The center of Medellín is full of contrasts, culture, and history. Sometimes it’s chaotic, with streets and plazas bursting with people, always full of surprises and marveling architecture. To discover the true culture and soul of Medellín, this is the first stop.
Exploring the center can be hard. There’s lots of people and many street dwellers. Although it’s mostly safe to visit, better to be extra careful with your belongings and dress modestly. The best times to visit are morning or afternoon. It’s best not to visit the center at night, as streets are mostly empty and may be less safe.
Table of Content
- Best places to eat in the Center of Medellín
- Best places to visit in the Center of Medellín
- Best plans to do in the Center of Medellín
Best places to eat in the Center of Medellín
⭐️ Salón Málaga / $ / Google Maps
Salón Málaga, inaugurated in 1957, is one of the oldest tango institutions in Medellín. This place transports you to the Medellín of the 50s, when tango was in all its fury in the paisa culture.
The drinks’ menu is simple, don’t expect lattes, cappuccinos or chai teas. Here, your options are carbonated drinks, “tinto” (filtered coffee), beer, and why not, brandy or rum.
What you will find in Malaga are countless memorabilia of tango and the Medellín in the first 50 years of the 20th century. Browse the saloon to find old record players, jukeboxes, photos of famous tango personalities, and much more.
Malaga’s clients are also part of the historic atmosphere. The local clientele, often of older age, come here to drink, dance, and remember the glorious day of tango.
Tango show are held on Saturdays at 5:30 pm, and live music the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 pm, live old tunes. To dance, Viejoteca (old discotheque) with danceable classics on Sundays starting at 2:00 pm.
⭐️ Salón Versalles / $ / Google Maps
Salón Versalles is a historic restaurant, famous for its Argentine-style empanadas, great milanesas and classic decoration. Since its inauguration in 1961, this place has perfected empanadas to the point of becoming an integral part of the verb juniniear, a word coined by paisas for the action of walking down the street where Salon Versalles is located.
My favorite empanada here is with spinach and cheese. Each bite lets you feel the delicate layers of puff pastry and its delicious filling. It’s hard not to feel joy while eating this empanada.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is calm and the staff very professional. It’s common to find here clients from all kinds of social backgrounds. Everyone is welcome to eat, have a coffee and chat.
Among other famous dishes and drinks at Salón Versalles are milanesas, churrascos, miga sandwiches (thinly sliced bread sandwiches with no crust), buñuelos esponjosos (spongy fritters) and mandarin juice.
Throughout its history, various famous writers have visited Salón Versalles, including Jorge Luis Borges, Héctor Abad, Gonzalo Arango and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It’s said that Manuel Mejía Vallejo wrote part of his novel “Aire de Tango” and “La Casa de las Dos Palmas” here.
Leonardo Nieto, founder of Salón Versalles, contributed significantly to the promotion of Argentine culture and tango in Medellín. He helped create the International Festival of Tango in Medellín and was one of the founders of Casa Gardeliana, a museum in honor of Carlos Gardel, a great Argentine tango artist who tragically died in a plane crash in Medellín.
⭐️ Astor Bakery / $$ / Google Maps
Astor is one of the most traditional bakeries in Medellín. Its cakes and chocolates are recognized and loved by locals since 1930, when Swiss pastry chef Enrique Baer founded the establishment.
Among their most famous products are the Sapitos, small toad-shaped cakes in different colors. Chocolates and truffles are also famous, with flavors like marinated cherry, cappuccino, and milk chocolates.
One of our favorite drinks from their breakfasts and brunch menu is the hot chocolate, served with a cup of hot milk and a solid block of chocolate on a stick. Dip the chocolate in the milk and stir until the chocolate melts.
The place itself is spacious, with plenty of tables to sit. However, during peak hours, it can fill up quickly.
El Acontista / $$ / Google Maps
El Acontista is a quiet restaurant, café, and bookstore located in the center of Medellín. With its calm atmosphere and high ceilings, it’s the ideal place for a break from the busy downtown environment. Here you can find coffee, jazz, and books, an almost irresistible combination.
On the first floor of El Acontista, you’ll find the restaurant, with snacks and sharing plates on the menu, as well as sandwiches and pizzas. On the second floor, you will find the bookstore. At El Acontista, you can also find a schedule with different musical, literary, and cultural events.
The name El Acontista comes from the poem “Relato de Guillaume de Lorges” by Colombian poet León de Greiff:
“I, sir, am an acontista. My profession is to make shots in the air. I haven’t descended the first cloud yet. But the delight is in bending the bow and in supposing the arrow where the eye nails it.”
Simone Café Colombo / $$ / Google Maps
Rooftop located on the tenth floor of the Centro Colombo Americano, away from the downtown noise and traffic. Simone is the ideal place to have a drink, perhaps a flavored soda or a cocktail, relax, and enjoy the view of the city. The atmosphere of this café is peaceful and pleasant, with jazz, blues and bossa nova songs on play. On their menu, you can find Colombian, fusion and signature dishes.
Govindas Restaurant / $ / Google Maps
Govinda’s stands out for its different food options compared to other restaurants in the center. Part vegetarian restaurant, part cultural center and temple, here you can find vegetarian and healthy dishes at good prices, including the daily menu.
The restaurant is located on the third floor and allows you to see from the balcony the movement of people and businesses on the street, which can sometimes be somewhat chaotic and noisy. Two floors above the restaurant is the temple, where you can meditate and take classes of different types of yoga.
Hacienda Origen Junin / $$ / Google Maps
Traditional, high-quality restaurant where you can find typical dishes from Antioquia and Colombia. Among the dishes you can try here is the immense Bandeja Paisa, a dish with rice, ground beef, chicharrón, blood sausage, chorizo, egg, ripe plantain, avocado, and arepa. If the Bandeja Paisa is too big for you, and it really is for most people, there is also a small version, the Bandejita.
The restaurant also offer traditional breakfasts such as arepa de chócolo and calentado antioqueño (beans, ripe plantain, chicharrón, fried egg, and arepa).
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 9:30 AM - 8:30 PM, Sunday: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Best Places to Visit in Medellín Center
⭐️ Junín Street / Free / Google Maps
Junín Street is one of the most historic and recognized commercial streets in the center of Medellín. Here you will find good options for shops, as well as some of the most traditional restaurants and stores in Medellín.
From 52nd Street to the Cathedral of Medellín, Junín Street is pedestrians only. Some of the recommended shops on this famous street are the Versalles Salon (Argentine empanadas), Astor (chocolates and desserts) and La Hacienda (breakfast and lunch).
In the 60s, Junín housed famous and exclusive establishments such as the Junín Theater, one of the 7 largest theaters in the world in its time, with a capacity for 3,500 people. However, the theater, along other exclusive establishment like the Europa Hotel, were controversially demolished to make way for the Coltejer building in 1972. From the golden age of Junín Street, only Astor and Versalles remain.
Enjoy walking along this street, browsing the different shops and enjoying a little craving, until you reach the park that overlooks the Metropolitan Cathedral. Here you can sit outdoors and enjoy the park.
⭐️ Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture / Free / Google Maps
In front of Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero is this neo-Gothic palace, full of beautiful details and contrasts. Its construction began in 1925, but only a quarter of the palace was built with the original design of Belgian architect Agustín Goovaerts. While walking around the building, you can easily find the sections of the original design, which are elaborate and detailed, and the sections not following the original design, which are flat and undecorated.
In addition to admiring this building from the outside, you can enter to visit different art exhibitions and climb to the terrace, where you will find beautiful views of the center and its surroundings.
Originally built to house government offices, in 1987 the palace was made a cultural center. Today, a library, an art gallery and a museum can be found inside.
Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 2:00 – 5:00 PM, Saturday: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Sunday: Closed
Plazoleta de las Esculturas / Free / Google Maps
The Plaza de las Esculturas, located between the Antioquia Museum and the Palace of Culture, acts as an outdoor museum of 23 bronze sculptures by the Antioquian artist Fernando Botero.
Commonly known as the Botero Plaza, the sculptures were inaugurated in 2001 and are part of the multiple donations made by the artist to the Antioquia Museum over the years.
The sculptures, brought from Botero’s workshop in Pietrasanta, Italy, show the characteristic seal of the artist in the particular proportions of the human and animal figure.
Antioquia Museum / $$ / Google Maps
In the Antioquia Museum, you can find 16 collections and 17 rooms with works by national and international artists. Among Colombian artists, Fernando Botero predominates the most. Some of his paintings that attract the most attention are those about violence in Medellín in the 80s and 90s, including “The Death of Pablo Escobar” and “Carrobomba”.
Among other recognized works by national artists, is the painting “Horizontes” by Francisco Antonio Cano, a work that became a symbol of the Antioquian colonization at the end of the 17th century.
Originally called the Zea Museum and Library, the Antioquia Museum changed its name to the current one due to the confusion generated among tourists with another recognized museum, the Wax Museum.
In 2000, the current headquarters of the museum was inaugurated in the old Municipal Palace of Medellín. The new headquarters was crucial in order to house the large number of works that Fernando Botero wanted to donate to the museum, on the condition of finding a suitable size venue to exhibit them. The palace was designed by Nel Rodríguez, with an Art Deco American style architecture.
To tour the museum in its entirety, you may need at least 2 hours. The museum also has a café and a gift shop.
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM, Sunday: Closed
San Antonio Park / Free / Google Maps
San Antonio Park, in addition to housing several sculptures by Fernando Botero, donated in 1993, has a hidden history behind one of them.
In 1995, during a live music and craft market cultural event, an unidentified group placed a 10-kilogram dynamite bomb in one of the sculptures in the square, “El Pájaro” by Botero. The bomb exploded at 9:30 pm, killing 23 people and causing a power outage that made it difficult to attend to the injured and increased the confusion of what had happened. The identity of those responsible for the attack was never confirmed.
Fernando Botero proposed to the mayor’s office to preserve the sculpture of the bird that had been destroyed, but with a change. In 2000, he donated a new sculpture of El Pájaro with the condition of exhibiting it next to the destroyed sculpture. Today, the sculpture of the destroyed bird is known as the Wounded Bird, and the new sculpture next to it is known as the bird of peace.
The bird of peace would become a symbol of strength for countries facing difficulties, as well as a symbol of hope.
House of Memory Museum / Free / Google Maps
The House of Memory Museum, inaugurated in 2006 by the Mayor’s Office of Medellín, is one of the key destinations to visit and learn about the history of violence and the armed conflict in Colombia. In its different permanent and itinerant exhibitions, you can hear stories about how violence in different times of Colombia has affected people, families and communities. The exhibitions focus on themes of conflict, peace, reconciliation and human rights.
This museum is a visit that may not be easy due to its emotional charge, but which allows, through the history of violence in the country, to understand the current context of the country and its influence on Colombian culture.
Hours: Monday: Closed, Tuesday – Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
National Palace / Free / Google Maps
This shopping center used to be the palace where 88 state offices were housed, including the post office and telegraph office. Nowadays, it can be considered as the palace of tennis, clothing and brand accessories, both original and fake.
Our favorite part, beyond the vendors who offer all kinds of brands and products, is the fifth floor, where you can find 45 art galleries. The galleries have works for sale by different national artists, along with beautiful views of the city center.
The Palace, designed by the Belgian Agustín Goovaerts, was inaugurated in 1933. Built on an old jail, the palace was one of the first large concrete structures in the city. In 1974, the palace was exchanged for a land where today the Alpujarra Administrative Center is located. In 1993, it was sold to a private entity that restored the palace and turned it into a shopping center.
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Sunday: Closed
Metropolitan Cathedral of Medellín / Free / Google Maps
Impressive neo-Romanesque cathedral in the center of Medellín. The Metropolitan Cathedral is considered the largest solid brick construction in the world, where approximately 1,120,000 bricks were used. It was designed by the French architect Charles Émile Carré and built between 1890 and 1931. Currently, the cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Medellín.
What we like most about this cathedral is the atmosphere inside. The combination of wood on the ceiling, brick on the walls and warm lighting create an atmosphere that transports you to another place, making you forget for a moment that you are in the middle of the city center.
Monument to the Race / Free / Google Maps
This sculpture, located in the center of Alpujarra Square, tells the history and culture of the Antioquian region. In it, the longing of the Antioquian people to transform their environment and reach the top is reflected. The sculpture shows different symbols of the Antioquian colonization process, as well as biblical symbols.
Its elaboration was carried out by Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, a recognized Antioquian sculptor. In 2016, the urn with the remains of the sculptor was placed where the sculpture is located.
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Park of Lights / Free / Google Maps
The Park of Lights is located next to the EPM Library and the old railway station. It has 300 light pillars that are 24 meters high. It was inaugurated in 2005 as part of the urban center’s renovation project, promoted by the mayor’s office under the slogan “Medellín is light, an urban poem.”
Originally known as Plaza de Cisneros, in the origins of Medellín, this place was home to the railway station, the first tram, and the city’s main market square.
Old Antioquia Railway Station / Free / Google Maps
The railway station serves as a reminder of the monumental project that was the creation of the Antioquia Railway in 1929. The railway’s objective at that time was to connect Antioquia with the Magdalena River, the country’s commercial axis. The complex task of tracing and building the railway lines through the mountainous landscape of Antioquia was entrusted to the Cuban engineer Francisco Javier Cisneros.
Once this feat was achieved, the railway allowed the region to end its isolation from the rest of the country and allowed the commercialization of products such as Antioquian coffee.
Today, the French neoclassical style station houses commercial premises, an outdoor café, and an exhibition hall.
Best plans to do in Medellín Downtown
⭐️ Free Walking Tour, Real City Tours / Google Maps
Enjoy an excellent English tour around Medellín downtown, where you can learn about the origins and transformation of the city and its center through the places visited during the tour. Among the places visited are the Antigua Estación del Ferrocarril, the Monumento a la Raza, the Parque de las Luces, the Palacio Nacional, the Plaza Botero and the Parque San Antonio.
The tours are led by local guides from Medellín and work based on tips. The tour lasts between 3 and 3 and a half hours. To attend, book online at realcitytours.com. In addition to the free tour of the center, they also offer other paid tours, such as the gastronomic tour, the exotic fruits tour, and the Comuna 4 neighborhood transformation tour.
⭐️ Sanalejo Artisan Market / Free / Google Maps
In the San Alejo market, located in the center of Medellín, you can find all kinds of handicrafts and antiques. This market has existed since 1974 and is currently held on the first and third Saturday of each month in Parque Bolívar, in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral.
Homero Manzi Cultural House / $ / Google Maps
Homero Manzi, founded in 1988, is a bar and cultural center dedicated to keeping the tango culture alive in the city. On its walls, you can find memories and photos of orchestras, artists, and recognized figures of tango. In addition to the bar, it offers cultural activities related to tango, such as live music, dance classes, and talks. The name of the cultural center is a tribute to one of the most famous tango lyricists, Homero Manzi, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Schedule: Monday - Saturday: 4:00 PM - 2:00 AM, Sunday: Closed
La Pascasia / $$ / Google Maps
Cultural center located in an old house from the 19th century in the center. In addition to functioning as a cultural center, the house offers cafeteria, bar, bookstore, concert hall, and restaurant services, where you can find delicious lunches and daily menus with vegetarian options.
La Pascasia emerged as an initiative of the record label Música Corriente, from the need of the owners, musician friends from the university, to have a space to meet, share, and create music.
Among the cultural activities you will find in La Pascasia are talks, book clubs, workshops, live music, cinema, and other artistic events.
Schedule: Monday - Tuesday: Closed, Wednesday - Thursday: 12:00 PM - 12:00 AM, Friday - Saturday: 6:00 PM - 2:00 AM, Sunday: Closed
Centro Colombo Americano Cinema / $ / Google Maps
Cultural center that offers commercial and independent film programming. Every day, films are presented in its two cinemas. The ticket office for each function opens 15 minutes before it starts.
In addition to the film programming, the Centro Colombo Americano has a cultural program of art, music, and cinema events. It also has a bilingual library and bookstore, as well as the rooftop café Simone.
Book and Culture Shopping Center / Google Maps
If you are looking for a particular book, new or used, the most likely place to find it in the center is at the Book and Culture Shopping Center, located in Pasaje La Bastilla. Here you can find small booths with merchants offering all kinds of books, themes, and in different conditions. From the most popular books to the rarest ones. If you like books, taking a walk through this shopping center can be very enjoyable.
Schedule: Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Saturday - Sunday: Closed
