Known as the city of eternal spring, Medellin is one of the top spots (if not THE top spot) for tourists, digital nomads and immigrants in Colombia. It was one of the best places I visited on my entire trip through Colombia and South America, although I would say that the city and your impression of it will vary wildly depending on where you stay in Medellin.
I can’t say it’s as simple as telling you which is the best neighbourhood in Medellin; it completely depends on what you’re looking for. What, for me, might be a great place to visit, could be your worst nightmare, and vice versa. That is the downside of looking for somewhere to stay in Medellin; it is a city full of extremes. If you have a particular vibe in mind then make sure you do your research carefully!
Luckily I spent several weeks here, after travelling from Capurgana to Medellin by bus (which was kind of by accident – long story!) and I have created this guide to the different areas and neighbourhoods in Medellin so, hopefully, I can tell you everything you need to know.
Read more about Colombia: How to Take the Boat from Capurgana to Necoclí
Central Poblado (El Poblado)
El Poblado Neighborhood is for sure the first neighbourhood in Medellin that you will hear about. Whether you’re talking to travellers in other cities, asking your friends or searching on Google, El Poblado is the place that will come up again and again.
El Poblado is the name of an area of the city that also technically covers central Poblado (the bit I’m going to talk about in this section), Provenza and the business district of Medellin, too, which is just a little further south of El Poblado and Provenza.
El Poblado is colloquially referred to as the small residential area to the left of Parque Poblado (Poblado Park). It is directly north of Patio Bonito.
Now, as much as I try to be tactful and diplomatic in my articles (if you’re thinking “what, really?” then, trust me, I’m worse in real life), El Poblado is the most gentrified, over-priced, un-Latinamerican place I have ever been, and I’d be lying to you if I tried to sugarcoat it. Whilst I did spend three nights here, and there were aspects that I really enjoyed, if you want to visit Latin America then you might as well skip right past El Poblado because it’s basically just a Westerners’ colony in Medellin.
Okay, now that I’ve got that out of the way… If you’re looking for modern coffee shops, clean-cut coworking spaces and affordable beauty treatments, El Poblado might be for you. Whilst expensive, you can’t deny that the quality is there. I stayed in Los Patios, which is supposed to be one of the best hostels in the world. To be honest, it was amazing. It was the hostel version of staying in a five star hotel. They even had towels embroidered with their logo.
However, it comes at a price. I was there in February, which is the high season in Colombia, which meant just one bed in a shared dormitory was 40€ per night on weekends and 30€ during the week. Luckily we were able to get it on a last minute deal and I paid around 20€ per night which, given the facilities, I would say is worth the price.
Prices come down slightly outside of high season, but these are the kind of prices you should expect to see when staying in El Poblado.
You would imagine that a gentrified area like El Poblado would be the safest place around, but actually all of the horror stories I heard in Medellin happened around here. Even though it feels like a safe area, remember that you are still many miles from home. (I mean, well, probably.)
El Poblado has a metro station on the blue line in Medellin. Although the metro itself is very safe, the short walk from the metro to El Poblado itself is less so. Make sure you walk there during daylight hours or in a group if it’s nighttime.
El Poblado is like the daytime version of everything Provenza is at night; although there is some nightlife in central Poblado it is mostly restricted to restaurants and bars inside hostels. If you want to go out-out, go to Provenza, which is still an area within El Poblado (Comuna 14) just to the east of central Poblado.
Provenza (El Poblado)
Just as central Poblado is the area of El Poblado you’d go to for coworking and coffee shops, Provenza is where you probably want to be on a Saturday night (if you’re anything like me, anyway).
Whilst researching for this article, I have found that Google Maps doesn’t quite have the same definition of central Poblado and Provenza as I do, but I’m sticking to what I learned myself; that Provenza is generally the area around Parque Lleras and anything east of there, too, including the main strip of Provenza that includes many of its most popular bars and clubs.
The main thing to note is that these areas are within walking distance of each other; they are basically two ends of the same place. The long and short of it is that Provenza is the end of town where you go out, whereas central Poblado is more about cafes and coworking.
I spent a lot of time with travellers that I met in Medellin from other places in Colombia. So, I don’t know what the true locals get up to, but for these Colombian travellers it was common to go to the bars and parks in Provenza to hang out or go out, but they would stay in hostels or accommodation elsewhere in the city because of the lower price point.
Laureles
Laureles is Comuna 11 in Medellin, and generally considered one of the safest. Laureles is a large, residential area made up of a lot of smaller neighbourhoods, many of which are the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the rest of Medellin. (The exception to the rule, of course, is to avoid La Sesenta in central Laureles if you want some peace and quiet.)
Most of Laureles neighbourhoods are safe to walk through, although never walk alone at night time, and the public transportation is good and well serviced. By far the safest public transportation in Medellin is the metro, and it’s clean, quiet and reliable too!
I stayed in a hostel on the border between Laureles and La America, close to Parque de La Floresta. I really liked the area and I’m certain that it is one of the safest neighbourhoods around. You have a metro station nearby and plenty of shops and restaurants, too.
Read more about Colombia: Everything You Need to Know About Capurgana
La Setenta (Laureles)
La Setenta is a long street of bars and restaurants right in the heart of Laureles. It’s the area’s renowned nightlife hotspot with a huge number of late night bars and clubs. La Setenta is the prime location if you want a bit of nightlife without the chaos of El Poblado, although it is pretty noisy and parties go late into the night. If it were me, I’d choose to stay somewhere a few streets back from the main road of La Setenta (or La 70), so you can dip in and out of the bustle when it suits you.
You generally find less foreign tourists around here, as it seemed to be a popular spot for the locals to hang out. It’s also around 20 minutes walk from La Floresta Park, the area I mentioned earlier which was the location of one of the hostels in Medellin that I tried out.
Whilst La Setenta is renowned for its nightlife, having visited both I definitely preferred the vibe of Provenza over La Setenta, even though it was more touristy.
La Candelaria
La Candelaria is Comuna 10 in Medellin, and encompasses the entire city centre. If you’re looking for a central location there are some areas in La Candelaria that are safe, but there are also a lot of dangerous places and it’s generally not recommended that tourists stay there.
When it comes to neighbourhoods in Medellin, I wouldn’t necessarily say that finding a central location is super important. Uber is affordable and the metro is clean and safe, too, so you’ll have easy access to everywhere you want to go no matter where you stay. There’s also so much going on in Medellin that you’ll want to move around a lot.
La Candelaria (also sometimes referred to as el centro/the centre) is better to visit than to stay in. You’ll find a lot of street vendors and markets, Parque de Las Luces, which is spectacular at night (but go in a group!), and plenty of museums, too.
Comuna 13 (Comuna Trece)
Comuna 13 is a neighbourhood of Medellin with a rich and complex history. From one of the most impoverished residential neighbourhoods of Colombia was born a vibrant, energetic celebration of South American art and culture. I couldn’t possibly do it justice to explain the history of Comuna 13, and nor should I try; the best way to discover the history of this area is to take a tour.
Although you don’t have to take a tour, I highly recommend it. In general, but especially in areas like these, paying local tour guides helps to contribute financially to the area and give back to the local community. It’s also a great way to learn more about the area and its unique history.
That being said, you can also visit Comuna 13 on your own. The first time I went there, I took the metro and bus to get there with a local guide. The second time I went, I walked there at sunset with a Colombian friend I’d made at my hostel in La Floresta. It took about an hour to walk there. We wandered the streets, listened to music and drank a beer as the sun went down, then my friend stayed in Comuna 13 and I walked back down to the main street alone (it was getting dark, but wasn’t fully dark yet) and ordered an Uber to meet some other friends elsewhere. I felt totally safe the whole time.
Another friend from my hostel went to stay with a family there as he was contributing to a local project, but it’s not common to stay in Comuna 13.
Hello, thanks for this article its very useful, you mentioned you had problems with monzo and revulot in colombia, could you please give more details on what happened and what’s the best way to pay for stuff whilst in Colombia.
Also is Uber actually safe to use given that its illegal?
Thanks again 🙏🏻
The main issue I had with Monzo was that I tried to take out cash without turning on magstripe first, so it didn’t work. Then, they counted all my attempts to withdraw cash towards my daily cash limit, so I couldn’t withdraw anything. And they were quite unsympathetic when I told them I’d be stranded in Colombia (a woman, alone) with nowhere to stay if I didn’t have cash to pay for my accommodation!
Withdrawing with Revolut just never worked, even when I contacted them and tried everything – still don’t know why!
I used Uber loads and always found it perfectly safe. For sure it’s safer than taking a random taxi from the street!