What to do in Medellín in 3 days

Day 1 — The city

Start downtown: Botero Plaza with its 23 sculptures, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palace of Culture. Then go up to the Pueblito Paisa late in the afternoon, when the Aburrá Valley lights up. It is the day that orients you: you understand how the city is laid out and why people talk about the metro with pride. Leave the evening for El Poblado or Provenza, without an early start the next morning.

Day 2 — Comuna 13 and the transformation

Comuna 13 in the morning, when the light is good for the murals and the crowds are thinner. Two hours of walking with breaks is enough. In the afternoon, if the story interests you, the Pablo Escobar history tour completes the picture: what happened, and what the city built afterwards. It is the most intense day of the three, and the one people remember.

Day 3 — Guatapé

A full day out of the city. Leave at 7 or 8 a.m., climb the Piedra del Peñol before the sun is high, have lunch by the reservoir and walk the town in the afternoon. You are back in Medellín for dinner. Do not try to add anything else to this day — the drive alone is four hours round trip.

What if you only have two days?

Drop Guatapé, not Comuna 13. Guatapé is a beautiful day but it is a day trip; Comuna 13 is the thing that explains the city you are standing in. If you have four days, then add Guatapé at the end and keep a slow morning somewhere.

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