Comprehensive Guide to Medellín’s Free Walking Tour

As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, like the Top 20 Things To Do in Santiago, Chile, I highly recommend going on a free walking tour during your first day or two in a new city. A free walking tour of Medellín is a great way to get oriented, learn about the sights and history from a local expert’s perspective, and to get insider tips on things to do and places to eat while you’re in the city!

There are a few companies offering free walking tours in Medellín, but the most popular is run by Real City Tours. They offer a 4-hour English language tour of downtown Medellín (El Centro) every day except Sundays and holidays. You can choose between a morning, midday, or afternoon tour (Monday through Friday only). The tour company tries to keep the groups to a manageable size therefore you will need to sign up online ahead of time to reserve your spot for your desired date/time.

Related: Eating My Way Across Medellín on a Local Food Tour

Although these walking tours are advertised as being free, you should know that they actually operate on a “tours for tips” model where you are expected to tip the tour guide at the end of the tour. The actual amount you tip is at your discretion but between $5-10 USD is reasonable. So make sure to stop at an ATM beforehand!

Upon reserving your spot online, you will be sent an email asking you to confirm your reservation. The email will also contain instructions on where to meet your guide for the start of the tour. The meeting point will typically be at either the Poblado Metro Station or the north entrance of the Alpujarra Metro Station, depending on the timing of your chosen tour and where you are located. Either way, keep an eye out for a red Real City Tours umbrella and a guide in a red t-shirt at the meeting point.

Once everyone had gathered and checked in, our tour guide, Hernán, first took us to a quiet spot nearby to give an overview of the tour and some background information on the city. We were given a brief history of Medellín, from the time of the Aburrá indigenous people to the arrival of the Spaniards, and, of course, he touched on the tumultuous events that occurred during the “narcos” era in the ’80s and ’90s.

Hernán was very emphatic about the fact that the free walking tour is NOT a Pablo Escobar tour, and he actually did not refer to the notorious drug lord by name lest he upset any locals walking by. However, he did note that the issue of whether or not Pablo Escobar was good or bad for the city was not split down the middle with rich people hating him and poor people loving him, as the media leads us to believe. And therefore it is still a hot topic up for debate amongst the people of Medellín and best to leave the topic alone.

Although the city of Medellín has vastly transformed over the past few decades and the rates of violence have drastically decreased, Hernán cautioned that it is still necessary to take routine safety precautions, especially while in the downtown area. He told us to make sure to keep a close eye on our belongings to avoid being pickpocketed, and to use our phones/cameras discreetly and minimally, or to make sure to use a neck strap or wrist strap. The downtown is mostly a commercial rather than a residential area (only 100,000 of the 2.5 million residents of Medellín live in El Centro) so he also recommended avoiding going to the area on Sundays and holidays when most of the stores are closed.

With those disclaimers out of the way, we got started on the walking tour…

Stop 1: Old Railway Station

The Old Railway Station is a symbol of the economic growth that occurred in Colombia during the early- to mid-20^th century. The railway was in operation for about 40 years starting in 1914 but was eventually abandoned when the road network became more expansive. There is a restored steam train cable car in the courtyard out back, next to a quaint cafe, as well as a small museum inside the train station building.

Stop 2: Alpujarra Administrative Center

Directly next to the Old Railway Station is the Alpujarra Administrative Center. The center is comprised of an open square surrounded by three government buildings: City Hall, Palace of Justice, and the Antioquia Governor’s Office. An imposing sculpture stands in the center of the square, named Homage to Our Heritage, and represents the various stages of development in the Antioquia region. It was designed by Rodrigo Arenas Betancur and his ashes are actually buried inside the sculpture.

Stop 3: Plaza Cisneros/Parque de las Luces

Across from Alpujarra Administrative Center is Plaza Cisneros, known more commonly as the Parque de las Luces, or “Square of Lights.” This square used to be notoriously dangerous and frequented by the homeless and drug addicts; but it was renovated in 2005 as part of a social urbanization effort by the city to rejuvenate the downtown area and make it more inviting to tourists. The plaza is sort of like a modern art exhibit, with 300 light poles up to 24 meters tall jutting up towards the sky. I was there during the day but I can only imagine who impressive this square of lights is at night.

Stop 4: Vásquez and Carré Buildings

These two national monument buildings are located at one end of the Square of Lights. They were built in the late 19th century for commercial use but have also been used residentially and as a hotel over the years. The Carré building has been restored and is now the headquarters of the Ministry of Education of Medellín. The Vásquez building actually burned down in 1920 but was rebuilt. It was restored by the Antioquia Family Compensation Fund (COMFAMA) and serves as its headquarters.

Stop 5: Carabobo Street/El Hueco

Just past the Square of Lights are Carabobo street and the El Hueco shopping area. Carabobo Street is pedestrian-only and is lined with kitschy shops, mostly selling Christmas decorations (I was there in November – I wonder what they sell at other times of the year?). Carabobo Street intersects with the El Hueco shopping area. This literally means “the hole” or “the hollow” and was named as such because of the labyrinth-like jumble of street vendors that have overtaken the streets (it wasn’t initially meant to be a pedestrian street!). El Hueco is famous for cheap prices on just about anything you can imagine. Make sure to bargain for your price and look out for counterfeit items!

Stop 6: Palacio Nacional

The Palacio Nacional is an impressive building located on Carabobo Street. It was built in the 1920s and originally served as the Palace of Justice. It is one of the few buildings in Medellín that has not been torn down to make way for mega shopping centers and high-rise buildings. Instead, the original building was turned INTO a shopping mall in order to keep it from being demolished, with modern touches such as a multi-level escalator added.

Stop 7: Veracruz Church

The white exterior of this Roman Catholic church is aesthetically pleasing. However, the main attraction is that this place of worship has become notorious as a place for prostitution. Discreetly take a look around and you’ll see many scantily clad women lurking in the area, even during the day…

Stop 8: Botero Square

The next stop on the tour is Botero Square, which is named as such because of the 23 sculptures by the world-famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero that are scattered throughout. These sculpted figures are characterized by their voluptuous shapes and disproportionate measurements and were donated by the artist himself.

In the backdrop of Botero Square stands the black and white checkered Cultural Palace of Rafael Uribe. The building was originally supposed to be much larger but the architect quit the project part-way through due to complaints from the public about the aesthetic of the building. The building was eventually finished by the Colombian government, but without the same distinctive checkered design and ornate windows.

It is worth coming back to visit Botero Square at another time so that you have a chance to really take it all in, as you are only given a few minutes here on the walking tour. While there, you should also visit the viewing gallery at the top of the Palace of Culture for a fantastic view of the square below. You could also check out the Museo de Antioquia at the same time, which is located right in Botero Square and houses more works of art by Botero, as well as artwork by other artists.

Stop 9: Coltejer Building

Although the Coltejer Building is advertised as a stop on the walking tour, in reality, the tour guide just pointed out the building from afar and gave a brief explanation about its unique shape. The 175-meter tall building was designed by the Coltejer textile manufacturing company and therefore the building is meant to resemble the shape of an industrial sewing needle.

Stop 10: Pedro Nel Gomez Murals

On the way from Botero Square to Berrio Park, we passed through a pedestrian arcade lined with murals painted by Colombian artist Pedro Nel Gomez. Like the sculpture in Alpujarra Administrative Center, these murals depict the development and history of Antioquia.

Stop 11: Berrio Park

The name Berrio Park is a bit misleading as it is really no more than a concrete plaza. It was originally the town center of Medellín and is still a popular gathering place today. It is not uncommon to see street musicians performing and locals dancing the night away after a few drinks at a local bar. The park contains one of the first sculptures donated by Botero, as well as a sculpture by Betancur, the artist responsible for the sculpture in the Alpujarra Administrative Center. Adjacent to the plaza is the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (La Candelaria for short), which is the oldest church in Medellín having been built in 1649.

Stop 12: Junin Street

After taking a shortcut through a shopping arcade, we arrived at Junin Street, another pedestrian-only shopping street. This used to be a place where only the elite paisas would come to shop, and the higher-end stores catered to this clientele. Paisas actually created the verb “juniar” after this street, which means to window shop. Hacienda Junin, one of the best restaurants to find local Colombian cuisine, is located on this street.

Stop 13: San Antonio Park

The last stop on the walking tour is San Antonio Park. This plaza was named after the San Antonio Church at one end and was originally intended to be a venue for concerts and other events. However, in 1995, a bomb exploded during a concert, killing 29 people. The bomb also destroyed the signature Botero statue of a plump bird that was donated by the artist.

Rather than removing the desecrated statue, Botero asked that it not be removed so that it could serve as a reminder of what had happened (and the atrocities that had been happening for the past few decades). Instead, Botero donated another bird statue to sit beside the original, to represent a symbol of hope and the city’s transformation.

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After the last stop at San Antonio Park, Hernán walked us to the San Antonio Metro Station where the group parted ways. Thank you to our tour guide, Hernán, and Real City Tours for providing such in-depth background information on all of the sites on the walking tour, and about the dark past and positive transformation of Medellín and Colombia as a whole.

Which sight are you most excited about seeing? Comment below!

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