We spent seven weeks in the state of Antioquia, Colombia, primarily in Medellin, with shorter visits to Pereira and Retiro. “That is long enough to become a paisano,” one man said, kindly. Of course it is not, but it is long enough to repeat one’s steps and see the same people on the same corner. It is long enough to become a regular customer of the woman who sells avocados from her cart and the man who sells mangoes and plantains. And that is the first thing I recommend you do, even if your time is short: Support a local vendor.
Almuerzo Find a comfortable cafe that serves a menu del dia for lunch, M-F. You will know you are in the right place if groups are wearing the same shirt or work tags, are putting tables together, and are enjoying each other’s company. This way, you can have an inexpensive and delicious lunch and be part of the daily life of the city. We found two places and alternated. It made us feel—if not like paisanos—at least not like strangers.
Metro Station Medellin
Public transit. Ride the Metro in Medellin and the intercity bus in Retiro. Both are intimidating at first, so give yourself time. The Metro can be tricky to get to on foot. There is a safe way that doesn’t require dashing across a busy street, but it takes time to figure out. The tickets can be complicated because the machines don’t always work. When you do get a card, put ample money on it. Avoid rush hour, or plan to go the opposite direction of most working people. The Metros are clean, and the people are kind, especially if you’ve got some age on you, as I do. The buses around Retiro in the countryside will pick you up and drop you off anywhere, but that takes a little learning to communicate. Find another person to wait with, and sit up front so you can communicate with the driver where you want to get off. Cost varies as well. These things are intimidating, but worth it for the opportunity to witness many daily kindnesses as people take care of each other on the bus. A person sitting holds the package of one who is standing, arms reach out to steady a person navigating on a moving bus. It just feels good to be in that kind of space.
The Botanical Garden is free, but be ready to show your ID. Plan to spend hours there. There are two lunch places, one fancy, the other Colombian/affordable but still pretty in atmosphere. Enjoy the exquisite flowers, birds, iguanas, people-watching. and walking on flat, wide, safe paths. This is one of the few places in Medellin that provides freedom of movement for people in wheelchairs. The circle is about 1/2 mile. Stay the afternoon and get your miles in. On the day we went there was a large yoga class in the center of the garden, a stiich and b-ch sitting on the ground with animated discussion, an extended family playing a two-team game, adults and little ones against teenagers, and several quinciera photo sessions going on with girls in peacock gowns.
The Modern Art Museum in Medellin has a long tradition of collecting art that speaks truth to power. The older exhibits upstairs provide much history, and the recent exhibits make acute comments on immigration, the climate crisis in the Amazon, genocide, inequality, drug wars, and US intervention.
Ride the Metrocable cars in Medellin and Pereira. They are not for tourists, but are part of the Metro system, connecting mountainside communities with city centers, quickly and without clogging the streets. They will give you a birds-eye view of the mountainside neighborhoods. Medellin and Pereira are divided into those whose homes scrape the sky and those whose dwellings hug the mountain. There are also people living in scrap housing, on the streets, and in hovels along the river. The mountainside communities look precarious from afar, but looking down on them from the metro cable cars, you see roads, stores, playgrounds, schools, and soccer fields. And construction. Everywhere, you see people fixing roads and building housing, as hired teams and individuals working on their own homes. And if you ride the cable car, you will probably share it with people who live in these communities. A chance to connect to a part of Medellin that does not have hotels, hostels, or apartment rentals.
View from Metrocable in Medellin
Join the open streets walk on Sundays. Medellin closes streets on Sundays and holidays, and people come out and walk, ride bikes. The streets are safe for wheelchairs too. (the sidewalks are definitely not). It is organized, with two directional lanes and people directing traffic at intersections. IT is a liberating experience for everyone, and the vibe is celebratory.
Open Streets Medellin
If you are in Pereira, visit Salento in the coffee region. This is the most touristy thing we did. We did not do any of the many Outdoorsy tours available or visit a coffee finca guide. You might want to do those. You might want to stay a few days. We were just there for a few hours. We wandered the streets, enjoyed the walk up and down the mountain, the incredible views at the top, and good food.
In Retiro, have lunch in the main square, where you can watch the activities for hours. Our host in the countryside, five miles out of town, said, “Retiro has every kind of restaurant at every kind of price. And he was right. We loved the art exhibit of 100 Faces of Retiro at the cultural center. Walking the steep hills of Retrio, make sure to stop to enjoy the views when you reach a high point.
Hike up the hill to the Los Salados church. You can get a ride up the hill, too. It is fun to climb if you are able.
Go to Church in Retiro if it suits you. I say this as an agnostic Jew. The Chapel in Retrio, with its wide open door, its side seating, an open atmosphere wher people come and go, is a perfect place for those seeking solace. I didn’t listen to the service, just rose and sat with the others. I sat on the side and watched the outside go by through the open door. I cried. It was a healing hour, my best experience ever in a house of worship.
Antioquia University has a museum with incredible paintings, an anthropology hall, and a photo exhibit that examines the origins of La Violencia in 1962. After you visit the museum, hang around for a while. Have lunch at one of the outdoor cafeterias and soak up the atmosphere that feels like a relatively stress-free student existence. Take photos of the murals and other political expressions. For this retired adjunct history professor, the University felt like an academic home I never had. You may also enjoy the gardens and easy walking.
Antioquia University
Cementario San Pedro. We came here after hearing a special on Colombian National radio about labor leader Maria Cano. We never did find her stones, but we got to enjoy the quiet and beauty of this spacious and quiet place with views of the mountains inside, in one of the most chaotic neighborhoods of Medellin. Outside, the world rocked and rolled. Inside, all was serene. The columbariums are three stories high with steps. Loved ones tended the boxes or sat to grieve.
Botero Museum and the plaza. It is right off the Metro. You will pass through a gauntlet of street merchants selling everything from snacks to jeans. The first fat sculpture is just feet away. This is a tourist place, but 1/2 the tourists are Colombian. Everyone plays with the statues, posing in front of them. The museum of Botero works is worth the minimum cost. You can see the painitng ot Pablo Escobar being captured…..And that is as close to Pablo Escobar as we got. I don’t recommend visiting the Escobar Museum, but then, I don’t visit plantations in the United States unless the lives of enslaved people are a central subject. We avoided most of the rich-guy mansions in Europe. I couldnt get out of the sultan’s palace in Istanbul fast enough. Gaping at the pillage of those who get rich off the suffering of others is not entertainment for me. If you are going to visit Comune 13, read this first.
Please do not miss the Casa de Memoria, which I wrote about here.
Bonus if you are from the United States: speak up to stop bombing the Caribbean region. That is not how we stop drug trafficking to the United States. Tell them to spend that money on therapies and assistance for those caught up in addiction in the US. Leave Colombia and all of Latin America alone. Otherwise, we have no right to visit and enjoy the beauty of these neighbors.
Colombia has enough internal struggles. Last words go to Professor Ramirez, Director of Political Studies at the Universidad de Antioquia:
Max Yuri Gil Ramírez, Universidad de Antioquia, translated and excerpted
This essay about a visit to Colombia in /November 2025 to January 2026 is part of a series. In October 2023, my spouse, David, and I sold our house in Minneapolis, MN. USA. Since then, we have been traveling the world. I write a blog about each place, with a historian’s eye and an internationalist lens, wondering how memory can liberate the present.