I have had the great pleasure of being able to live in Medellin for almost 20 years of my life. I love this city and there is nowhere else I would rather be. In this guide to living in Medellin, I will give some advice on how to make the most of your time here in the city.
People who come to visit can have a great time partying in Poblado and visiting a handful of the usual tourist spots. That is great but I want to try to help you to maximize your budget, connect with the local community, enjoy new experiences, stay safe, explore, and really make the most of your time here.
Living in Medellin
Most foreigners who live in the city will choose to stay in one of a handful of areas but in this guide to living in Medellin, I want to offer some alternatives.
Poblado has always been and is still the most popular area. The neighborhood runs from the river up the hill towards Las Palmas and the airport. You get some great views higher up the valley across the city and lower down it has good access to public transport and the main roads. Each area of Poblado offers something a little different but in general, this is the most comfortable place to live in Medellin.
From Parque Poblado up through Parque Lleras to Provenza you will find a lot of clubs, bars and restaurants. This is an area full of tourists and is very loud at the weekend. Lleras also has a lot of prostitutes and while the situation is slowly improving it is not a great place to hang out.
Manila is nearby but offers a more of a community feel aside from the hostels and small bars. It is convenient if you want to attend the parties but not live between them.
The rest of Poblado is much more peaceful. The apartment buildings along the inferior, superior and up to Las Palmas are very large, peaceful, elegant and have great amenities. It isn’t particularly convenient for public transport and most people will use cars. The same applies for Los Balsos which runs up from near Aguacatala metro to the Superior.
Patio Bonito is very conveniently located close to Las Palmas Avenue and can be a good option. Generally the apartment buildings in this area are a little older but are perfectly fine and may have pools.
Laureles is the second most popular neighborhood for foreign visitors and is my favorite. You are close to bars and clubs on the 70 and 33 streets plus conveniently located for public transport. The regional highway is at the bottom and the main 80 street runs along the top. It has a more community, traditional neighborhood feel but with lots of trees, bars, restaurants, and supermarkets.
Close to Laureles is Belen, Floresta, and Calasanz which offer a similar feel at a lower price.
Alternatively, you can look south to Envigado, Sabaneta or Itagüí.
Envigado is particularly nice and is only minutes from the south side of Poblado. The municipality has more of a small town feel but with all of the comfort and amenities of Poblado. Sabaneta is at the end of the metro and is much more relaxed. It is a growing municipality but is still very calm and traditional. Itagui has some nice areas close to the metro but is a bit more chaotic up the hill.
Transport in Medellin
The city is located within a valley with the main metro line and the highways running alongside the river from North to South. This means at peak times those main roads can be very busy but also that the city can feel much smaller than it is. In the evening you can cross the city very quickly.
In the north towards Bello it can get a little more complicated but in the south road transport can be very fast if you avoid peak times. Heading up the very steep, narrow, winding roads in poorer neighborhoods can be slow and stressful but most areas foreigners will visit are easily accessible.
The elevated metro network has two lines connecting at the central San Antonio station. This is a cheap, fast, comfortable option with a simple layout and good air conditioning. At peak times it can be busy but it is often the quickest way to cross the city. The metro is also integrated with the tram system, which also connects at San Antonio, a variety of cable car lines and metro plus, a BRT system with stations and dedicated bus lanes.
The metro is one of the most advanced and innovative in Latin America and provides excellent coverage. You can pay for everything with your Civica card which can be topped up at stations or online. There are also conventional buses that follow set routes and have bus stops but can also be waved to stop anywhere that is safe. These are cash only and you pay the driver when you get on.
Taxis and Ubers are another very affordable option as well as ride share apps such as Indrive and DiDi. Taxis can be waved down on the street and have meters showing the cost. I have never had a bad experience with a taxi in almost 20 years but the ride isn’t tracked or registered, so it may not be the safest option.
Uber is very affordable and within the app you can also request a yellow taxi. Taxis are tracked on the app in the same way and you can make payments using your linked card. Uber prices fluctuate more than taxi prices depending on demand and traffic.
At quiet times Ubers are usually a little cheaper but taxis often arrive quicker, particularly outside of the wealthier areas. Uber prices are fixed but taxi prices depend on time and distance, so you get an estimated cost.
DiDi is often the cheapest but not an app I know well. With InDrive you set the pickup and drop-off points then the app estimates a price. You decide how much you will pay and drivers accept or propose a higher amount. I have friends who have bad experiences with InDrive and it seems as though there is very little vetting or customer support. It can be an option but I would strongly recommend solo female travellers avoid this.
There is also a decent and growing network of cycle lanes across Medellin. In some areas of the city, these are safe and convenient but in others, it can be more precarious. Once you get a good feel for your neighborhood then cycling can be a very good option and one the city is actively promoting.
Eating in Medellin
Local food in the city is often simple but hearty, healthy and fresh. You won’t find particularly complex flavors and dishes but you can eat very good quality food at a very affordable price.
My recommendation is to learn to love the local staples and then go for international food as an occasional treat. This way you will save a huge amount of money, get the freshest ingredients and build a connection with the local community. If you enjoy rice, kidney beans, plantain, avocado, meat, chicken, arepa, salad and soup then you will be set.
There is a huge variety of delicious and healthy fruits in Colombia. Try a good selection and then you will always have a tasty snack or the base for an excellent, refreshing juice.
Find restaurants near your house and work that offer ‘menu del dia’ options. This is a set menu that usually changes daily. You will get a fruit juice and soup starter followed by options such as salad, rice, plantain, beans, avocado with a protein such as meat, chicken or fish. You can also sometimes get vegetarian options. These will cost just a few dollars and fill you up with a good quality, balance lunch.
Rappi is a delivery app that covers all of the city and delivers food for a small charge 24 hours a day. They even have Rappi Turbo in some areas which means you can get fast food or shopping deliveries at your door within 10 minutes.
When you are eating out the tipping culture is closer to Europe than the US. If it is a casual place they probably won’t ask or expect a tip. They may ask ‘do you want me to include service?’ which will add 10% to the total price. The fancier the restaurant the more staff will be tipped but it is never expected and if you don’t give one nobody is going to complain.
Generous tips are hugely appreciated rather than automatically expected.
Shopping in Medellin
Medellin has a large number of modern, open malls which will have a wide range of stores, restaurants and amenities such as cinemas and children’s activities. This is a popular place for families to hang out at the weekend and the food courts can get very busy. Prices on imported goods are comparable and likely slightly higher than you will find in the US and Europe.
Downtown there is an area called ‘El Hueco’ between Cisneros and San Antonio station. This is a slightly chaotic area of el centro where you can find great prices on clothes, electronics, household products and just about everything else. I would always avoid this area in the evening but you should be in the day if you keep an eye on your pockets.
To buy phones and laptops at a good price you can go to Monterrey Mall. This is located right next to Poblado station and has some excellent prices. As well as new phones, you can also get ex display or refurbished options for half the price. I bought a Macbook and when I had an issue with the charger they replaced it for free within the 12 month warranty.
As you probably notice, a lot of the designer clothes downtown are ‘replicas’. This also applies for football shirts with the ‘triple A replicas’ are very popular and almost indistinguishable. Often the poorer the neighbourhood, the more high end designer brand names you will see on clothes.
Drinking in Medellin
Having a beer after work with friends, family and colleagues is popular all over the city. Colombians really value their free time and there is a real focus on breaking up the monotony of a working week.
People will drink and party with their families in a way I am not used to seeing in the UK. Granny and Aunty will be getting down to some reggaeton at the house party while it is not unusual to see teenagers out at a bar or a club with their parents.
Also, to a large extent dancing is just dancing. In the UK if a guy asks a girl to dance it is often assumed that he is romantically or sexually interested in them. That isn’t the case here and people will often with seven or eight different people in the bar just to have fun and be friendly. If my girl’s aunty wants to dance some merengue then it would be rude to say no.
At the weekend there is often a cover to get into a nice bar or club. This will usually be the value of a bottle of rum or aguardiente. Some places will also charge a small entry fee. If you want to manage your budget then go out in a decent-sized group and go for the local spirits (rum and aguardiente). Depending on where you go, you can find yourself collapsing into bed in the early morning having drunk and danced all night for not much more than US$20.
Having Fun in Medellin
There is a huge amount to do in and around Medellin.
You can find plenty of free or cheap activities such as taking the cable car, visiting the botanical garden, taking walking tours, hiking to the top of cerro tres cruces, soaking in local culture at Pueblito Paisa, running on a Sunday morning on the ciclovia or enjoying the free sports facilities and classes.
At the weekend many people will visit nearby pueblos (small towns). By traveling just an hour or so you can feel the change in temperature with some pueblos situated in warmer areas of the region with bright sunshine and others with cooler, fresh mountain air. You can enjoy a relaxing weekend sipping coffee in the quaint central square or you can go for a party.
There are good indoor options when it is raining such as Parque Explora interactive museum, escape rooms, cinemas, karting tracks, Antioquia Museum, Museum of Modern Art, indoor rock climbing and indoor 5 a side football.
If you are looking to make new friends you can go to language exchanges, dance classes, coffee workshops, artisan beer tasting, art classes and film clubs.
There really is a lot to explore in Medellin and after 17 years living her I am still finding new fun activities and groups.
Staying Safe in Medellin
Medellin is not like the movies apart from when it is.
The reality is that Colombia is a hugely unequal country with widespread poverty, powerful criminal groups, limited opportunities for many, and minimal state presence in many neighborhoods and areas of the country. If you are smart then you will have an amazing time and be perfectly safe but you do need to be sensible.
Don’t walk around alone in neighborhoods you don’t know at night. Don’t flash your fancy phone or expensive jewelry on the street. Don’t carry large amounts of cash when you don’t need to. Don’t leave your drink unattended in a bar. Don’t act loud and obnoxiously around people you don’t know.
It is simple stuff but it is important. You can just be unfortunate but in the majority of cases, those who are victims of crime could have avoided problems if they had made better choices.
If you meet a supermodel in a nightclub and after five minutes of listening to your terrible Spanish she is desperate to go to your apartment then you should be scared, not excited. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
Colombian girls are very friendly and it can be easy to start a conversation and possibly get a number but one night stands are unusual. She will have the same safety concerns you should have and will usually want to know what sort of situation she is getting into. Keep it in WhatsApp for a couple of days then go out for a drink or something to eat in a public place. Make a decent assessment first.
I am very blonde and obviously foreign but I have had very few issues in the many years I have lived here. I play football and visit neighbourhoods all over the city but I always try to be sensible and exercise basic caution. It doesn’t take much to stay safe and locals are desperate for you to have a positive experience.
Most Colombians will want you to stay safe and let the world know what an amazing place this is, after decades of negative stories.
