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Happy Medellín
Calle de los Zócalos in Guatapé, a cobbled street lined with brightly painted zócalo houses

The Happy Medellín directory

Where to go, eat, dance and fall in love with Medellín

Every place here is chosen by people who know the city, with an honest, friendly note on how to enjoy it safely.
  • Neighborhoods
  • Food
  • Coffee
  • Nightlife
  • Culture
  • Nature
  • Adventures
  • Experiences
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All places

61 places

Sunny penthouse terrace overlooking El Poblado's high-rises and the green mountains ringing Medellín
El Poblado

El Poblado

Leafy hills, rooftop pools and Medellín's easiest first base

Everyday awarenessFree
Multicolored lights blazing across the facade of a Provenza nightclub on a Medellín evening
El Poblado

Provenza

Tree-lined streets, design shops and Medellín's best café crawl

Everyday awarenessFree
Rainbow umbrellas suspended above a tree-lined stretch of La 70 avenue in Laureles, Medellín
Laureles

Laureles and La 70

Time Out's coolest neighborhood: leafy circles, local life, salsa on La 70

Everyday awarenessFree
Red-brick rooftops of Envigado spreading toward green mountains under a bright partly cloudy sky
Envigado

Envigado

Small-town paisa charm on Medellín's southern doorstep

Everyday awarenessFree
Palm-lined pedestrian street with colorful painted pavement and leafy gardens in El Poblado, MedellínEl Poblado neighborhood
El Poblado

Manila

Flat, walkable and full of coffee roasters and casual eats

Everyday awarenessFree
Colorful vendor umbrellas beneath palms and shade trees in Parque Berrío, downtown Medellín
La Candelaria

El Centro (by day)

Botero sculptures, Junín street life and the city's beating heart

Go smartFree
Thin magenta beet carpaccio dotted with yellow flowers on a white plate at Carmen restaurant, Medellín
El Poblado

Carmen

Colombian biodiversity on a plate, plus a world-ranked cocktail bar

Relaxed$$$$
Elegantly plated fine-dining dessert with a lacy caramel tuile ring and creamy ice creamFine-dining tasting menu dish
El Poblado

Elcielo Restaurant Medellín

Juan Manuel Barrientos' playful, multi-sensory tasting menus

Relaxed$$$$
Lively Provenza street at night with diners at outdoor tables beneath trees and neon lightsProvenza neighborhood at night
Provenza

Oci.Mde

Slow-cooked meats and seasonal plates in a candlelit brick dining room

Relaxed$$$
Traditional bandeja paisa with chorizo, morcilla, beans, rice, fried egg, arepa and sweet plantainTraditional paisa cuisine
El Centro

Hacienda (Junín)

The original 1991 paisa kitchen, with a balcony over Junín

Go smart$$
Grilled steak in mushroom sauce with plantain, avocado and fries on a Mondongo's branded plate
El Poblado

Mondongo's (El Poblado)

Medellín's beloved tripe-soup institution, with a great bandeja paisa too

Relaxed$$
Close-up of a bandeja paisa with crispy chicharrón, chorizo, fried egg, rice and ground beefTraditional paisa cuisine
El Poblado

Hatoviejo (Las Palmas)

Hearty Antioquian classics in a cheerful, traditional setting

Relaxed$$
Heart latte art and a brownie on a Pergamino-branded napkin at the Vía Primavera café in Medellín
Provenza

Pergamino Café (Vía Primavera)

Medellín's benchmark specialty coffee, from a family that has grown it for 30+ years

Relaxed$
Aerial view over Laureles in Medellín, with tree-lined streets, red-brick buildings and green mountainsLaureles neighborhood
Laureles

Rituales, Compañía de Café

Award-ranked coffee that supports growers in Medellín's La Sierra

Relaxed$
Barista pouring steamed milk into a cappuccino to create latte art in a white cupSpecialty coffee
Manila

Hija Mía Coffee

Small-batch roasters with neon, bright colors and great brunch

Relaxed$
Cortado with heart latte art in a small glass on a blue saucer on woodSpecialty coffee
Laureles

Al Alma Café (Laureles)

House-roasted coffee and Tomasa Bakery pastries under a canopy of plants

Relaxed$
Bright, colorful café interior with painted wooden chairs, pendant lights and plants by the windowsNeighborhood café
Laureles

Café Zeppelin

Quirky afternoon café that turns into a cozy bar after dark

Everyday awareness$
Strawberry mojito and a layered tropical fruit cocktail glowing on a bar table at nightCocktail night out
El Poblado

Mamba Negra

World's 50 Best rooftop cocktails with sweeping valley views

Everyday awareness$$$
Medellín's valley glittering with city lights at dusk, seen from a hillside above high-rise towersMedellín at night from above
El Poblado

Envy Rooftop at The Charlee

A glass-sided pool, city lights and a lounge above Parque Lleras

Everyday awareness$$$
Smiling couple in a playful salsa dip beside a classic red car on a sunny streetSalsa dancing
Laureles

El Tíbiri

A sweaty, legendary basement where Medellín's best salseros dance

Go smart$
Latin band in tropical shirts playing congas, trumpet and bass on a festival stageLive salsa and son music
Laureles

Son Havana

Cuban-flavored salsa temple with live bands and friendly dancers

Everyday awareness$
Provenza's neon-lit bars and restaurants buzzing with people on a warm Medellín nightProvenza nightlife
Provenza

37 Park

Easygoing open-air beer garden with tree-stump seats by a creek

Everyday awareness$$
Colorful paintings displayed under the tall shade trees of Parque Lleras in El Poblado, Medellín
El Poblado

Parque Lleras

Medellín's famous party hub, best enjoyed early and in good company

Go smartFree
Palacio de la Cultura's black-and-white Gothic dome rising above Plaza Botero under a bright blue sky El Centro

Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero

Botero's joyful giants, outdoors in bronze and indoors on canvas

Go smart$$
Angular dark facade and painted mural of the Museo Casa de la Memoria amid garden greenery Boston

Museo Casa de la Memoria

A moving, free museum on how Medellín remembers and rebuilds

Everyday awarenessFree
Restored Talleres Robledo brick facade of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín under a vivid blue sky Ciudad del Río

Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín (MAMM)

Bold modern and contemporary art in riverside Ciudad del Río

Relaxed$
Vivid mural of an Afro-Colombian woman beside a rainbow hummingbird on a Comuna 13 wall San Javier (Comuna 13)

Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour

Murals, hip-hop and outdoor escalators in Medellín's comeback neighborhood

Go smart$
Parque Explora's bright red cube buildings rising above treetops with Medellín's northern hills behind Aranjuez (Zona Norte)

Parque Explora

Hands-on science museum with a big freshwater aquarium

Relaxed$$
The grey dome of the Planetario de Medellín beneath billowing white clouds and green mountains Aranjuez (Zona Norte)

Planetario de Medellín

Dome shows and star talks beside the Parque de los Deseos

Relaxed$
Whitewashed colonial houses with red balconies around the flower-filled plaza of Pueblito Paisa atop Cerro Nutibara Belén / Guayabal

Pueblito Paisa (Cerro Nutibara)

A replica Antioquian village with 360-degree city views

Everyday awarenessFree
Gothic-style stone facade and red conical turrets of Museo El Castillo in El Poblado El Poblado

Museo El Castillo

A 1930s Gothic-style castle with French gardens and valley views

Relaxed$
Children playing barefoot in the sand under tall trees at Parque de los Pies Descalzos La Alpujarra

Parque de los Pies Descalzos

Kick off your shoes: sand, forest and water play in the city center

Everyday awarenessFree
Colorful whooping motmot with turquoise crown foraging on pine needles in Parque Arví's forest Santa Elena

Parque Arví (via Metrocable Line L)

Float over the city by cable car into 16,000 hectares of cloud forest

Everyday awareness$
The Orquideorama's giant hexagonal wooden canopy sheltering gardens at Jardín Botánico de Medellín Aranjuez (Zona Norte)

Jardín Botánico de Medellín

Free, leafy oasis with a wooden Orquideorama and resident iguanas

RelaxedFree
Lookout railing on Cerro El Volador with Medellín's valley and mountains under blue sky Robledo

Parque Natural Cerro El Volador

The city's largest urban nature park, with birds and big views

Everyday awarenessFree
Green slopes of Cerro de las Tres Cruces rising above pine trees on Medellín's western edge Belén

Cerro de las Tres Cruces

Medellín's favorite sunrise climb and open-air workout

Everyday awarenessFree
The granite monolith of Piedra del Peñol with its zigzag staircase against a bright blue sky Guatapé, Antioquia

Guatapé and Piedra del Peñol

Climb the giant rock, then wander the most colorful town in Antioquia

Everyday awareness$$
Ornate red, yellow and green wooden balconies on a colonial house facing Jardín's main plaza Jardín, Antioquia

Jardín

A flower-draped coffee town UN Tourism counts among the world's prettiest

Relaxed$$
Palm trees and whitewashed colonial houses around the fountain in Santa Fe de Antioquia's main square Santa Fe de Antioquia

Santa Fe de Antioquia

Whitewashed colonial streets and a historic suspension bridge in the warm lowlands

Everyday awareness$
Bright green balconies and doors on colonial houses along a cobbled street in Jericó, Antioquia Jericó, Antioquia

Jericó

Hilltop heritage town, birthplace of Colombia's first saint

Relaxed$$
Swimmers floating in jade water beneath the white marble cave walls of the Río Claro canyon Puerto Triunfo, Antioquia

Reserva Natural Cañón del Río Claro

Crystal-clear river, marble canyon and a cave full of oilbirds

Everyday awareness$$
Vibrant silleta flower display featuring a white dove and tiny farmhouse at Medellín's Flower FestivalSilleta flower tradition Santa Elena

Finca Silletera Abuela Sarito

Meet the flower-farming families behind the Feria de las Flores

Relaxed$$
Metrocable gondolas climbing over red-brick hillside homes above a busy Medellín street Citywide

Metro and Metrocable Ride

Glide over the hillside barrios on the city's proud cable cars

Everyday awareness$
Couple practicing salsa steps together in a bright dance studio with red wallsSalsa class
El Poblado

Salsa Class at Dancefree

Learn your first salsa steps, then practice at a friendly social

Relaxed$
Lush coffee plants and shade trees covering green hillsides beneath a bright blue skyCoffee farm Santa Elena

Coffee Farm Tour in Santa Elena

Pick, roast and taste coffee with a farming family above the city

Relaxed$$
Silletero arranging a vivid purple, pink and white flower silleta in Santa Elena for the Feria de las Flores Citywide

Feria de las Flores

Ten days of flowers, music and the unforgettable Silleteros parade

Go smartFree
Cathedral facade outlined in thousands of red, green and gold Christmas lights at Parques del Río, Medellín Citywide

Alumbrados Navideños

The whole valley lights up for Christmas, river to hillside

Go smartFree
Packed stands of Estadio Atanasio Girardot under floodlights with Medellín's hills beyond the pitch Laureles (Estadio)

Football at Estadio Atanasio Girardot

Feel the roar of a Nacional or DIM home match

Go smart$$
Bustling Mercado del Río food hall with patterned tile floors, chandeliers and busy food stalls Ciudad del Río

Mercado del Río

A buzzing food hall with dozens of kitchens under one roof

Relaxed$$
Smiling visitors holding exotic fruits behind piles of oranges, watermelons and mangoes at Plaza Minorista La Candelaria

Plaza Minorista Exotic Fruit Tour

Taste a dozen Colombian fruits you've never heard of

Go smart$
Sunny rooftop hotel pool with striped loungers, umbrellas and mountain views beyondRooftop hotel pool
El Poblado

The Charlee Hotel

Art-filled design hotel on Parque Lleras with a famous rooftop pool

Everyday awareness$$$$
Stylish boutique hotel room with a king bed, warm textured wall and soft lightingBoutique hotel room
Provenza

The Click Clack Hotel Medellín

Stylish Provenza base with two rooftop bars and a pool

Relaxed$$$
Elegant luxury suite with a white-draped four-poster canopy bed and polished tile floorsLuxury hotel suite
El Poblado

Elcielo Hotel

Chef-run boutique hotel with a rooftop infinity pool and tasting menus

Relaxed$$$$
Large turquoise hotel swimming pool with palm trees and green mountains under a blue skyHotel pool with mountain views
El Poblado (Las Palmas)

InterContinental Medellín

Hillside resort-style hotel with pools and wide valley views

Relaxed$$$
Travelers chatting at wooden tables on a sunny hostel rooftop terrace with city viewsHostel rooftop terrace
El Poblado

Los Patios Hostel

Top-rated social hostel with a rooftop pool and coworking

Everyday awareness$
Calm hotel room with a wooden bed, crisp white linens, timber ceiling and garden windowBoutique hotel room
Laureles

Eutopiq Hotel

Design-forward boutique stay on Laureles' quiet, leafy streets

Everyday awareness$$
Smiling students hanging upside down in colorful aerial yoga hammocks in a bright studioAerial yoga class
Laureles

Flying Tree Yoga

Bilingual yoga community with daily classes in English and Spanish

Relaxed$
Group yoga class seated on mats beneath a large open-air thatched palapaYoga class
El Poblado

Atman Yoga Colombia

Daily hatha classes, restorative Saturdays and mat rental included

Relaxed$
Cyclists, skaters and walkers enjoy a car-free Sunday ciclovía avenue in Bogotá, ColombiaColombia's Sunday ciclovía
Citywide

Sunday Ciclovía

Car-free Sunday mornings: bike, run or stroll with the whole city

Everyday awarenessFree
Small group practicing yoga outdoors on a grassy meadow surrounded by trees and blue skyYoga in nature
Santa Elena

Happy Yoga (Altar de la Dicha, Santa Elena)

Mountain sanctuary for yoga, meditation and silent retreats

Relaxed$$
Wide tree-lined promenade and planters along Parques del Río on a clear Medellín day Centro / La Alpujarra

Parques del Río

A green riverside promenade for an easy walk, jog or bike ride

Everyday awarenessFree