The best reward for a productive work week
You have spent the week grinding through deadlines in a Laureles cafe, the eternal spring breeze drifting through an open window. Friday afternoon hits and you close your laptop. Now what? This is where Medellin quietly destroys every other nomad city I have worked from. The sheer density of things to do within a short ride of your apartment is staggering.
I am not talking about tourist checkbox activities. I am talking about the kind of experiences that make you message friends back home saying “I am never leaving.” From paragliding over the valley to getting lost in the street art of a neighborhood that rewrote its own history, Medellin’s days off hit different when you actually live here rather than just pass through.
Here is everything worth doing on your days off as a digital nomad in Medellin, organized by vibe so you can match your mood to your weekend.
Day trips that are worth the early alarm
Medellin’s surrounding countryside is gorgeous, and a handful of day trips have become essential adventures for anyone spending more than a week here.
Guatape and Piedra del Penol
This is the day trip. The one everyone does, and for good reason. Guatape is a tiny lakeside town about two hours east of Medellin, famous for its wildly colorful buildings painted with zocalos (decorative panels) on every facade. The main attraction is Piedra del Penol, a massive 200-meter rock that you climb via 740 stairs carved into its side. The view from the top, a patchwork of green islands scattered across an impossibly blue reservoir, is one of the most photographed scenes in Colombia.
The honest take: yes, it is touristy. The bus from Terminal del Norte costs about $4 each way and the climb is about $5. Budget a full day. Skip the organized tours and just take the public bus. It is easy, cheap, and you set your own schedule. Wander the town’s colorful streets after the climb, eat a trucha (trout) lunch by the water, and catch the last bus back around 5 PM.
Jardin
If Guatape is the blockbuster, Jardin is the indie film that the locals keep recommending. It is a three-to-four hour bus ride southwest through winding mountain roads, and the town itself is a perfectly preserved colonial pueblo with a beautiful central plaza, coffee farms, and waterfalls. Multiple Reddit users specifically recommend Jardin over the more famous Coffee Region (Salento/Filandia) because you get the same “pueblo” charm and coffee farm experience without the eight-hour journey to the Eje Cafetero. Go on a weekday if you can, because weekends bring crowds from Medellin.
Santa Fe de Antioquia and Rio Claro
Santa Fe de Antioquia is the old colonial capital, about two hours north. Hot, slow-paced, and full of history, it is the anti-Medellin in the best way. Rio Claro is a nature preserve east of the city where you can raft, swim in crystal-clear rivers, and stay in cabins surrounded by marble canyon walls. Both make excellent weekend getaways when you need a hard reset from screen time. For more adventure travel ideas, these two spots rank among the best in the region.
Comuna 13: history written on walls
Comuna 13 is not just a “thing to do.” It is arguably the most important experience in Medellin. This hillside neighborhood was once the most dangerous place in the most dangerous city in the world. Today it is a living example of community resilience, covered in extraordinary street art and connected by outdoor escalators that the city built to literally lift residents out of isolation.
You can visit alone (the main tourist path around the escalators is safe during the day) but I strongly recommend booking a walking tour for your first visit. Companies like Zippy Tours run tip-based tours led by locals who actually lived through the conflicts. Without the historical context, you are just looking at colorful walls. With it, you understand why those walls matter.
Go early, around 9 to 10 AM, to beat the crowds that arrive by midday. Stick to the main path with the orange-roofed viaduct and the escalators. The street art changes regularly, so even repeat visits show you something new. Bring your camera but keep it secure. The common-sense rule here is “no dar papaya” (do not make yourself an easy target). Budget about half a day and grab an empanada or fresh juice from the vendors along the route.
Coffee culture: more than just a drink
Colombia produces some of the best coffee on earth, and while the famous “Coffee Region” is a separate destination entirely, Medellin has developed its own serious coffee scene.
Coffee farm tours
Several farms within a couple hours of Medellin offer half-day tours where you walk the growing process from cherry to cup. These are genuinely fascinating even if you are not a coffee nerd. You will never look at a $6 latte the same way again. Jardin’s nearby farms are particularly well-regarded, combining the pueblo day trip with a coffee education.
The city cafe scene
Within Medellin, specialty coffee has exploded. Pergamino in Poblado is the most famous name, serving single-origin beans from their own farms. Revolucion in Laureles is a neighborhood favorite. Cafe Zorba doubles as an excellent vegetarian restaurant. The tinto culture, tiny cups of sweet black coffee sold for pennies at street carts, is the most Colombian coffee experience of all. Skip the fancy pour-over and grab a tinto from the guy on the corner for the authentic experience. For more on how food experiences connect you with locals, the coffee scene here is a perfect example.
Adventure activities: earn those views
Paragliding in San Felix
This is the single most exhilarating thing you can do near Medellin. Tandem paragliding flights launch from San Felix, a small town about 45 minutes north of the city. You take off from a grassy hillside and soar over the entire Aburra Valley with Medellin sprawling below you. Standard flights last about 15 minutes. Pay extra for the longer flight if conditions allow, because 15 minutes goes by shockingly fast.
Book directly with operators like Ruben Fly or Dragon Fly via WhatsApp rather than through hostels or tour sites, which add commission fees. You can also take a cheap bus from the Bello Metro station to the San Felix launch site and pick a company there, though booking ahead is safer on weekends. Budget about $50 to $70 for the flight. If you are looking for adventure partners, paragliding day trips are a great way to bond with fellow nomads.
Hiking
Cerro de las Tres Cruces is the local favorite, a steep urban hike that paisas use as their outdoor gym. Go on Sunday mornings when the trail is packed with locals and the energy is infectious. Avoid going alone during quiet hours, as muggings have been reported on empty sections.
Parque Arvi, accessible via the Metrocable Line L, feels like a different world: cloud forest trails, orchids, and silence. Do not just walk the road near the cable car station; push further in to find the “ancestral paths” where the real nature begins. The Arenales Waterfall hike in Envigado is more rugged and less touristy. Download the Wikiloc app to find the trailhead, as markings are not great.
Nightlife and the social scene
Medellin’s nightlife is legendary, and the nomad social infrastructure makes it easy to find your people.
Parque Lleras in Poblado is the main nightlife hub, loud, flashy, and full of both locals and tourists. Provenza, just uphill from Lleras, has a more upscale bar scene with rooftop cocktail spots like Envy Rooftop. For something grittier, Bar Valhalla is a rock and metal bar that attracts a different crowd entirely.
“Gringo Tuesdays” at Vintrash is the weekly language exchange that has become a Medellin institution. It is part language practice, part party, and one of the easiest ways to meet people your first week in town. Salsa dancing is everywhere. Take a class or just show up at a salsa bar and let someone teach you on the floor. Shared experiences like these are what transform a nomad stay from “working in a different timezone” into an actual life.
For more low-key socializing, La Mesa del Buen Comer combines food with language exchange and video games, and Game Over serves burgers alongside arcade cabinets. Medellin’s social scene is not one-dimensional. There is something for every energy level.
The food scene: beyond the menu del dia
Medellin’s food scene deserves exploration beyond just the budget lunch specials.
Bandeja Paisa is the iconic Antioquian dish, a massive plate of beans, rice, ground beef, chicharron, fried egg, plantain, avocado, and arepa. It is a gut-busting feast that costs $5 to $8 at most local restaurants. Try it at least once, even if you cannot finish it (nobody finishes it).
Street food is everywhere and excellent. Empanadas stuffed with meat and potato cost about $0.50 each. Arepas with cheese, butifarras (sausages), and fresh fruit juices from corner stands are all part of daily life here. For upscale dining, Alambique offers creative Colombian cuisine with unique decor, while Restaurante La Provincia handles formal dining well. Cambria has the best bakery items in town, and their cinnamon rolls are famous among the expat community.
Markets and shopping
Plaza Minorista is the massive central market where locals buy their weekly produce. It is chaotic, colorful, and the prices are a fraction of what you pay in supermarkets. Even if you do not buy anything, walking through gives you a sense of real Medellin commerce that you will never get in Poblado.
Via Primavera in Poblado is the opposite end of the spectrum, a tree-lined street with boutique shops, design stores, and trendy cafes. It is pleasant for an afternoon stroll when you want the curated side of the city. For something in between, Laureles has excellent neighborhood shops and bakeries that feel authentically local without the chaos of the central markets.
Wellness: take care of the machine
The eternal spring climate makes Medellin a fantastic wellness city. Gyms are plentiful and cheap ($30 to $50 per month), with Bodytech being the most popular chain. Yoga studios have multiplied across Poblado and Laureles, with drop-in classes typically costing $5 to $10.
Running along the Ciclovia paths that line the main roads is a popular Sunday activity, and the flat terrain of Laureles makes it the best neighborhood for regular jogging. Spas and massage studios offer treatments at a fraction of North American prices. If Padel tennis is your thing, courts are available but charge closer to European rates. It is one of the few activities where Medellin does not feel like a bargain.
Continue your journey
Knowing what to do is only half the equation. Get the full picture with our Medellin cost of living breakdown so you can budget for all these adventures, and find the perfect workspace in our guide to coworking spaces and cafes in Medellin. For the complete setup guide, the Medellin digital nomad guide covers everything from visas to neighborhoods.
Exploring beyond Colombia? See how Medellin compares in our South America digital nomad guide, or check out things to do in Buenos Aires for a very different South American vibe. HitchHive is your launchpad for adventure travel wherever the next chapter takes you.
Find your people
The best things to do in Medellin are almost always better with company. Whether it is splitting an Uber to Guatape, finding a paragliding buddy, or just having someone to debrief with over a tinto after a mind-blowing Comuna 13 tour, the nomad community here makes everything more meaningful. Medellin is not a city that rewards isolation. Get out there, say yes to the invitations, and let the city show you why so many people who came for a month are still here years later.
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