Medellín · Shared
Medellín’s transformation told by historians, from Parque Berrío to La Sierra by tram and Metrocable
To understand how a city marked by decades of armed conflict became a benchmark for urban innovation, you have to walk it, meet its people and see the role that art, architecture and public transport played.
We start at Parque Berrío, where the town was founded in 1675, and walk the center: La Candelaria church, Junín street and the Coltejer building, the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture and the 23 sculptures of Plaza Botero. Each building tells an era: gold, the textile industry, the city that was built on top of its own ruins.
Then we ride the Ayacucho Tram and the Metrocable up to La Sierra, a hillside neighborhood born in the late seventies that lived the urban war of the 2000s up close and today tells its own story through art, coffee and community work. We finish at Placita de Flórez, the first covered market hall in Colombia.
Our guides are historians and journalists from the University of Antioquia. We tell the city’s history with context and sources, and we answer any question you bring: the tour is a conversation, not a memorized script.
Historians and journalists from the University of Antioquia who research Medellín. Reviews mention them by name: Lola, Paula and the rest of the team. The route grew out of research by Juan David Echeverry, who holds a master’s degree in history.
Meet the team →Runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 10:00 AM.
Meeting point: Parque Berrío Metro station (south exit)
★★★★★
“The tour with Lola was a lot of fun and very enriching. We learned so much about Medellín. Lola is a great conversationalist and offers a fresh, interesting take on the city. We recommend her to everyone.”
★★★★★
“An excellent experience. Lola knows a lot and makes the tour really interesting.”
★★★★★
“Our guide was the best part of the tour. She knows exactly what she’s talking about, with facts, stories and history. We found it really thorough and interesting, and Lola is an absolute delight.”
★★★★★
“Paula met us at the meeting point and we walked around the city and its most unique corners, and also rode the tram and the Metrocable. We ended in the Buenos Aires neighborhood, walking along Ayacucho avenue to the little market hall. Paula was wonderful and I highly recommend her: amazing!”
9.5 out of 10 across 298 reviews of this tour on FreeTour.com. Reviews are shown in Spanish, translated from English where the original was in English.
Minimum 4 people per booking.
Tuesdays and Thursdays in Spanish; Saturdays in English.
Meeting point: Parque Berrío Metro station, south exit.
Wear comfortable clothes and sunscreen.
Private
The most affordable private option: your own historian guide from Parque Berrío to La Sierra, on the public transport that changed Medellín, at the time you choose. From 1 to 9 people.
COP 250,000 from, per group
BookRuns Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Private
The downtown-to-La Sierra tour just for your group, with a bilingual historian guide, hotel pickup and drop-off by car, and traditional Antioquian snacks.
COP 350,000 from, per group
BookRuns Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Shared
From plant to cup: metro, tram and cable car up to a 180,000-plant coffee farm above the city, where you process your own coffee.
COP 216,000 per person
BookRuns every day
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