Medellin CoffeeRegion
3
Day Itinerary •
Colombia
Three days in Medellin and the Colombian Coffee Region delivers one of the most remarkable urban transformation stories in the world alongside the most extraordinary coffee landscape on earth. Medellin, once the world's most dangerous city, has reinvented itself as one of Latin America's most innovative and dynamic capitals, with an extraordinary cable car metro system, the finest street art in Colombia and a remarkable culture of architecture and design. This focused route covers the essential Medellin and Coffee Region experience. The extraordinary El Poblado and Laureles neighbourhoods, the remarkable Metrocable to the hillside comunas, the Pablo Escobar neighbourhood tours, the extraordinary wax palm valley of Cocora above Salento, the finest coffee farm tour in the Quindio region, and the extraordinary colonial coffee town of Salento itself.
Best Time To Visit
December to March or July to August, dry seasons
Getting There
Fly into Jose Maria Cordova Airport (MDE), Medellin
Getting Around
Metro and Metrocable in Medellin, bus or car to Coffee Region
Budget Per Day
Approx 50 to 130 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, some hill walking in Cocora Valley
DAY 1
MEDELLIN
MORNING
METROCABLE TO SANTO DOMINGO AND COMUNA 13 STREET ART
The extraordinary Metrocable Line K rising from the Medellin metro to the hillside barrio of Santo Domingo, giving the finest aerial view over the city spread across its Andean valley with the remarkable cable car as the centrepiece of the city's extraordinary urban transformation programme. Then the extraordinary street art of Comuna 13, the neighbourhood once considered the most dangerous in Medellin, where the remarkable open-air escalators and a programme of extraordinary murals transformed the hillside community. 30 min metro
MIDDAY
PLAZA BOTERO AND MUSEO DE ANTIOQUIA
The extraordinary Plaza Botero in central Medellin, where 23 monumental bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero, Colombia's most celebrated artist, fill the plaza with his remarkable rotund human figures, animals and objects. The extraordinary Museo de Antioquia adjacent to the plaza contains the finest collection of Botero's paintings and sculptures in Colombia, donated by the artist to his home city. Free entry to the plaza. Museum entry approx 18,000 COP. 20 min metro
AFTERNOON
EL POBLADO AND PARQUE LLERAS
The extraordinary El Poblado neighbourhood, Medellin's most cosmopolitan district, where a remarkable concentration of boutique hotels, independent restaurants, craft beer bars and coffee shops lines the extraordinary cobbled streets around Parque Lleras. The neighbourhood's extraordinary transformation from a quiet residential area to one of Latin America's finest dining and nightlife districts reflects the remarkable story of Medellin's reinvention over the past 20 years.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara hill in central Medellin, a reconstructed traditional Antioquian village at the hilltop with extraordinary views over the entire Medellin valley, is one of the finest free viewpoints in the city. The extraordinary replica of a 19th-century Antioquian coffee town with its whitewashed church and plaza is remarkable. Free entry.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Pergamino, El Poblado The finest specialty coffee shop in Medellin. Extraordinary single-origin Colombian coffee and arepas. | Lunch: El Medellin, Laureles Outstanding traditional Antioquian restaurant. Extraordinary bandeja paisa and sancocho antioqueno. | Dinner: Carmen, El Poblado The finest contemporary Colombian restaurant in Medellin. Extraordinary modern Antioquian tasting menu.
DAY 2
SALENTO AND COCORA VALLEY
MORNING
SALENTO COLONIAL COFFEE TOWN
The most extraordinary colonial coffee town in Colombia, a remarkably well-preserved Antioquian settlement whose extraordinary Plaza Mayor is lined with colourful balconied houses painted in vivid primary colours and whose surrounding streets are the finest example of traditional Quindio architecture in the Coffee Region. The extraordinary Sunday market fills the plaza with local coffee farmers, artisan craft sellers and the finest bandeja paisa breakfast stalls in the region. Free to explore. 30 min jeep
MIDDAY
VALLE DE COCORA WAX PALM TREK
The most extraordinary landscape in the Colombian Coffee Region, where the Valle de Cocora contains the finest concentration of Colombia's national tree, the Ceroxylon quindiuense wax palm, the tallest palm species on earth reaching 60 metres. The extraordinary 12km circular trail through cloud forest and open valley pasture, with the extraordinary wax palms rising impossibly tall against the green Andean hillsides, is the finest walk in the Coffee Region. Entry free. 30 min jeep back
AFTERNOON
SALENTO AFTERNOON AND TROUT FARMS
Return to Salento for the extraordinary afternoon in the colonial town and a visit to one of the remarkable local trout farms in the Quindio river valley below the town. The Rio Quindio feeds dozens of extraordinary aquaculture farms producing the finest fresh trout in Colombia, served in the remarkable family restaurants along the valley road. The extraordinary sunset from the Salento mirador hill above the plaza is the finest in the Coffee Region.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Mirador del Salento on the hilltop above Salento's Plaza Mayor, reached by climbing the remarkable 247 steps of Calle Real, gives the finest panoramic view over the Cocora Valley, the surrounding coffee-covered hillsides and the extraordinary wax palm silhouettes against the Andean sky. Arrive at sunrise or sunset for the most extraordinary light. Free. Entirely worth the 247 steps.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Rincon de Lucy, Salento Plaza Outstanding traditional Antioquian breakfast in the colonial plaza. Extraordinary fresh bread and local coffee. | Lunch: Packed or trail food in Cocora Simple snacks eaten on the extraordinary wax palm trail. Bring water and energy food for the 3.5-hour walk. | Dinner: Donde Miriam, Salento Outstanding fresh trout restaurant in Salento. Extraordinary grilled trout with patacon and lemon.
DAY 3
COFFEE FINCA AND RETURN
MORNING
FULL COFFEE FINCA TOUR, QUINDIO COFFEE REGION
The most extraordinary coffee experience available in the Colombian Coffee Region, a full half-day tour of a traditional Quindio coffee finca covering the complete production process from the extraordinary shaded arabica coffee plant nurseries through the red cherry harvest, extraordinary wet processing, drying on raised beds, dry milling and the remarkable professional cupping session that reveals the extraordinary complexity of Colombian single-origin coffee. Tours approx 30,000 to 50,000 COP. 30 min drive
MIDDAY
ARMENIA CITY AND COFFEE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
The extraordinary capital of the Quindio department, Armenia, with the remarkable Museo del Oro Quimbaya containing the finest pre-Columbian Quimbaya gold collection in Colombia, including the extraordinary Quimbaya treasure of 122 ceremonial gold pieces donated by the Colombian government to Spain in 1892 and now held in Madrid. The replicas on display are remarkable. Entry approx 4,000 COP. The UNESCO Coffee Cultural Landscape surrounding Armenia is the finest in Colombia. 3 hours bus
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO MEDELLIN
The extraordinary bus journey back from the Coffee Region to Medellin through the remarkable Andean mountain landscape of Antioquia, passing through extraordinary coffee, banana and sugar cane plantations on the lower slopes and the remarkable Andean cloud forest at the higher passes. The extraordinary approach to Medellin from the south through the El Poblado tunnel gives the finest introduction to the city's remarkable valley setting.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Filandia colonial village above the main Quindio highway, smaller and less visited than Salento, is the finest hidden coffee town in the region with an extraordinary observation tower giving 360-degree views over the coffee-covered hills, a remarkable artisan craft market and the finest traditional basket weaving workshops in the Colombian Coffee Region. Almost no international tourists visit.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Plantation House or hostel Breakfast at the guesthouse before the morning coffee finca tour. | Lunch: Finca lunch or Armenia restaurant Traditional Antioquian lunch either at the finca or in Armenia. Extraordinary bandeja and fresh lulo juice. | Dinner: El Cielo, Medellin The most celebrated molecular gastronomy restaurant in Medellin. Extraordinary cocoa and coffee-based tasting menu.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Medellin, Night 1 Hotel Dann Carlton or Casa Dann Carlton. El Poblado location. Approx 80 to 200 USD per night. Salento, Night 2 Plantation House or La Serrana Hostel. Colonial town. Approx 20 to 80 USD per night. Budget Option Selina Medellin or Masaya Medellin. El Poblado location. Approx 15 to 50 USD per night.
Top Tips
1. Stay in El Poblado or Laureles. Both are the safest and most convenient neighbourhoods in Medellin.
2. The Metrocable to Santo Domingo is one of the finest urban views in Latin America. Use the metro card.
3. The Cocora Valley wax palm walk is 12km return. Start before 9am before the cloud rolls in.
4. Book a coffee finca tour through the Salento tourist office rather than random operators.
5. Salento Plaza on Sunday is the finest market and atmosphere in the Coffee Region. Time your visit.
6. Try bandeja paisa, the Antioquian platter of beans, rice, chicharron, egg and avocado. The finest version.
Total Budget
35 to 285 USD/day