Antioquia Voyage Tips and guide

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	Note: Because of ongoing terrorist activity, some governments recommend against unnecessary travel to the northern and northeastern parts of Antioquia, especially the Urabá and Bajo Cauca regions. Medellín is considered to be safer.
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	(Information last updated 17 Jul 2025)

Antioquia is a department in the Andino region of Colombia. It is famous for its many coffee plantations.

Map of Antioquia

• 6.244747-75.5748281 Medellín - Considered by many as the best city in Colombia. Medellín is home to the famous yearly "Flower Festival" in August and the first (and still only) metro system in the country: "Metro de Medellín". Home City of Juanes, Fernando Botero and René Higuita. The metropolitan area is surrounded by many small towns which have become virtual suburbs of the city. These include Envigado, Itaguí, Sabaneta and Caldas (south); Bello, Copacabana and Girardota (north). The spread of the city east and west is limited by topography.
• 7.884722-76.6352 Apartadó town and municipality in Urabá subregion
• 8.616667-77.3333333 Capurganá even though outside of Antioquia it is easier to get there from Medellín by plane or by boat from Turbo. A great, quiet beach destination in the Atlantic, near Panamá.
• 6.144167-75.1852784 Granada - is a town in the east of Antioquia. It's a zone of water, cool weather, but hot people. In this place you can say "Home, sweet home". It was the cradle of Bishop Tiberio de J. Salazar y Herrera.
• 6.2325-75.1586115 Guatape – A pretty lakeside town with hostels available.
• 5.598333-75.8197226 Jardín is a beautiful little town 2 hours south of Medellín, with incredible tourist attractions: a gorgeous main plaza, distinctive local architecture and many country-side activities. Look for the locally produced rainbow trout and coffee to please your senses. There are hostels.
• 5.791111-75.7858337 Jerico is a small town a few hours south of Medellín, a quieter and less touristy option to nearby Jardin which has had a huge increase in visitors in the 2020s.
• 6.174444-75.3388898 Marinilla, Rionegro, Guarne and La Ceja these are small towns east of Medellín and a popular day trip destination.
• 8.425833-76.7838899 Necoclí - small town on the Gulf of Uraba, home of a large Afro-Colombian population
• 6.556389-75.827510 Santa Fe de Antioquia, the oldest capital. A quaint colonial town, 50 km northwest of Medellín.
• 8.093056-76.72833311 Turbo - The small city on the Caribbean coast itself doesn't have a lot to offer, and its primary interest to travelers is its role as the place to get a boat to Capurganá, from where it is possible to get a boat to Puerto Obaldia in Panama.

Antioquia has a wide variety of tourist attractions. The north of the department is known for its reservoirs, rivers, spas, waterfalls and jumps, and sport fishing.

The west is known as the route of the sun and fruit since the Cauca River valley is located in this region and therefore its climate is warm; its most relevant attractions are the Puente de Occidente and the colonial city of Santa Fe de Antioquia. The Puente de Occidente is a 291-meter suspension bridge that crosses the Cauca River. Santa Fe de Antioquia has buildings declared national monuments such as the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica.

Eastern Antioquia is a traditional tourist destination close to Medellín; it is located on a plateau in the central mountain range and its most important municipality is Rionegro. The municipality of Guatapé is home to Piedra del Peñol, a 220-meter-high monolith composed of quartz, feldspar and mica; it has an internal staircase with 702 steps and is one of the most visited sites by the people of Antioquia. The Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir has docks where boats, jet skis, water bikes, kayaks, sailboats and boats that act as nightclubs along the reservoir are rented. The colorful streets of Guatapé are also very well known, where their zócalos (lower part of the walls of the houses) stand out, which have different decorative motifs in high relief according to the families' profession, or the personal tastes of the inhabitants of the houses.

In Antioquia, people speak with a "paisa" accent, characterized by the use of "vos" instead of "tú" or "usted," which are commonly used in the rest of Colombia. Because of this, they also use the same form of word construction as in Argentina. For example, instead of saying "tú sientes," they say "vos sientes."

There are 6 operational airports with daily commercial flights in Antioquia.

• José María Córdova (MDE ^IATA) in Rionegro, serves Medellín.

• Olaya Herrera (EOH ^IATA) in Medellín.
• Antonio Roldán Betancourt (APO ^IATA), Formerly Los Cedros. Located in the municipality of Carepa. Serves Apartadó and the Urabá region in the Atlantic side of the department. It is also the heart of the banana growing region. Four airlines connect this airport to Medellín EOH.

All located in the north of the department, an area with heavy gold mining. Flights originate mostly from Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín.

• Juan H. White Airport (CAQ  ^IATA) in Caucasia.
• El Tomin (EBG  ^IATA), in the municipality of El Bagre.
• Otú Airport (OTU  ^IATA) in the municipality of Remedios.

In Medellín you can get around by taxi bus or metro. The metro runs largely along the north-south axis of the city.

Antioquia is mountainous hence cable cars have become popular for both commuting and tourist transportation. You can ride the Metrocables in Medellín which are additional lines of the Metro system or the countryside cable-cars in many small towns in Antioquia: Jardín, Jericó, Sopetrán, San Andrés de Cuerquia, etc.

• . Also by rental cars and trucks. 

• San Jeronimo, Sopetran and Santa Fe de Antioquia - Going north-west from downtown Medellín, you arrive at the longest and newest South American tunnel: 4.7 km. After you pass through that tunnel, you start descending mountains and a few minutes later, you are in San Jeronimo, Antioquia. Cruise it on motorcycle, the fun way, don't be scared because it's an awesome experience! Weather here is 25 °C during the whole year. Very close you will find Sopetran, the Antioquias fruits lovely capital. Finally, you get to Santa Fe de Antioquia, one of the five colonial destinations in Colombia, and the way to the Caribbean. This road will take you to Turbo and to the Panama frontier line; the road is safer now and is not frequented by guerrillas and paramilitaries anymore.
• Frontino further to the west, is a nice town.

The Holy Week in many towns of Antioquia is colorful and passionate.

The most emblematic event of Antioquia takes place in Medellín and is known as the Flower Fair. In Medellín, the National Handicrafts Fair is held every July around the Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex. It showcases ceramics, goldsmithing, jewelry, glasswork, stone and wood carvings, leatherwork, basketry, weaving, embroidery, and many other forms of manual arts.

The San Alejo Market is held on the first Saturday of the month in Medellín's Bolívar Park, an exhibition and sale of handicrafts, plants, and food. More than 450 artisans from Medellín and other regions of Colombia participate.

The National Trova Festival is held in City of Medellín.

A very distinctive feature of the Antioquia region is its cuisine. The main staple food is corn. The arepa is the most important corn-based food, as it serves as a complement to all meals. There are a variety of arepas: arepa de chocolo, arepa delgado, arepa redonda, arepa de monte, or arepa de maíz peelado, among others. Mazamorra is another corn-based food, as are empanadas, which come in various types.

Sancocho paisa is a typical lunch, as is the bean dish. The most representative typical dish is the bandeja paisa, or mountain dish, which consists of white rice, cargamanto (red) beans, powdered meat, pork rinds, chorizo or blood sausage, a fried egg, avocado, slices of ripe plantain, patacón (a plantain), and arepa (a type of pastry); it can also be accompanied with hogao ( a type of pastry) and sliced red tomato. For dessert, it is customary to eat corn porridge with shredded or scraped panela (a type of sugar cane), although the accompaniment has been extended to include soft drinks or beverages such as guarapo, which is sugarcane juice with lemon.

At Christmas, natilla (a type of cream), buñuelos (fritters), and cornflakes are common. Other typical dishes include tamales and tripe soup.

The towns of Antioquia are known for their great parties in traditional local inns. In Medellin, you can go out and have a good time in places like Calle 10 in El Poblado, Parque Lleras, also located in El Poblado, and in municipalities like Envigado, Sabaneta, and La Estrella. Medellin is known for its great nightlife.

• As of 2010 there were plenty of landmines in the countryside, making much of Antioquia out of bounds for tourists.
• There are guerrillas of ELN active in many rural locations of this department. They will kidnap for ransom and hold little sympathy for tourists.
• Don't buy drugs, or even ask about them.
• Do not get in a taxi if there is someone other than the driver in it
• Avoid downtown and Parque Berrio at night.
• Avoid walking around like you're lost, as this may be noticed by the wrong sort of people; if you are lost step in to a cafe or "tienda", restaurant, ask someone there.
• It's best to use ATMs located in Exito, Carrefour, Carulla or Pomona (supermarkets in the Medellín area) or to use the ones inside the banks,
• Always be aware that you might be followed from ATMs and banks.