Many of Medellín's best experiences are about seeing how the city has changed. Comuna 13, on the western hillsides, draws close to two million visitors a year to its outdoor escalators and murals, and a guided walk with a local collective explains the history behind the art. The Metrocable is just as revealing: Line K climbs from Acevedo to Santo Domingo, and Line L continues over the forest to Parque Arví. Both trips work best in daylight and outside rush hours.
For a slower pace, the walk up Cerro El Volador takes in pre-Hispanic burial sites, a butterfly house and views across the whole valley, and it opens early, at 5:00. In the evening, Provenza and Vía Primavera in El Poblado are the place to eat and drink, with specialty cafés by day and ranked cocktail bars by night. If you can travel in early August, the Feria de las Flores brings the Desfile de Silleteros, when farmers from Santa Elena carry huge flower arrangements through the city; book accommodation well ahead. Combine Comuna 13 with the Museo Casa de la Memoria, and the Metrocable with a hike in Arví, to make the most of each day.
5 places · Updated October 27, 2026
Our top 3 things to do in Medellín
Thing to do
A hillside district in western Medellín known for its outdoor escalators, murals and hip-hop culture, now visited by close to two million people a year.
View details — Comuna 13 Graffiti and EscalatorsThing to do
Medellín's cable-car network, launched in 2004 and now six lines long, gives visitors an aerial ride over the hillside neighbourhoods and up to Parque Arví.
View details — Metrocable RideThing to do
A walk up Medellín's largest urban nature park, a protected hill with pre-Hispanic burial sites, an open-air butterfly house and views across the whole Aburrá Valley.
View details — Cerro El Volador HikeThing to do
Medellín's flower festival, held every August since 1958, built around the Desfile de Silleteros, in which farmers from Santa Elena carry huge flower arrangements on their backs.
View details — Feria de las FloresThing to do
El Poblado's leafy dining and nightlife quarter, ranked by Time Out among the world's coolest streets, packed with cafés, boutiques, cocktail bars and leading restaurants.
View details — Provenza and Vía Primavera