fitting to have this tribute to a local icon. Finally, there are a couple of galleries of international art. There is art for both traditional and modern art lovers throughout the exhibits.
The entrance to each exhibit has an English description that overviews the central theme of the exhibit. The descriptions of each work of art are in Spanish only, unfortunately. However, since it is an art museum, the majority of the subject matter is visual. Visitors who aren’t able to read Spanish may miss out on some context or titles of the works. After a gallery or two, visitors will quickly learn the layout of the descriptions enough to understand the artist and when it was made. At the end of the day, approximately an hour is enough to tour the museum. If you are an art lover or like to read everything in museums, take 1.5 hours.
Plaza Botero
Visitors will have undoubtedly walked through Plaza Botero on their way to the Museo de Antioquia. This urban plaza is filled with bronze Botero statues. The unique shape of the figures should be familiar to those who visited the Botero Museum in Bogotá and to a lesser extent the Museo Antioquia earlier. The figures in the plaza include a cat, Adam & Eve, horses, hands, and dogs. The plaza makes a great spot to walk and enjoy sculptures in an outdoor setting.
The plaza is near a very popular metro station, and therefore often has large numbers of people. This includes peddlers and other merchants trying to sell any number of items. While this can be annoying and makes taking pictures difficult, it is a phenomenon throughout Colombia so visitors should be used to it by now.
Rafael Uribe Palace of Culture
Also of interest in the plaza is the Rafael Uribe Palace of Culture. This palace sits right next to the metro station on the outskirts of the plaza. The building is unmistakable with its light and dark checkered stone pattern. Construction of the building began in 1925 with the design created by Belgian architect Agustin Goovaerts. Construction was done in various stages with several interruptions due to the government being unable to finance the building.
Over time the Belgian architect left the project due to funding issues and frustration with the construction. The Colombian government was left to find someone to finish the design and construction. They turned to local Colombian architects. However, these individuals did not have training in the Gothic Revival style in which the building had been constructed. Therefore, they designed a simple northern façade with little ornate architecture to finish the structure. This weird juxtaposition of styles has led to the building’s popularity.
Rafael Uribe Palace of Culture is now a municipal government building. While there are a few artifacts inside, it isn’t much. I recommend taking a walk around the whole structure so that it is visible from all sides (including the plain façade visible to Botero Plaza). There are also many restaurants near the plaza that make a good stop for lunch.
Medellín Walking Tour
The last activity of the day (and possibly the highlight) is a walking tour of central Medellín. There are a couple of different walking tours offered throughout Medellín; however, Real City Tours is one of the best. This is a “free” walking tour. If you have never done a free walking tour before, it is a guided tour that doesn’t require a purchased ticket. Participants generally need to sign up to make sure there is space for everyone, but there is no purchase at that point. The guides make money simply based on the tips provided by participants. Generally, there will be a suggested tip per person, but everyone is welcome to move up or down from that based on their means and their opinion of the tour.
This walking tour is long at 3.5 hours and includes a good amount of walking. Remember to bring a water bottle and wear comfortable shoes on this tour. If that seems daunting, there are several stops along the tour where you are able to sit down. At these stops, the guide provides a lot of information on the history of the city, specific buildings, and events, as well as commentary on the modern life and people of Medellín. At each of these stops, there is an opportunity for the guide to answer questions.
Is the guided tour worth the cost?
There are a subset of people who don’t want to take guided tours and who can put together a walking tour themselves. I am one of those people who enjoys putting together a route myself and saving a little money. However, in my opinion, the suggested tip at the end of this tour is well worth it. The insights, stories, and expertise of a local add a lot to the experience (especially when many of the museums have been Spanish only). Finally, the local guide can provide numerous suggestions for dining and other activities during your time in Medellín. Take advantage of their expertise to make your time in Medellín more memorable.
Day 8
Guatapé & Coffee Farm Tour
The second day in Medellín is actually going to be spent outside of the city. Due to its location in the mountainous area of Colombia, this region has a great climate for growing coffee. Despite Colombia being the third-largest exporter of coffee in the world (behind Brazil and Vietnam), a number of its coffee farms are small operations. There are relatively few large coffee operations running in the country. This is nice as it allows visitors to get an up-close experience at a family operation. The tour will also make stops in the small recreational town of Guatapé, the El Peñol (also known as The Rock), and a local market to taste the fruit.
While there are a couple of tours that offer this combination of activities, I recommend a tour offered through Viator (link here). This is a little more expensive than some other tours on offer, but it is a private tour for your group. The tour guide picks you up at your accommodations and provides transportation to all the activities in a private car (no big buses). Plus, the ticket price includes a fair amount of the activities.
Fruit Tasting
Colombia is well known for the variety of fruit that is locally grown. The vast majority of the fruits local to the area don’t make an appearance in most United States grocery stores and markets. Therefore, it’s a fun experience to see all these exotic fruits that would be difficult to find anywhere else. Even better is tasting them fresh from the market vendors. While the fruit available varies based on the season, some fruits to expect are guanabana, granadilla, gulupa (passion fruit), and lulo.
This tour takes you to a market stall in a small town outside of Medellín. Here, they provide you with an opportunity to taste all the various fruits available for purchase in the stall. There is no need for you to bring anything or pay for the fruit yourself as the tour guide takes care of the purchase and tasting. During the tasting, the guide describes the fruit and gives interesting facts about its usage in local food. If you haven’t been able to taste some of the exotic fruits available in Colombia, this is a great experience.
Coffee Farm
After the fruit tasting, the tour moves on to the coffee farm. The coffee farm is a small family operation allowing for some hands-on experience. You will also get the opportunity to meet the head of the family who runs the farm. The experience starts by harvesting some beans from the coffee plants. You have the opportunity to walk among the plants and pick coffee beans yourself. One of the owners or workers at the coffee farm will provide instruction on how to identify and collect the beans that are ready. At the same time, they provide information on how they manage the plants and use an organic approach to farming. Closed-toed shoes and long pants are preferable for walking around in the coffee farm.
After picking some beans, you will walk through the process of transforming harvested beans into coffee. This includes demonstrations of the equipment that deshells the beans, the drying racks, separation of the dry beans, roasting the beans, and finally grinding the beans. At several points, there are demonstrations of the traditional methods of production as well as more modern machinery that performs the tasks.
Finally, the coffee farm tour ends with a chance to taste some of the local coffee. Both a regular drip process cup and a French-press cup of coffee are provided. The tasting includes some chocolates which are the local method of sweetening coffee if you prefer it that way. Prior to leaving, you will be offered the opportunity to purchase bags of coffee for a pretty reasonable price.
El Peñol
Known locally as The Rock, El Peñol is a large rock formation that can be climbed for an amazing view of the surrounding area. The rocks stand 656 feet above the surrounding area. A switchback staircase has been built into a crack in the rock. It takes over 700 hundred steps to get from the base to the top.
While this is definitely a tourist attraction, it’s still worth going. The experience of climbing the rock and the view from the top are worth the admission price. The surrounding lakes, forests, and dam creating the lake are all visible from the top. Make sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and water. The sun can be strong while you are climbing the rock. Finally, it should be obvious to most, but this is not an activity for those that are less mobile. If you fall into that category there are several places to see El Peñol from the ground without paying the entrance fee.
Guatapé
The final stop of the day is the town of Guatapé. By this time, everyone will be hungry so lunch is up first. The tour stops at a nice restaurant along the lakeshore. The restaurant definitely caters to tourists in the area and offers English menus. However, they do have several traditional Colombian lunch dishes. This is a great opportunity to ask your guide for recommendations.
Once lunch is complete, the tour will take a walk around portions of this lakeside town. The town has several cute churches and brightly painted streets. This town is also well-known for the three-dimensional displays on the front of each building. Traditionally, the displays depicted the occupation of the family or the purpose of the building. Over the years, these displays have gotten more detailed and extensive due to their popularity. Finally, there are several shops for souvenirs or food (especially chocolate) that are worth a stop if you are interested in them.
Day 9
Comuna 13 Walking Tour
The neighborhoods in Medellín are given comuna numbers. This literally translates to “community” in English. Comuna 13 had historically been a poor immigrant community. In the 1980s and 1990s, paramilitary groups, FARC (Revolutionary Forces of Colombia), and ELN (National Liberation Army) fought heavily in this area. Comuna 13 was strategically located along a route used to transport cocaine and weapons. Therefore, each of these groups wanted to control the area. This community experienced violence every single day for years. This finally ended in 2002 when the Colombian government brought in a military occupation of the area to stop the fighting.
Since 2002, Colombia, Medellín, and the people of Comuna 13 have heavily invested in the area. This comuna was integrated with the rest of the Medellín metro in 2008. In 2011, the first outdoor escalator project was installed on the hills of the community. These escalators were built to increase mobility in the very hilly area and to bring the community together. These along with the growing art (graffiti murals) and music culture started to bring tourism to the area.
A walking tour of Comuna 13 with a local guide allows visitors to get up close and personal with the transformation of this area. The area is full of beautiful graffiti murals that tell various stories of the history of the community. Some tell of specific battles, others long for a more peaceful time, and others remember some of the fallen. Many cafés, shops, and art galleries have also appeared in the area. Similar to the walking tour of central Medellín, there are a few “free” walking tour options. Find one that lets you walk and talk with someone who grew up in the area. So much history that is learned while traveling happened many lifetimes ago, this is a rare opportunity to learn about a piece of history that is barely over 20 years old.
Jardin Botanico de Medellín
If the weather permits, a visit to the Medellín botanical garden is a great activity. The gardens are broken up into many different sections with themes ranging from prehistoric plants to butterfly exhibits. This is a nice and peaceful way to find some quiet in the city.
The botanical gardens feature a large path that runs along the outside of the park. Smaller paths wind through the interior near many of the exhibits. These smaller paths take visitors near a central pond, desert plant habitats, orchid gardens, and other similar areas. Take some time to relax and enjoy nature in this environment. A couple of hours should be plenty to spend going through the park. There are benches and small vendors located throughout the park. Use this as a chance to catch some relaxation during a busy trip itinerary.
Finally, there are a couple of restaurants located within the garden. These are great options for a refreshing lunch. In Situ is upscale, sit-down restaurant that is open during lunch hours (12 PM – 4 PM). If you are looking for something a little less formal, Del Bosque Café is also located in the garden and serves a lighter and more casual lunch fare.
Day 10
Return Home
Unfortunately, the ten days in Colombia have come to an end. The vast majority of flights leave in the early afternoon to evening. If you end up on one of these flights, use the time to see any last-minute sights or enjoy a leisure pack up and return experience.
I hope you enjoy this 10 Day Taste of Colombia Itinerary. For more itineraries, see our Itinerary Library.
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