• Do a day trip to Guatape. Visit one of the most colorful cities in the world and climb the over 800 steps up its famous rock formation–which is either called El Peñón de Guatapé or La Piedra de El Peñol, depending on who you ask. This is a popular spot for paragliding as well.
• Visit the Plaza Minorista market. For an authentic local experience, check out this cool farmers’ market. It’s frequented by locals (so English is not widely spoken here) and it’s also a great place to find vintage clothing. However, it’s surrounded by a really sketchy and unsafe neighborhood, so either take an Uber directly there and back or go as part of a tour. If you’re really curious, just check out my YouTube channel for the video of me exploring the market and its surrounding neighborhood so that you don’t have to put yourself in danger.
• Use the Metro. Traffic in Medellin can get pretty congested, so when possible, use the Metro system. It’s clean, safe, cheap, and is a valuable opportunity to experience life as a local. Use Google Maps to plan out your route and it’ll tell you which Metro to take. You will need to get a Civica card which you can load with additional funds as you use it. You’ll tap it to get into the Metro station and to get on buses. The Civica card is 10,000 pesos (about US$3.00) and is only available at the station from the attendant in the booth. You also need to pay for the card with cash so have some on hand. The fare for each ride is about US$0.80.

Solo in Medellin: Where to Stay?

The simplest answer is to stay in the neighborhoods of El Poblado or Laureles. These are the most affluent neighborhoods and are generally safe. The biggest difference between these two neighborhoods is that El Poblado has many more tourists and expats, whereas Laureles has more locals living there. I found El Poblado, which is the area where I lived, preferable because there was a more vibrant energy to the neighborhood. This was likely because stores, restaurants, bars, cafes, etc., were packed more densely together, where they were spread further apart in Laureles. If mobility is a concern, the neighborhood of Laureles is flatter, whereas El Poblado is hillier (think San Francisco).

There are many beautiful hotels in the city, so explore the options in those neighborhoods if hotels are your thing. If you’re open to something a bit different, I stayed at a co-living/co-working space and loved it!

Since I was staying for over a month, and traveling solo in Medellin, I wanted a spot that felt a bit more like home. I also wanted a place with a kitchen so I could save money by not eating out for every meal. After researching some options, I decided on a co-living/co-working club called Outsite. Their target audience is those who work virtually, but many people are using them for vacation stays. They have properties all over the world so there are many options for your travels beyond Colombia.

They have two properties in Medellin and I opted for their Manila property, which is right in the middle of all the action. It was beautiful, the property manager was attentive, welcoming, and helpful, and the people I met were awesome and mostly solo travelers. Their other property, El Tesoro is a mansion up in the hills for those looking for a leisurely retreat.

My stay worked out to about US$35 per night, and I had my own room, ensuite bathroom, and air conditioning. Note: make sure in advance that there’s air conditioning at the property you’ve selected if that’s important to you. Typically, if A/C is not mentioned in the room description in Colombia, it’s not available. This is true even for a hotel.