"Medellín - capital of Antioquia" Top 5 Page for this destination Medellín by Trekki

Medellín Travel Guide: 158 reviews and 464 photos

Medellín, with more than 2 mio of inhabitants, is capital of Colombian province of Antioquia, and the second largest city of Colombia.

Unfortunately it has a bad reputation for being the centre of drug trafficking, but this is no longer true, as the Cartel de Medellín is no longer existing and Pablo Escobar (it’s boss) is long dead. Today it is a lively and pleasant city, with University, a lot of museums and very nice restaurants.

Medellín is situated on around 1500 m above sea level and inmidst the Valle de Aburrá in Cordillera Occidental (one of the three ranges, the Andes are splitting up into in the north; the other two being Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental). It is all characterized by forests and very rich soil, so agriculture (mostly coffee plantations) is quite dominating in the surrounding area. This all makes up for a very mild climate and that’s why you can see a huge variety of plants and flowers, including orchids, in the city and around. And that’s why the city is also called Capital de las Flores (capital of the flowers) and Capital de la Eterna Primavera (capital of eternal spring). Each year, the Festival de las Flores (festival of flowers) is held each August, and I did see photos of the parade with very richly flower decorated floats (? cars for parades).

My experiences have only been on business travel, so unfortunately, I did not have much time to explore. It would be useless to give you the name of restaurants and hotels I stayed in, as I am afraid, they might either no longer be there or different than I have experienced them.

But at least, I did visit Pueblito Paisa :-)
And as this tiny spot is quite characteristic for Antioquia, I will tell you about it.

All pictures have been taken by myself, if not marked otherwise.
Please do not use any of them without my permission.
The same applies for my writings here.
Thanks.

!! This page is not new - as it can be seen from the dates of writings.
I only have moved it to the right department. Haha, confused me has placed it under Dep. de Magdalena, where it does not belong to..... but to Antioqia (as I even wrote in my heading, but never noticed the mistake...)

Thanks dear M. for telling me :-))

Last visit to Medellín: Nov 1998
Intro Updated Nov 3, 2007
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (6)

Fountain in restaurant courtyard - Medellín

Courtyards with fountains – everywhere Off The Beaten Path (1)

Nearly all courtyards of houses, restaurants and hotels do have lovely stone fountains. Usually they sit in courtyard... more travel advice

Orientation in Medellín Favorites (1)

I had a scan of LP’s map in here and I didn’t want me or VT run into trouble with the masters, so now an image of... more travel advice

Balcony of Pueblito Paisa's restaurant - Medellín

Pueblito Paisa - the typical houses Things to Do (4)

White (chalked) walls, wooden doors, usually painted in bright colors, some steps, and the first floor surrounded by... more travel advice

Pueblito Paisa - the little church Things to Do (4)

As already mentioned, in the center of the horseshoe shaped pueblito is a little church, also in the old style. You can... more travel advice

Travelogues (2)

1 - 2 of 2

Comments (24)

Jim_Eliason Jan 22, 2012 at 5:19 AM Report Abuse

Nice page!
fabrice Apr 12, 2010 at 11:50 PM Report Abuse

it must be a fascinating country
hunterV Mar 8, 2009 at 6:35 AM Report Abuse

Thanks for your good page, Ingrid.....
iwys Jan 3, 2009 at 8:27 AM Report Abuse

Very good tips. Medellin still has its moments. A friend of mine got shot here. He was in hospital for 6 months and everybody else in the car was killed. He then told me, 'It's great! You should go there.'
mircaskirca Nov 11, 2008 at 1:28 PM Report Abuse

Pueblito Paisa looks lovely!! I already fell in love with those carved wooden balconies! Haha, absolutely love the general tip :)))
Gterry Aug 5, 2008 at 1:25 PM Report Abuse

Also, Pueblito Paisa is a good model of a number of Colombian town I have been to. It is not a museum display, it is a good example of real towns. El Retiro looks like Pueblito Paisa, so does the town past La Ceja (don't remember the name).
themajor Jul 14, 2008 at 12:09 AM Report Abuse

There can be few places whose name incurs such a negative reaction from those who have heard of it but never visited. Interesting to see the array of fountains and courtyards - would like to see some broader citywide photos if you have them!
tiabunna Nov 30, 2007 at 1:57 PM Report Abuse

I've enjoyed your glimpse of Medellin - as you say, usually known for the wrong reasons! And that "Carrapicho" now will go around my head all day! :))
Kuznetsov_Sergey Nov 17, 2007 at 7:58 AM Report Abuse

The name of Medellín reminds me American films about narcotic barons... Now I know it as a touristic attraction. Thanks Ingrid for the virtual tour around Columbia!
robertgaz Nov 12, 2007 at 8:53 PM Report Abuse

A cute corner of colonial Columbia :~)