3 Things I Learned on a Walking Tour of Medellín, Colombia
If you're visiting a new city and don't know where to start, book a walking tour.
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Every time, without fail, there's no better way to get your bearings, understand the layout of a place, and pick up the kind of local context that doesn't make it into guidebooks. Medellín, Colombia was no exception.
I did mine early, the first weekend of my trip, which I strongly recommend. Going in with a solid foundation of the city's history, culture, and geography made everything else I did in Medellín after so much richer and easier. I booked through Real City Tours*, which runs free city center tours in English and Spanish twice a day, plus a handful of other paid tours if you want to go deeper on specific neighborhoods or topics.
Here are the three big things that stuck with me.
It's Pronounced with a G
Most Spanish speakers pronounce Medellín with a Y sound, which makes sense if you're going by standard Spanish phonetics. But locally, in this region of Antioquia, it's pronounced with a hard G sound: Mede-GEEN (like jeans). All the locals I encountered pronounce it this way, and once you know it, you'll hear it everywhere. A small thing, but the kind of detail that signals you're paying attention.
Pablo Escobar Is Not a Punchline
This one matters, so I'm going to be direct about it. Pablo Escobar is a deeply sensitive subject in Medellín, and he is not someone to be glorified, made light of, or treated as a quirky tourist attraction. Many locals won't say his name at all. This is not an episode of Narcos. This is a city that lived for years inside the violent, horrific world he created, and for so many people here, that history is not distant. Everyone has some personal story related to that terrible time in the country’s history.
That doesn't mean you can't ask questions or want to learn. Curiosity is welcome, and the history is important to understand. But approach it with genuine respect, not shock value. And please, don't buy the Escobar merch. It's not the souvenir you think it is.
The Metro Is a Point of Civic Pride
Medellín is the only city in Colombia with a metro system, and the locals will tell you about it with a beaming pride. It came up on our tour almost immediately, and I saw it again and again throughout my time in the city. The metro is clean, safe, and easy to navigate, and that's not an accident. Residents take care of it deliberately, as a collective act of respect for something the city built together.
As a visitor, take note: keep it clean, follow the rules, and treat the system the way locals do. It's a small thing that goes a long way.
Medellín has so many layers, and a walking tour is just the beginning. If you're planning a trip, start here* and let the rest of the city open up from there.
Some links on this page marked with * are affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use. Thank you for supporting Traveling Berri!
