.png)
Family Adventures in Medellín, Colombia
Updated: Jun 26
Discover the best family adventures in Medellín, Colombia! Join our adventure-loving crew as we explore the City of Eternal Spring.
Colombia?!? What!?!
Let's start with the burning question we received every time we told someone our plan to visit Colombia. When so many people think of Colombia they immediately think "why would you ever want to take your family to visit Colombia?!" and picture drug cartels, kidnappings, and violence. However, we found Medellín, Colombia to be no less safe than visiting Washington DC, Atlanta, Las Vegas or any other city. As with any type of travel, you always have to be aware of your surroundings and practice common sense, but we found the people of Colombia to be so welcoming and never placed our family in a situation where we felt unsafe.
Our Family Adventures In Medellín, Colombia
Medellín is the capital of Colombia’s mountainous Antioquia province. Known as the "City of Eternal Spring", Medellín has a mild year-round climate. It never gets too hot or cold and the temperature hovers in the 70s Fahrenheit (mid 20s celsius) year-round. Based on recommendations from friends, we stay at the Hotel San Fernando Plaza, located in the area known as the “Golden Mile” (On Avenida El Poblado) within the Financial and Cultural Center. The hotel was fabulous! The staff was so attentive and the breakfast was amazing.
Our first day was spent flying from Atlanta to Bogota to Medellín. Our first leg was with Delta, but our second leg was with LATAM (but booked through Delta). One thing to note is that Colombia works on what we have come to call "Colombia time". It is far less rushed and on schedule than the US time we are use to, so expect things to be a little delayed. Our flight to Medellín was no exception.
Bogota airport has tons of places to explore and some nice lounges. We enjoyed the Sala VIP LATAM lounge when the girls needed some downtime and explored the stores. Luckily, the flight from Bogota to Medellín was a quick 45+ minutes since it was already dark and the girls were pretty tired when we arrived. Our travel companions arranged transfers with a local service before we left, so we we were able to sit back and enjoy the ride to the hotel.
Day 2 - Ciclovia, Local Markets, Metrocable, Parque Arvi & Santa Domingo
After breakfast, we spent the morning enjoying Ciclovia and exploring the local markets in Medellín. Originally started in Bogota, Ciclovia encourages fitness and health. The Medellín council closes certain roads (including the main road in front of our hotel) to traffic so that residents have a space for walking, biking and running. Dustin and Buttercup spent their time running, while Spider Monkey and I strolled through the streets.
The streets were lined with local markets and vendors. We sampled the amazing street food. My favorite was the arepa (deep-fried sweet cornmeal dough). These vary by region, and in Medellín it is call arepa de queso. It is corn flour and cheese mixed together, flattened, griddled, drizzled with sweetened condensed milk and topped with white quesito. A very close second was the aguapanela con limón (a sugarcane lime drink that they make by squeezing the sugarcanes and limes).
After a lunchtime swim, we set off to explore Medellín’s Metrocable. We took a short tax to the nearest metro station (Poblado Station) and then boarded Line A heading north to the Acevedo Station (~17 minute ride). Here, we made a transfer (without leaving the station) to the K Line Metrocable to the Santa Domingo Station (~10 minute ride). Here, we made a second transfer to the L Line Metrocable to Parque Arvi (~17 minute ride). Medellín’s Metrocable, a gondola lift system which carries 30,000 people per day, is easily the best (and most fun!) way to get to Parque Arvi. The slow climb up the steep hillsides provide amazing views!
Parque Arvi is both an ecological nature preserve and Pre-Hispanic archeological site on the eastern slopes of Aburrá Valley, in the northeast area of Medellín. Here you can hike, enjoy the markets, sample the food vendors, and learn about the history of the area. Our biggest draw was the experience of getting here via the Metrocable. The park is open Tuesday-Sunday from 9 am - 6 pm.
After taking in the sights and sampling more amazing food, we made our metro journey in reverse. This time exiting at the Santa Domingo Station and briefly exploring the area. Santa Domingo was once one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods, but has been transformed in recent years. We took in the street art while enjoying a beverage at a local pub.
Day 3 - Colombia Coffee Adventures
Colombia and coffee go hand-in-hand, so for our third day we adventured 45 minutes outside the city to D'Arrieros Coffee Farm in San Sebastian de Palmitas to learn about the origin of coffee and how it's traditionally prepared and take a horseback ride up to a vista point in the mountains. We arranged this adventure in advance through Viator.
The tour started with a very long explanation of the history of coffee and the farm. We were all given traditional hats, aprons, scarves and ponchos. Buttercup was selected as the model to demonstrate how each item was used on the farm. We learned how some farms wash the mucilage from the cherry (the thin layer between the seed and flesh of the fruit) and the wash can be turned into a sweet iced drink. The girls and I were not a huge fan of it (but we also don't like ice tea). Once we were dressed, we walked a short way up the mountain to learn how to pick the fruit. I expected to spend more hands-on time actually picking, but we were finished in a short 5-10 minutes. The collected fruit was put through a hand spun machine that separated the skin from the seed and the seeds were dried.
From there we moved to another seating area where we spent almost an hour discussing roasting and sampling coffee before sampling an amazing lunch. We were each given a bag of coffee and a block of panela (unrefined sugarcane that can be dissolved in water to make aguapanela). Then it was time to get matched up with a horse or mule for the ride!
We had a large group, so I was unfortunately split up from the girls. This was Spider Monkey's first ride, so it was disappointing. Luckily, they were with our traveling companions, so I did not have to spend my time worrying about them. We trekked up some crazy stone trails and spent some time walking along a road, but the horses never flinched (other to grab some grass when you were not paying attention). Both girls name the ride as one of their favorite memories of the trip. After the ride, our tour was over and we were transported back to Medellín.
Overall, the tour was a mixed bag for us. We had a great horseback / mule ride, lunch was amazing, the actual coffee bean picking was fun, but we spent far too much time sitting on hard benches listening to the guide talk about coffee. We definitely learned a lot more about coffee than I ever thought was possible, but the girls tuned it out after the first 45 minutes --and I don't blame them!
Day 4 - Pueblito Paisa, Plaza Botero & Comuna 13
We planned to view as much of the city as we could on our last full day in Medellín. Rather than dealing with taxis and the metro, we opted to book a tour. This turned out to be an wonderful idea, as we visited some places we probably would not have otherwise ventured to. Our first stop was Pueblito Paisa. Pueblito Paisa is on Cerro Nutibara, right in the middle of the Medellín, so it is known for its amazing 360 degree views of the city. It is up a long winding road that you can tackle by foot (about a 30 minute walk uphill). At the top you find a life-sized replica of a traditional town in Antioquia. There is a main courtyard with a white church and buildings with brightly colored balconies. There are small restaurants and many shops to stroll through. To see the amazing 360 degree views, you have to enter the small city museum. Unfortunately, the museum was not open during our visit.
Our next stop was Plaza Botero. Here we found 23 sculptures by Colombia’s best-loved sculptor, Fernando Botero. Botero is known for his incredibly large statues with exaggerated and voluptuous bodies. The collection here includes cats, dogs, men, women, and even horses. The girls did a lot of laughing as we walked through the plaza. I loved the checkerboard-patterned building in the background of the plaza. I was surprised to learn that it is the Rafael Uribe Palace of Culture, not a church.
From Plaza Botero, we took the metro to a different Metrocable line. A little duplicative of our experience from a few days ago, but it was a nice time to relax and take in the views. Then we visited Comuna 13 -- one of my favorite places in Medellín (and one I probably would not have visited if it was not a tour stop). Like Santa Domingo, Comuna 13 use to be one of the most dangerous areas in Medellín. After 2002's Operation Orion raids on Comuna 13, the government has improved the area and installed the escaleras electricas, a series of outdoor escalators that connect the once isolated hillside neighborhood to the city. Once residents felt safe, local artists began covering the area in bright murals and beautiful graffiti. Many murals tell the story of Comuna 13 and depict local heroes. I could have spent hours listening to the artists, watching the dances and taking in the art. We felt completely safe with a guide (and there were many tours going on), but read warning not to venture into the area without one.
Day 5 - El Castillo & Transfer to Guatapé
The last thing we wanted to squeeze in before leaving Medellín was a visit to Museo El Castillo. It was a quick and inexpensive taxi ride from the hotel. Museo El Castillo is an European/Gothic-style castle built in 1930 by H.M. Rodriguez. It was the residence of Jose Tobon Uribe, and purchased by Diego Echavarria Misas in 1943. Don Diego and Dona Benedikta Zur Nieden remodeled it for the purpose of converting it to a museum and giving it to the city. Today, it is preserved by a non-profit foundation. You must take a tour to visit the inside -- and our tour was in Spanish (note that we did not research beforehand to see if English tours were available at other times). No photos are permitted inside. The girls got pretty bored, so we exited after the tour was half over. The gardens are beautifully maintained and worth a visit.
The Family Verdict
Our time in Medellín was a ton of fun! I challenged the girls to each learn 10 new Spanish words a day (which they attempted). As our time progressed, I could see them begin to understand the language more and at least attempt to communicate back. The weather was lovely, the food was amazing, and all-in-all our experiences were pretty fun.
Follow along on the second half of our Colombian adventures as we trek up the mountains to the countryside in Guatapé!
Adventure is in Our Souls
Join the Adventure
www.adventureisinoursouls.com
All rights reserved. © 2024 Adventure Is In Our Souls
Comentários