Besides the visit to Comuna 13 and the walk to the Stone, I also did some sightseeing. And Medellin is a big city, not exceptionally beautiful or destructive. It’s just a big city. I stayed in the area called “El Poblado”. It’s a bit up the hill, suitable for fleeing the city center’s traffic, dust, and noise. In addition, this area is full of tourists, including laundry services, restaurants, clubs, hostels, etc., so it’s easy to find company there. And if you need to go to the city, take an Uber for 3 USD, and everything is fine.
But what do you see in the city center? I cannot recommend visiting the city center on Saturday afternoon with all the shops. I haven’t seen so many people in my life! The shopping streets are vast; you will find 100 sneaker and clothes stores and 1000 vendors on the street (like in any other big South American city). But all people living in and around Medellin are also there… So don’t do this 🙂
But there are three things I can recommend to visit.
The Botanical Garden “Jardín Botánico de Medellín”
In the middle of Medellín, a small park is located, which was surprisingly wholly free. I spent 2 hours there, finding the animals: parrots, turtles, the giant lizard, some fancy birds, squirrels. I recommend walking there, grabbing a coffee in the sun before going back into the city’s noise.
“Parque Explora”
Something for a rainy afternoon, a science museum where you are asked to interact. For 9 USD, you will get three halls to explore: one about time, one about mind, and one about music. In each of the rooms, you have approx. One hundred experiments each to play with. Either it’s a game to test your reaction time or a small room to experiment with different musical instruments. I loved it. On a rainy day, I was there; it was almost empty as it was a weekday. The website also talks about dinosaurs skeletons, and an aquarium, but I would not consider that a reason to go there. The aquarium is not as extensive as you might experience from others; it’s relatively small with some rare fish, but nothing compared to a lifelike aquarium. And the dinosaurs are not impressive as they are not accurate size… they are standing outside like plastics waiting for some pictures with tourists. Nothing spectacular.
“Plaza Botero” with 23 Sculptures by Medellín’s Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero grew up in Medellin. After becoming famous, he donated two pictures to the local museum and 23 sculptures from his private collection, now standing on the Plaza Botero. These sculptures look weird but also enjoyable. I recommend taking a guide who tells you the story behind each sculpture. It was surprisingly fascinating.
Without Comuna 13, I don’t see a reason to visit Medellin. I learned that some Spanish schools are in Medellin, so if you plan to learn Spanish and have a party in “El Poblado”, that’s the right spot. But, if I could decide without Comuna 13, I would rather stay a week longer in Cartagena.
You must be logged in to post a comment.