Budget · 3-hour walk · Medellín
The centre and Comuna 13 in three hours
The Botero sculptures and the old provincial museum, then the metro west to the hillside escalators.
Medellin's transformation is the reason to walk it: a city that was the most dangerous in the world in 1991 built a metro and a set of outdoor escalators up its steepest hillside, and the neighbourhood they serve is now covered in murals. Take the metro rather than walking between the two halves; it is part of the story.
The route, stop by stop
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Plaza Botero
Twenty-three bronze sculptures donated by Botero, all outdoors and all unmissably rotund.
30 min here Walk here → -
Museum of Antioquia
The old municipal palace, holding the largest Botero collection anywhere plus a strong colonial gallery.
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Parque de las Luces
Three hundred illuminated poles on a square that was a no-go area twenty years ago. Lit after dark.
20 min here Walk here → -
Comuna 13
Arrive by metro from the previous stop
Take the metro to San Javier. Six outdoor escalators replaced 350 steps up the hillside, and the murals came after.
45 min here Walk here →
More in Medellín
Every walking route in Medellín, or the full Medellín guide for where to stay and what a day costs.