Free things to do in Medellín
You can enjoy Medellín without paying for a ticket. The downtown plazas have Botero sculptures out in the open, the hills show you the whole valley and several museums are free. These are the ones we recommend to anyone who arrives, in the order we’d do them.
1ToursFree0 to 2 hoursPlaza Botero
Plaza in downtown Medellín with 23 bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero, facing the Museo de Antioquia. Free; best during the day.
2MuseumsFree0 to 2 hoursPalacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe
Domed building of white and black stone next to Plaza Botero, home of Antioquia's Culture Institute. Open to visitors Monday to Saturday.
3Must-seeFree0 to 2 hoursParque de los Deseos
Public plaza in the north of the city, next to the Planetarium and Universidad metro station, with free open-air movies and concerts.
4Must-seeFree0 to 2 hoursParque de los Pies Descalzos
Park in front of the EPM building with sand, fountains and a guadua bamboo grove, designed for taking off your shoes and walking barefoot.
5MuseumsFree0 to 2 hoursMuseo Casa de la Memoria
Museum in Parque Bicentenario dedicated to the victims of Colombia's armed conflict. It opened in 2012 and has exhibitions, workshops and talks.
6NatureFree2 to 4 hoursJardín Botánico de Medellín
Jardín Botánico Joaquín Antonio Uribe: more than 1,200 species, the Orquideorama, a butterfly house and a lagoon. Next to Universidad metro station, and almost always free.
7NatureFree2 to 4 hoursCerro El Volador
A 103-hectare nature park in the middle of the city, with trails, outdoor gyms, a butterfly garden and views of the valley.
8Must-seeFree0 to 2 hoursPueblito Paisa
Replica of an Antioquian village on top of Cerro Nutibara, with a 360° lookout over Medellín. Free entry, near Industriales metro station.
9NatureFree2 to 4 hoursCerro de las Tres Cruces (Medellín)
A guardian hill west of Belén where locals go up to exercise; at the top there are crosses and a view of the south and west of the valley.
10ActivitiesFree0 to 2 hoursMiradores de Las Palmas
Lookouts along the Las Palmas road with a view of the whole Aburrá Valley, best at sunset and at night. Food stands and restaurants nearby.
11MuseumsFree0 to 2 hoursMuseo Cementerio San Pedro
Cemetery from 1842, declared a museum in 1998, with Carrara marble mausoleums and the graves of figures like Jorge Isaacs and Tomás Carrasquilla.
12MuseumsFree0 to 2 hoursCasa Museo Otraparte
The home of writer Fernando González in Envigado, now a museum and cultural center with a café, gardens and a lineup of talks and concerts.
13MuseumsFree0 to 2 hoursCasa Museo Pedro Nel Gómez
Home and studio of artist Pedro Nel Gómez in Aranjuez: more than 3,000 works, including murals, sculptures and paintings, in a 1940s house.
14MuseumsFree0 to 2 hoursCatedral Basílica Metropolitana de Medellín
Neo-Romanesque cathedral facing Parque de Bolívar, built between 1875 and 1931 with more than 1,120,000 fired bricks.
15ActivitiesFree0 to 2 hoursBasílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
18th-century church on the east side of Parque Berrío. It was Medellín's first cathedral and has been a national monument since 1998.
16NatureFree0 to 2 hoursParques del Río
Linear park on both banks of the Medellín River, across from Plaza Mayor: paths, trees, playgrounds, a bike lane and events like the December lights.
17ActivitiesFree0 to 2 hoursPrimer Parque de Laureles
Park with big trees in the center of Laureles, surrounded by cafés and restaurants; a few blocks from La 70 and the Segundo Parque.
18NatureFree0 to 2 hoursParque Lineal La Presidenta
Green corridor of about 20,000 m² along the La Presidenta creek in El Poblado, with trails, bridges and a farmers' market on Sundays.
19ShoppingFree0 to 2 hoursSanalejo Craft Market
Artisan market set up on the first Saturday of every month in Parque de Bolívar, downtown, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
20ActivitiesFree0 to 2 hoursParque Principal de Sabaneta
Sabaneta's town square, with the Santa Ana church, trees and traditional food; on weekends there's music and events.
21ActivitiesFree0 to 2 hoursParque de Envigado
Envigado's main square, with trees, cafés and the Santa Gertrudis church, finished in 1897. It's a 15-minute walk from the metro.
22FoodFree0 to 2 hoursPlaza Minorista José María Villa
The biggest market hall in downtown Medellín: fruit, vegetables, meat, flowers and restaurants, from 4:30 in the morning.
