General information

Local Information

Medellín is the country’s second largest city and enjoys a pleasant spring climate throughout the year. Its metropolitan area sprawls along a valley surrounded by mountains and is linked by a comfortable, rapid and safe mass transit system.

The “Mountain Capital”, founded in 1674, is also an important industrial centre noted for its textile production and design and is considered to be the country’s centre of fashion. It is a vibrant metropolis of friendly, hard-working people and its women are especially beautiful. The city is also culturally active through its museums, theatres and art galleries. The Botero Collection and works by Francisco Cano, Luis Caballero and Fernando Botero are exhibited in the Museum of Antioquia. The Museum of Modern Art, an important centre for cultural events, houses an interesting collection and the Pedro Nel Gómez Museum, with 1.500 works by the master painter, and El Castillo Museum complements the city’s cultural offerings.

Medellín is special for shopping. Its modern malls provide the best quality at very good prices, especially in fashion and fabric design (the Colombiatex Fair, which takes place every year, presents the textile and fashion show of each season). Handicrafts and antiques are sold at the San Alejo Awnings Market in Parque Bolìvar. And at night, in addition to enjoying an excellent dinner, or visiting a romantic bar or lively discotheque, you can share in the gaiety of the local inhabitants, with songs and tangos, to the warming effects of the sugarcane liquor “aguardiente”.

Around Medellín you can tour one of several circuits to visit picturesque villages surrounded by impressive landscapes, haciendas that preserve the regional architecture, and places where you can enjoy the best food of Antioquia.