Medellín Things to Do

Every year in August a flower festival, called Feria de las Flores is held in Medellin - the flower capital of the country. The festival incorporates days filled with music, dancing, colourful flowers, shows, performances, fun and parties. Something you should definately not miss if you can be there in August.

The mountain of Cerro Nutibarra is a great place to get a nice view of Medellin from. It's not too high, so the climb is not that difficult. And on top of the mountain is the Pueblito Paisa - a replica of a typical paisa town, which is full of souvenire shops and street vendors. A nice place and an interseting activity.

This is a really nice little town in the mountains about 100 km from Medellin. A typical paisa town. A really amazing place and the busride up the mountains is really cool and gives a great view on the surrounding villages and nature.

Antioqueños are so fond of flowers that they not only plant them in gardens and pots but also hang them on their backs and carry them in parades every year under the August sun. This marvelous festival is called The Carriers' Parade (Desfile de los Silleteros). Hundreds of artisans weave authentic tapestries with flowers of every kind and hue. They design scenes, sketches, messages and then carry these works of art on their backs for hours through the main streets of Medellín in what is one of the world's most beautiful public spectacles. From January to February, an exciting bullfight season takes place, from April to May the city is host to an international orchid show, in June the Tango Festival occurs, in August there is a fair featuring elegant 'paso fino' horses, whose special gait is unique in the world, and in September, a haute couture competition.
ATTRACTIONS

Antioqueños enjoy close ties with both their ancestral and cosmopolitan customs. In Medellín, for example, one can listen to practically any style of music. There are taverns and discotheques which specialize in rock in all its varieties, or in jazz, classical, operatic, or Caribbean music, as well as boleros and ballads and of course, tango. An entire sector of the city, Manrique, is consecrated to rendering tribute to Argentine music. And no other city remembers and honors Carlos Gardel like Medellín, where the singer met his death in an airplane crash in 1935.

The city's cultural centers also reflect the people's ardent desire to keep up with the most contemporary movements and events in art. There are excellent book stores and art galleries, museums, and sculpture parks.

In several museums are collections of Antioquenan artists including Pedro Nel Gómez and Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, who in the manner of the Mexican masters at the beginning of this century, reflect the world of everyday work. At the Museum of Antioquia there is a complete collection on exhibit of oils and sculptures by world-famous Fernando Botero.

Mansions, train stations, cathedrals, haciendas and public buildings still reflect, in different sectors of the city, the Republican architecture of skyscrapers and new concepts, like that of The Metropolitan Theater or José María Córdova International Airport.

From Cerro Nutibara, a hill which rises from the floor of the Aburrá Valley, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the Medellín skyline. At and around the summit are restaurants, handicrafts shops and an enchanting reproduction of a typical Antioqueñan village plaza.

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This complex houses the state government and is called La Alpujarra. It is very modern and creatively designed. It is located between the commercial center and Plaza Mayor.

This building houses city government's offices (or EEPPM). It is located between the river and parque de Pies Descalzos.

This was a government building, but it now houses a commercial center.

This is very nice modern plaza which houses a convention center and government offices.