Outside the Museo de Arte Moderno, it's pretty clear: "I LOVE MEDELLIN"
Editor’s note: This article is out-of-date and it has several inaccuracies so it was updated in October 2016, which is found here.
Expats looking for a place to live in Medellín almost always drift to the same place: Poblado.
It’s a great place to live, no doubt, because of all the great bars and clubs, restaurants and shopping malls, apartments and hostels and houses, and a reputation for being the nicest and safest area of the city.
But the best area of the city? I don’t think so.
In this post I will tell you my five favorite districts in the Medellín metropolitan area. By districts, I mean comunas and suburbs, and there are 21 of them here.
When I review each, I will tell you some of the best neighborhoods in these districts and some of the best places to go in each place.
Some might sound familiar, others not so much. It’s the same for me when I talk to others. So let’s use this as a forum to chat about our favorite places in the city.
Listo? Dále!
Long a middle class area, this comuna just west of El Centro is climbing the social ladder.
It’s a very green neighborhood, with trees everywhere, giving the place a tranquility that makes you feel comfortable immediately. But don’t let the mellow charm fool you: some of the best nightlife in the city is in Laureles, at La 70 and the north side of Calle 33.
You can find almost anything you want in Laureles and for those of you who think Poblado is better, I’ll tell you why you’re wrong.
a. Laureles has no hills. Walking around Poblado, up those hills, can be tiring.
b. You’re much less likely to run into someone who speaks English in Laureles. I know, some of you think that’s a bad thing. But if you really want to immerse yourself in the culture here, learning Spanish is a big part of that.
c. The restaurants in Laureles can compete with those in Poblado.
d. So can the nightlife.
e. The fútbol stadium is here.
So, there you go. If you want to stay in Poblado, I understand. You’re comfortable there. Just give Laureles a visit someday. You might like it more than you think.
Best neighborhoods: Bolivariana, Carlos E. Restrepo, Estadio, Florida Nueva, Las Acacias, Laureles, Los Colores, Suramericana
Best bars/clubs: El Tibiri, Imperium, Son Havana, Underground, Wamba Bar
Best restaurants: Il Massimo, La Bodeguita, La Catrina, Opera Pizza, Orale, Paris-Paris, Peru Mix, Sushi House, Sushi Taste
Best sights/recreation: fútbol games at el estadio; one of the many activities at el estadio, such as basketball, fencing and swimming; El Teatro
To rent a comfortable one-bedroom apartment, you would pay: 800,000 to 1.4 million pesos ($420 – $775) per month.
Normally I don’t like suburbs but Envigado is the next Laureles: a growing place with new businesses opening all the time, including some great restaurants.
You can find nightlife and restaurants and my favorite park, Parque El Salado, where you can have a barbecue, swim and zip-line. Keep an eye out for monkeys in the trees too.
Best known for being the birthplace of Pablo Escobar, it’s better known today as a trendy place to live.
Best neighborhoods: Alcalá, El Trianón, Jardines, La Cuadrita, La Paz, Zona Centro
Best bars/clubs: El Callejón, Lady Blue, Sharona, Windsor Pub, Yesterday
Best restaurants: Brasa Arepa, Chiclayo, El Barral, Ernesto’s Tacos, La Gloria de Gloria, Tepito
Best sights/recreation: Casa Museo Fernando Gonzalez, La Romera, Parque El Salado
To rent a comfortable one-bedroom apartment, you would pay: 600,000 to 1.2 million pesos ($315 – $640) per month
This was the first neighborhood I lived in, and I loved it.
It’s like Laureles, except with more of a blue-collar feel. At one time, it was a little dangerous, and there are parts that still are, but for the most part it’s just a place with families trying to carve out a life in the city.
And it’s right next to Laureles, its northern neighbor across Calle 33, so you’ll have an easy time crossing over.
You won’t be bored here either, not with a big park in the comuna as well as one of Medellín’s most underrated attractions — Pueblito Paisa, the mini replica of an old Antioquian town that sits atop the Cerro Nutibara.
Best neighborhoods: Fátima, La Mota, La Palma, Las Mercedes, Malibú
Best bars/clubs: Hamburgo Bar, Kings Town, La Caverna de Baco, Shots del Diablo
Best restaurants: Albenzu, Crepes and Waffles, Il Forno, Philly Steaks
Best sights/recreation: Pueblito Paisa, Unidad Deportiva de Belén
To rent a comfortable one-bedroom apartment, you would pay: 500,000 to 1 million pesos ($260 – $550) per month
This is your ultimate residential neighborhood, a place that isn’t a hub of nightlife and restaurants, but a place where you can live comfortably.
The way the boundaries are drawn, it’s bordered by Laureles to the east and the south, forming a right angle that makes it look like La América is sitting down and Laureles is the chair that cradles it.
I haven’t spent a lot of time here, just enough to know that one of the parades of the Feria de las Flores usually passes through, that there is a huge recreational park called the Unidad Deportiva de Floresta, and that there are restaurants that deserve a second try.
The arroz con pollo empanada at Empanadas Santiamen is just the beginning. Next time I want to have the chicharrón and frijoles. And if I’m really hungry, I’ll go for a bandeja paisa at El Madrigal as well, one of the best places to find comida típica in the city.
And who knows what else I’ll find the more time I spend here.
Best neighborhoods: Calasanz, La América, La Floresta
Best bars/clubs: Copacabana, El Madrigal, Blue, Night
Best restaurants: Cafe del Baluarte, Empanadas Santiamen, Pizza El Imperio
Best sights/recreation: Parque Floresta, Unidad Deportiva La Floresta
To rent a comfortable one-bedroom apartment, you would pay: 600,000 to 1.2 million pesos ($315 – $640) per month
Ok, we’ve finally made it to the area of the city that’s the most popular with most foreigners.
Well, you already know the deal: bars, clubs and restaurants. Big shopping malls such as El Tesoro, Oviedo and Santa Fé. Even a castle.
So, to the listings…
Best neighborhoods: La Aguacatala, Lombardia, San Diego, San Ignacio
Best bars/clubs: Calle 9+1, Dalí, La Ruana de Juana, Latinería, Shamrock
Best restaurants: Amarelo Rodizio, Bonuar, Carmen, El Graspo de Uva, Peru Mix, Restaurante Toscano Trattoria e Pizzeria, Verdeo
Best sights/recreation: Museo de Arte Moderno, Museo El Castillo
To rent a comfortable one-bedroom apartment, you would pay: 1 million to 1.6 million pesos ($550 – $880) per month
Brad Hinkleman, Founder of Casacol SAS, shares with us his foreign buyer's guide to Medellín…
Medellin’s nightlife is a jungle of musical genres that can be overwhelming for the old-fashioned,…
Doing coffee tasting tours around the city and preparing Colombian coffee on your own is…
Mercado del Rio is the first food market in Colombia and one of the must-visit…
You've just landed in Medellin, and all you see around the city are tours and…
Taking a quiet afternoon sipping some coffee in Medellin can enhance your visit, so it’s…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
This article is definitely going to come in handy next month, thanks for the tips!
thanks for reading naomi! happy we could help!
Just discovered this website, and it's quite interesting. I'm from medellin, and most of the time one doesn't know its own city until you see it through the eyes of the tourists. In the other hand, There are some more cool neighborhoods in the valley aswell, Sabaneta, bieng part of them, in fact, La Romera is also part of Sabaneta, and tehre some pretty cool green neighborhoods that I would suggest to any visitor ;)
I've only been to Sabaneta once, my first Saturday in Medellin way back in 2009. I'm definitely going to head down there on the extended metro line one of these days to get to know it a little better.
you guys make sure to check out La Doctora, an area in sabaneta with vivid and very interesting nightlife, although a bit more traditionaist, than most clubs in poblado.
If by traditionalist, you mean the fondas, those are the kinds of bars and clubs I prefer!
Yes, although, there are some kind of nightclub-fondas there too. i guess you'd love them then
i will check that out! thanks for the tip!
Thank you for all the good information. I am having a hard time finding a small 2 bedroom house unfurnished in a good area. I live now in Buenas Aires, been here for 8 months and just am tired of apt. living. Any suggestions. Thanks
By the way I did read about the robberies. I was in Parque Boston with a lady and was walking from a restaurant to an ice cream store. I do admit I was dressed nice, 2 rings on, gold chain, and a watch. We sat in Mimos and a man walked in which I did not see, walked up to me and grabbed 1 ring on my finger, looked up and saw a gun. I stayed calm gave him all my jewelery then asked me for my money. Luckily he got scared, since there were a lot of people in the store and even outside. He grabbed my friends purse, ran out to a woman on a motor scooter and they took off. Called the police, they came and said they could not do anything about it. I had to force them to take my ID. I do admit I am not impressed with the police here. They are just a bunch of grown kids with guns. I did move after that and now I do not wear anything flashy. Learned the hard way.
hey jhon, thanks for reading the site. and you're right about sabaneta. i almost made it no. 5. cheers!
No problem pal ;). But why almost? lol
haha, well, like always, when i do these "best of" posts, it's hard to decide. but, a decision must be made nonetheless. it's only my opinion anyway, and i'm pretty sure i've written on several occasions that i'm not the smartest person in the world. that's what's great about this blog, though...it's a forum to share ideas. i always hope to learn something new from the comments, which i have in the past. that's how i found my favorite pizza place.
Haha, it's ok, I was just throwing a question
agree with you on Laurles, and envigado, Poblado is not my cup of coffee sorry, and my favorite Places in Medellin are some of the poorest( better to visit with someone that lives there then alone) up high along the mountains ridges where on even a hot day there is a cooling breeze, grab an ice cream or something to drink sat back and take in the view of the entire valley, and at night the clubs are pumping out musce as good as any bar in the city upper crust barrios just without the higher price tag........( I can hang with a group of 8 friends for the same price as two people in Poblado).............
i agree with you on going to some of the poorer barrios. i used to hang out with friends in barrio castilla sometimes and it was always a lot of fun. which barrios do you like?
I love Calasanz, and on a weekend night the 80th is less manic than the 70th, with lots of street food. Lots of little bars/cafes in the streets north of the 80th too.
A lot of tourists seem to think the same way, I have some german friends that hang out in the least fancy places of the city and they find them awesome lol, and they don't even like Poblado lol. There's a place nearby Universidad de Antioquia, with some rock bars and stuff, and you can even feel a bit like in hell's kitchen, so to speak, but the nightlife there is as enjoyable, as in more expensive places, (indeed for those who prefer underground music ambience), and to my surprise, a lot of foreign people can be seen there, although most of them look from europe imo
I hung out a little bit around U de Antioquia in 2009. I do think there's something to be said for the vibe a college gives a neighborhood.
That said, I'm 36 now, so feeling a bit my age around the youngsters :)
That's cool Michael. All depends on the experience you're looking for. Me? If I had the money, I'd live in a Miami Beach penthouse :)
But just because I choose to live in Poblado doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed my time in other parts of the city. I appreciated living in Envigado in 2009, and like the nightlife in Laureles.
I really loved living in Belen. I always felt safe and there's plenty of great restaurants and bars in the area. I'd definitely recommend it to others moving to Medellin!
agree britany! i miss belén...
This is a great place to learn about medellin. Visited the city and love it. One or two years of work and my plan is to move......... and enjoy the city.
keep up the information.....................................
thanks ramon, we'll do our best. and best of luck with your plans...cheers!
I'm going to have to represent Sabaneta, Campo Valdez, Suramericana and Navarra as my favorites!
all good places kevin. i especially love suramericana. it's so green, so pretty.
I'am interested in retiring in Colombia and have heard wonderful things about Medellin (including what you have posted on your blogs). One question that i have relates to how much money would I need to retire comfortably in Colombia? I've been given figures from a couple of thousand to four to five thousand dollars a month.. Could you please share your thoughts on this..
Best,
Alexis
Hi Alexis,
It's hard to give a one-size-fits-all figure for living in Colombia. It depends on where you'd want to live (I can only speak for Medellin), and your standard of living.
Relatively speaking, it'd be cheaper to live in Bucaramanga than Medellin. Living in the countryside would even less, and some retirees I've spoken to would prefer the peace and quiet vs living in the middle of a big city.
Here's a cost of living I did for me in Medellin earlier this year. I found I spend an average of $1,500 per month living in Medellin.
This doesn't include other expenses like health insurance premiums (I have a global insurance plan), credit card payments, and what I pay in storage back in the US.
For $3,000 you can have a very nice standard of living in Medellin, and most expats would agree $5,000 would allow you to live like a king down here.
I live on Social Security hete in USA & have considered moving to Medellin because I've read it's cheaper. However, $5.000 a month or $3,000 is out of my budget. I pay $503 here maintenance on a coop I own. Can I find that or cheaper in a nice area?
I live like a king on $1000 a month in Poland for 2 of us. My future wife is Colombian. We live in Poland now. Most people speak English.
I have 77 sq meters apt in a gated community right on the beach furnished from a-z for $400 a month. Good home cooking meal in restaurant $3.5. Beer 1/2 liter 50 cents, in a pub $1.5. For $100 I buy groceries that will last us for 2 weeks and really good food. Poland is famous from making good hams cheeses, bread and meat so I am not on the diet. Fruits plenty we could swim in it for free. We will travel to Medellin sometimes in December and we will compare it.
Sorry Barrio San Diego that is listed as a best neighborhood in El Pablado is not located in Cumuna El Pobaldo it is actually located in La Candelaria.
is it? i'll check the map again...
Hey guys im moving to Medellin and wondered if you knew personaly of any host families that live in good neighborhoods. Thanks
no, R, i don't. but i think medellinhomestays.com has some options. can't vouch for the site, though. i've never used it myself...