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MEDELLIN GUIDE

Welcome to the heart of Colombia's breathtaking Andes Mountains - Medellín! This city isn't just a destination; it's a vibrant canvas of culture, color, and change, waiting to be explored by adventurous souls. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll take you through the charming streets, revealing insider tips on where to stay, detailed insights into the city's diverse neighborhoods, essential language pointers, and the most convenient transportation options to navigate one of my favorite cities. From the abundance of tropical fruits to the transformational tales of Comuna 13, Medellín is a city that's redefining itself and inviting the world to witness its rebirth. So, grab your backpack, lace up your most comfortable walking shoes, and join me on this unforgettable journey through the City of Eternal Spring. Let's dive into the heart of Medellín and discover why this Colombian gem is a must-visit on every wanderer's list!

Language

People in Colombia speak Spanish. Please don’t be the people from the States that go to a country and don’t even try to learn or use the country’s language. Can we all agree that a part of the cultural immersion is trying to use the native language, no matter how bad you are? Locals always appreciate it and you’ll get to claim bi-lingual. If you’re interested in actually learning Spanish, you’ll find a plethora of Spanish schools. From Mr. Fox to xxx. I personally used the italki platform to hone my Spanish. Profesora Jas really was that gworl. You’ll inevitably pick up some words during your stay (even if you don’t want to go to a school), but to make your life a little easier, I’ve included a list of words that you should know:

Hola - Hello.

Adiós - Goodbye.

Por favor - Please.

Gracias - Thank you.

Sí / No - Yes / No.

¿Cuánto cuesta? - How much does it cost?

¿Dónde está...? - Where is...?

Baño - Bathroom.

Comida - Food.

Agua - Water.

Cerveza - Beer.

Café - Coffee.

Ayuda - Help.

Perdón / Disculpe - Excuse me.

Habla inglés? - Do you speak English?

Chimba - Cool, Nice, Beautiful, Dope, etc. (informal)

The Area

There are many places that you can choose to stay in Medellin. I’ve personally stayed in Poblado and Laureles. While many tourists choose to stay in Poblado for their first time, you’ll find that a majority of digital nomads who call this place home (for the time being) are staying in Laureles. My favorite area has been Laureles—read more below to learn why. As with any city, depending on what you’re looking for, each neighborhood offers something different.

El Poblado

Medellín's most upscale neighborhood, perfect for travelers seeking a mix of luxury and vibrant nightlife. Known for its trendy cafes, high-end restaurants, and active nightlife, El Poblado is a top choice for tourists in Medellín. This neighborhood offers lush, tree-lined streets and modern architecture, but keep in mind this area is hilly. It’s absolutely possible to walk, but many streets are uphill/downhill depending on the location of your residence. I stayed at this Airbnb, and the walking wasn’t too bad as we were relatively close to most attractions. I’ve also stayed at this beautiful Airbnb on a different occasion, but found the hills to be a bit difficult if you’re looking into walking as your favorite form of transportation (read: me). If you’re looking for Medellín nightlife in this area, head to Parque Lleras for an abundance of clubs, bars, and people (don’t be surprised by the number of prostitues, it’s legal in Colombia). All in all, for first-timers, this isn’t a bad place to stay if you love bars, eateries, want to meet other tourists, and enjoy nightlife.

Laureles

My favorite area! Let’s get into why. Laureles is a charming and laid-back neighborhood in Medellín, ideal for experiencing local Colombian life. With its spacious, tree-filled streets and a plethora of cozy cafes and diverse restaurants, Laureles offers a more relaxed vibe. This is also one of the few flat neighborhoods in Medellin. The neighborhood is perfect for travelers looking for an authentic, less touristy experience in Medellín, especially along Avenida Jardin. You’ll find more everyday life happening in this part of town, and my favorite part is that you can reach almost anything you’ll need within a 15-minute walk. If you’re looking for a walkable city, this neighborhood truly embodies that. I stayed in two different Airbnb’s during my time there. Here is the first Airbnb I stayed in during my most recent trip. Here is the second Airbnb I stayed in. Both around the same area (Corazon de Jesus). When you’re looking at a map, I would try to find accommodation around this part of Laureles. All of the best restaurants and bars are in this area. As I mentioned, try staying close to Avenue Jardin.

Belen

Belén is a traditional, working-class neighborhood that has started to gain popularity among younger crowds and travelers seeking a more authentic experience. It's a bit off the tourist trail, offering a glimpse into the daily life of Medellin's residents. The area has a mix of residential houses, local shops, and small businesses. It’s right outside of Laureles, so depending on which part of Belen you’re staying in, you’ll still be relatively close to a host of cafes and restaurants. While I haven’t been, I hear that La Mota Recreational Park and the Belén Library Park are notable spots worth visiting.

Envigado

Description: Located just south of El Poblado, Envigado maintains a charming small-town feel despite its proximity to the city. It's known for its traditional paisa culture, friendly locals, and a slower pace of life. Envigado is increasingly attracting those looking for an authentic local experience with its quaint streets and traditional eateries.

• Highlights: The town square, Parque Envigado, is a focal point for community life and local festivities.

Centro

Description: The Centro, or downtown, is the historical and cultural heart of the city. It's a bustling area where you'll find a mix of old and new, with colonial buildings alongside modern structures. This neighborhood is full of life, with street vendors, musicians, and a busy commercial scene.

• Highlights: The Botero Plaza, with its sculptures by Fernando Botero, and the Museo de Antioquia are must-visit landmarks. 

Transportation

Once you step through immigration in the airport and the doors open you will see families awaiting their loved ones and hotel drivers with signs for "Mr. Mohamed" (not even joking, there will be at least one). As you continue to walk, you are going to see a million and one people asking you if you need a taxi. Pass them all. Taxi's are pretty expensive here, and half the time unless you have the exact address, they won't know where they're going. The metro is your best friend. The best way to do this without getting lost is to contact your hotel beforehand and find out which station is closest to it. If the walk is far, and you have massive amounts of luggage (which I hope you've avoided) then look for buses that can take you to a local area. From there you can take a taxi, and although it'll probably still be expensive, you'll at least be in the area.

Here's a metro map to make your life a little easier:

FOOD

Baklava: if you’ve honestly never heard of baklava until now, then I am so sorry that you have been deprived for so long. As a sweet pastry made with filo, filled with chopped nuts and topped with sweet, sweet honey, there’s no way you won’t fall in love. Some of the best I’ve had have been in random shops between Istiklal Street and Tarlabaşi Blv. The price is dependent on how many kilos you’ll be purchasing.

Kunefeh: it is the holy grail of desserts, and I say this knowing my mom makes the best ones, so realize I am biased in my review. Regardless, this sweet dessert is filled with cheese and topped with a sugar-based syrup. Although the cheese sounds out of place, it is very good and the tangy cheese keeps the sweetness at bay. Most places that sell baklava also sell kunefeh. The price is yet again dependent on how many kilos you’re purchasing.

Street Corn: it is exactly what it sounds like, corn from a street cart. You can watch these amazing men boil and grill your corn right in front of you and hand you the most organic vegetable/grain you’ve probably ever eaten. They top it with a good amount of salt so make sure to express to them if you’re not a fan. Their carts will never be too far from those selling Simit! It will cost you around 2-3 TL or .72USD.

Eminönü Fish Sandwich: it is the freshest fish sandwich I have ever eaten. Imagine a food truck, but instead of a truck, it's a boat. You walk up to the boats on the Eminönü station, it's actually more of pushing than walking, as everyone is looking to get a piece of this delicious seafood. Once you hit the front of the line, you signal a number indicating how many sandwiches you'd like and pay up. Don't expect to say things like "hold the lettuce" or "make sure the fish is sauted nicely" here. It is a quick in and out type of ordeal. The smell of the fish hits you as soon as you get off the tram/metro, and you follow it until you reach the beginning of the line where you pay about 8TL or 2.88USD

Make sure to try any and everything in Istanbul. You are going to fall in love with the food!

EXCURSIONS

Guatape

I have read many articles saying that the tipping culture is as follows:

Restaurants: 5-10%

Cafes: 5-10%

Bars: 5-10%

Taxis: round the fare up

While I was there, I have found that the people were often overly pleased when I tip. Once I got to know the place better, I asked around and found that an overwhelming amount of the locals never tip except for their taxi fare. As I like to travel like a native, I considered stopping my habit. After some consideration, I decided that my small contribution was worth putting a smile on these people’s faces. Take this information as you will and respond accordingly. I’m only here to “spit facts”. 

Comuna 13

Tea is such an intricate part of the Turkish culture. As a Sudanese native, I thought we drank a lot of tea, but we have nothing on the Turks. Tea is served any and everywhere. In many places it’s even free with your meal! At the hostel I stayed in, tea was available readily during any hour. Make sure to have a cup on a nice rooftop terrace during sunrise/sunset. It will be an unforgettable experience, granted that your view is decent. If not, ask some locals for their favorite tea spots and there is no way you can be disappointed. I love the fact that the array of teas is large and diverse. Lemon mint to pomegranate to every variety between green and herbal teas you can imagine. If you love tea, this is the place to go.

Coffee is also very common here, and although I do like Turkish coffee, I will always prefer teas. With every cup of Turkish coffee served, it is customary to also receive a small cup of water. When I asked why, the most common answer was, “we’ve just always done it that way, it’s tradition”. I saw numerous coffee shops with lines down alleyways that sold coffee beans from all over the world. It seems to me that relaxing with a nice cup of tea/coffee is and always has been a part of the culture in Istanbul.

Tres Cruces

Chances are, you’ve never experienced anything remotely similar to a Turkish bath before. I guess I should start explaining how the process goes. First, get naked! Are you shocked yet? You basically strip down to your underwear and wrap a sarong-type of cloth around you. Then you are asked to enter a marble room in which there are marble benches around the perimeter of the room and a huge marble island in the middle of the room. Inside it is hot and steamy (not in a HBO way), just in a hot summer’s day (almost like a sauna) way. After you soak in the humidity, you are to lay on the center island as a lady soaks you in soap and begins to scrub your body. Your whole body. Everything.

If you took a shower that morning, you’ll start to believe that it was a façade, and you merely imagined it, after seeing all the dirt slide off your body. Afterwards you get a heavenly massage and you’re taken to drink some tea to get your fluids up, since you’ve sweated out about 15 pounds by this point. All in all, walking out, you feel rejuvenated and cleaner than you’ve ever felt before. The whole process takes about an hour or two depending and will run you anywhere from 70TL-300TL or 25-110USD

Shopping

Grand Bazaar vs Spice Market

Istanbul has everything from Mango to Louis Vuitton to Koton, so if that’s your thing then you’re in the right place. There are shops all over town for the likes of you. I personally prefer cheap, discounted, and local clothing and materials. As I asked around, I found that many tourists went to the Grand Bazaar. I didn’t like the idea of tourists being there so I started asking some friends I had made in the area about this “bazaar”. They told me that I would like it and should go, but when I further questioned them, I found that barely any locals go there. The only times locals go to the Grand Bazaar is to “buy gold for marriage”, but other than that, it was a huge tourist trap.

I decided to skip it, and urge you to do the same if you feel that we are on the same brain wavelength. I have heard that the Grand Bazaar is huge, and has a ridiculous amount of stalls and carts, but all the items are overpriced for the tourists who believe they are getting a “local experience”…not. When I asked for a better sort of experience, I was directed towards the Spice Market. *cue lights of heaven shining on me*

Oh the Spice Market! Imagine walking into a stampede of people rushing from four different directions. You have to fight your way through and it is going to be hot, and when you pass the fish section, you’re going to want to hurl, but there is honestly no experience more genuine. You will undoubtedly see tourists, as they have been steered in the right direction along their path as well, but more so, you will see locals! Buying spices, nuts, dates, and herbs for their next meal.

The stalls are each set up so that they face each other, while a good majority of the stalls have an attached store, others don’t. Unlike at Kroger or other supermarkets where the spices are neatly packaged and sealed, here, they are completely out in the open. You can touch and taste for quality before you purchase. This doesn’t just apply to the spices either. An overwhelming amount of dates, nuts, and dried fruit are all in accompaniment and as long as you’re considering buying, touch all you want. If you want a sample, be courteous and ask if it’s ok, but the answer is always “yes”. I got full sampling dates stuffed with nuts and Turkish delights of all kinds. Best. Time. Ever. Other than that, there is a section of the Spice Market known as the “Egyptian Market” where you can literally buy any and everything you can imagine. You’ll be hard pressed to find something at the Grand Bazzar that’s not available at the Spice Market. Shoes, watches, clothes, burkas, scarves, sunglasses, tazers, and my personal favorite, fragrances.

Fragrance Shopping

I need to let you know about buying perfume/cologne in this amazing market. It would be a disgrace to leave you in the dark. You know how you walk into Macy’s and the selection is all nicely displayed? Yeah, this is nothing like that. There are barely any actual perfume stores that you’ll be able to see. You have to walk into them by chance. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, a strange man will walk up to you with a black bag and start pulling out bottles of Chanel and Dolce & Gabanna and he might even begin to spray you down with some to show you their authenticity. Your first reaction will be to ignore him and tell him no, don’t! Listen to me, do not pass up the opportunity he is presenting you. Politely ask him to take you to his boss’s store. He will make you wait outside and go into a store in a cut down some stairs and ask if it is ok for you to come down. If you get to go down, your mind will be blown! Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana are only the beginning. Everything from Hugo Boss to Paco Rabanne to Prada is available.

Welcome to the Black Market my friend. You will undoubtedly wonder if the perfumes/colognes are fake, but on the contrary, they are as authentic as the $110 bottles in Macy’s. The fragrance lasts all day, you get the original bottle, and you’re never left with any sort of rash or irritation. Nevertheless, looking around, you’ll notice some of the bottles say “tester” or “sample” across them. Now whether these were stolen off a boat or went “mysteriously missing” is beyond me. All I can tell you is that they are quite real and quite cheap. I purchased the following:

Lady Million by Paco Rabanne: Retail-$107USD

Invictus by Paco Rabanne: Retail-$104USD

The One by Dolce & Gabbana: Retail-$112USD

Flora by Gucci: Retail-$110USD

I bought all of the above for just about $95USD after some extreme haggling. Note* I am an extreme haggler, your skills may not be up to par (no disrespect my friends, I just have years of experience from Sudan) and so you might not be able to reach such a bargain. Even if you walk out with four quality fragrances for a fraction of the price, you are winning. Go to the Spice Market, and win!

Random recommendations

Cafés

The city is flooded with them, and you will have a hard time to choose which one to go to, but chances are that you'll enjoy the one you choose. I called my personal favorite "Nargile", even though that's not its official name. It is on a side street off of Istiklal St. and the huge Koton store. I went there everyday while in Turkey and made genuine friends. Mesut, Gilias, Ali, Omer, and the owner Fehmi all hold a special place in my heart and became my personal tour guides. They let me know where to go, and what was a scam while I was there. They hooked me up with hookah/shisha, green tea, and free wi-fi while I visited. If you go, please tell them Guley (their nickname for me; means rose) sent you and they will give you the VIP treatment you undoubtedly deserve. 

Princes Islands

I got to go to Buyurkada and it was so beautiful! You take a ferry there and the island itself is mindblowing. Besides the natural beauty, the islands has no cars. It is only about 14km all around and the main source of travel is biking or walking. You will see many horse drawn carriages and make sure you ride on one. While they are stinky from all the poo, it's still a nice experience. The best part is exploring the island on a bicycle. You can even go to the beaches, but beware they cost money! Although only about 20TL, make sure to put it in your budget.

Foreign Love

If you're coming here without a love, this is the place to find a nice foreign love. If you are of brown or dark complexion, boy are you lucky! These men (and I've heard women also) love chocolate! You will be approached many times for a photo if nothing else, and will have all the lovey-dovey eyes on you. My recommendation: come single, find bae, live happily ever after.

Tapestry

If you are into cloths, carpets, or anything of the sorts, make sure to visit Saddam! He is located in Sultanahmet and wanted me to let everyone know that he is not of the Hussein family (hope you're happy now Saddam). His family shop is filled with beautifully hand-crafted tapestries and his prices are the shiz. 

all in all

Istanbul is a truly amazing time. I will never forget one sunset or sunrise I witnessed while I was there, nor any of the amazing people I came in contact with. Make sure you allow yourself to meet the people there, take in your blessings and begin the adventure of a lifetime.

*Make sure to check out the Turkey Gallery for all the pictures*

Happy Wandering...