This guide is for you if you are giving Medellín one whole day and want it to cover the centre, the hill and the botanical garden without rushing. The main thing to settle is the day of the week. After that it is the weather, lunch, and whether the day ends at your hotel or at the airport.
Choose the day of the week first
The botanical garden shapes this tour more than any other stop. For most of the year it opens from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:00 to 16:00, and it is closed on Mondays. When a Monday is a public holiday in Colombia, the garden opens that Monday and closes the following Tuesday instead. Entry is free, but private events can close all or part of it, so check the garden's own site before your date.
If your only free day is a Monday, the tour still runs without the garden. The itinerary can change on the day, so the late morning can go to the Museo de Antioquia or another stop.
The centre is busy on weekdays. Keep that in mind if you would rather walk Plaza Botero and San Ignacio with fewer people around.
Weather and the August fair
Medellín does not have a hot season and a cold one. The city's tourism office gives an average between 16 and 26 °C and says rain falls through the whole year, with mid-December to early March the driest stretch. Pack a light waterproof jacket whatever the month.
The Feria de las Flores takes over the city at the turn of July and August. It closes with the silleteros parade, when flower growers carry flower arrangements through the streets on their backs. Check this year's dates. It is a good reason to come, and a reason to book early and allow for slower traffic.
How the day fits together
The order is set by the light and the traffic. You go up Cerro Nutibara first, at about 07:45, while the air over the valley is clearest. Pueblito Paisa on the summit is a copy of an old Antioquian town, opened in 1978 on one of the seven hills Medellín counts as its guardians.
Plaza Botero comes next, at 09:00, with the 23 bronzes Botero gave for the renovation of the Museo de Antioquia in 2004. Then a short walk through San Ignacio, at 10:30. Three buildings stand on one side of the small square. The church was built by Franciscans between 1803 and 1809 and dedicated to Saint Ignatius in 1927. The cloister beside it was restored between 2003 and 2005. The Paraninfo of the Universidad de Antioquia opened in 1916. Since 2013 the three have been protected together as national heritage.
At 11:30 you reach the botanical garden. It covers about 15 hectares, with more than 1,200 plant species and a butterfly house. The Orquideorama, the timber canopy at its centre, can shelter up to 3,000 people. The garden offers free guided walks, and you cannot bring in food from outside.
Lunch is at 13:00 in El Poblado, and it is not included. If you want to try bandeja paisa, this is the place to do it. You are back at your hotel at about 15:00, with the evening free.
Your driver can change the order to suit the traffic, and you can drop or stretch a stop on the day.
By Metro, or with a driver
To be honest, much of this day is possible on the Metro. Line A runs through the centre: Parque Berrío station is a short walk from Plaza Botero, San Antonio and Parque Berrío both serve San Ignacio, and Universidad station is next to the botanical garden. If you like finding your own way, that is a good day out.
What the car adds is the hill, the lunch in El Poblado and the run home without changing lines. It also saves you from street taxis. The British government advises using licensed app-based taxis or cars booked through your hotel, and not hailing them in the street. The price of the private day depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- A light rain jacket and a layer for the hill in the early morning.
- Comfortable shoes. You spend plenty of time on foot at each stop.
- Money or a card for lunch and any museum ticket.
- Only the phone and bag you need. Keep both close in the centre.
The British travel advice lists pickpocketing and mugging as a problem in Medellín and other big Colombian cities. It also warns against accepting food, drinks or cigarettes from strangers, because criminals use them to drug people. Neither should spoil your day, but both are worth knowing.
Who it suits
It suits a family or a group of friends with one free day and an interest in how the city works, from the colonial church to the garden. It also suits a last day: you can finish at José María Córdova airport, about an hour from the city, if you tell us your flight time when you book.
Think twice if anyone in your group tires quickly on foot. The car does the distances, but each stop is a walk. The half-day city tour covers Plaza Botero, Pueblito Paisa and El Poblado in five hours. If you have more than one day, our guide to day trips from Medellín sets out the trips to Guatapé, Santa Fe de Antioquia and Jardín.
Groups of more than 16 travel in two vehicles on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Questions people ask
Can we go inside the Museo de Antioquia?
Yes. It holds many more of Botero's works than the square. The entrance is not included. Tell us when you book so we leave time for it.
Is the garden worth it if we are not into plants?
Give it the time anyway. The Orquideorama and the butterfly house are as much architecture and animals as plants, and entry is free.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Avoid a Monday if the garden matters to you, bring a rain jacket, and tell us about the museum or an airport finish when you book. The times, stops and what is included are on the Medellín in a day tour page, where you choose the size of your group.
