Medellín

Colombia's second city spent twenty years being famous for the wrong reasons and has spent the last twenty building something worth visiting. The transformation is real, the pride is justified, and the city that emerges from both is one of the most interesting in South America.

When to go

December through February and July through August are the driest months. Medellín sits in a valley at 1,500 metres, which gives it famously mild weather year-round: warm enough to eat outside every evening, cool enough to sleep without air conditioning. The Feria de las Flores in August is worth timing a trip around if you can.

What it's actually like

The city is built on steep hillsides, and the cable car system that connects the comunas to the centre below is both practical transit and one of the best viewpoints in the city. The food scene around El Poblado and Laureles is genuinely good. The coffee is excellent. The cocktails are cheap. The nightlife runs late and takes itself seriously.

History is present too: tours of the Pablo Escobar sites exist and are thoughtful about the damage done, not exploitative. Worth doing once.

The neighbourhood you want

El Poblado has the restaurants and the international crowd. Laureles is where locals actually live: less polished, better bakeries, and feels more like the real city. Staying in Laureles and eating in both is the right move.

Don't miss

Take the cable car to Parque Arví. It's two cable car segments above the city, there's a farmers market at the top, and the views over the valley on the way up are the best argument for Medellín you can make.