Medellin: is it a city of NARCOS as everybody actually thinks?

Nicknamed as ''The city of eternal spring'' it's probably the only city in Colombia where you have a great weather, and I talk about not so warm as in Cali, but not so cold as in Bogota. 

Here is a brief view of the city on top of one building. The incredible and beautiful thing about Colombia is that almost all its cities are surrounded by mountains

Medellin is a city located in a valley in the middle of Colombia, once titled as “The Most Dangerous City in the World” by #TimeMagazine due to the drug-fueled violence of #PabloEscobar. In the last 20 years Medellín has undergone a transformation. So it's important to clarify that Medellin has gone through a lot of things and Colombia in general. Not to mentioned that Colombia was in one of the longest known war for over 50 years.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the narco world, it’s that life is more complicated than you think. Good and bad, they’re relative concepts.” Steve Murphy

As a Colombian myself, we understand our bad fame due to our historical past. But nowadays Colombia is no longer a land merely dedicated for drug-dealing, coca, war, or narco mafias as it used to be. In fact, respect to the title, the big answer is a NO, and with this I'd like to share my idead for you as a reader to get things right, the time of drug trade and violence was back in the 80s and early ’90s, the country, in fact, has been changing and evolving a lot ever since the arrival of the new millennium.

So it is well understood that many foreigners are afraid of visiting Colombia, specially Medellin (which was once categorized as one of the most dangerous cities in the world) It's now turning out to be a place with morals and people full of guts to bring out the best of the city and show it up to the world.

I have to be clear of course that even after 20 years of Pablo: The evolution of the Colombian drug trade persist. While other men have taken his place in the cocaine business, no other has dared to defy the State and Colombian society as virulently as he did. with his cruelty. So I guess we have to be impartial, and I confess that he was also considered as a ''hero'' for people with less economic resources and bad conditions to live.

Medellin

Popularly named as 'The city of eternal spring' it's probably the only city in Colombia where you have a great weather, and I talk about not so warm as in #Cali, but not so cold as in #Bogota. 

Things to do in Medellin

Now, let's take this post into what I really wanted to share and is why #Medellin is a special city for everyone who wishes to visit it. Medellin is perhaps one of the cities with the most developed economy and system around the country since it has a number of projects to promote the evolution of the city. Also, it has I believe the best civic transport system in Colombia. (Metro, MetroCable, Tram, among the traditional buses and taxies).

There are tons of good things to do in the city, it depends on your preference, but I will list what I believe is the best things to do.

Metro Cable: Using this public service you can head to one of the most known parks in Medellin surrounding area. Arvi Park, which is an ecotourism park featuring walking & hiking trails among a lot of nature.

Los Parques: 'Parque Poblado', 'Parque Lleras', 'Parque Explora', 'Parque Arvi'. As you can see there are a lot of public parks to visit. The parks are usually surrounded by local bars and clubs where you can find local music such as salsa, merengue, vallenato, cumbia, electronic, reggaeton, and others.

Parque Explora

A modern Museum which has the Latin America’s largest freshwater aquarium, as well as an outdoor park with interactive games demonstrating the laws of physics.

The entrance is 25.500 but it is definitely worth the price. The area outside have some interesting science and physics models. Inside there is the aquarium with a lot of variety of fishes.

We went here on a semi-rainy day to escape the weather. This place was super interesting. Tons of cool exhibits and interactive things to do. Lots of science type "experiments", but presented I a very fun, modern, interactive way.

Parque Botero

This one is probably one of the most known in town. An Outdoor plaza showcasing 23 sculptures by artist Fernando Botero.

Don't forget to step inside the 'Museo de Antioquia', if you want to check some paintings by Botero as well as other Latin artists.

Throughout the 50's, Botero made experiences with proportion and size and began to develop, his best known style - humans and round and bulging animals.

Castle Museum

A European castle-style home-turned-museum in the middle of Medellin. It is surprising that only appears when arriving.

The gardens are splendid, and the contents of the rooms reflects the history of an important family of Medellin. It was built around 1930 by the architect Nel Rodriguez in medieval Gothic style

Guatape: A beautiful colored town located about an hour and a half from Medellin. It can easily be visited as a long day trip. And of course, El Peñol a granite monolith with over 700 concrete stairs etched in its side. To get there you need to use a zig-zagging of 600 vertical steps up so be prepared to climb up! is indeed a place to visit, though I have never been there is still on my bucket list.

Hope you enjoyed this article. Let me know your thoughts on this on the comment section below:

More post about this city on my personal Instagram

Best Regards,

Jaime S