Visiting Medellín, the only link you need.

No visa needed for most travelers (US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, and most of Latin America) for stays up to 90 days. You'll get a stamp on arrival, no forms. Don't lose the stamp page.

The airport is José María Córdova (MDE), about 45 minutes from the city in good traffic. There's a smaller in-town airport (Olaya Herrera) used mostly for domestic flights.

Pack for spring weather, 65–80°F year-round. Bring a light jacket for nights, a rain shell from April–May and September–November, and shoes you can walk hills in. Forget shorts-and-tank-top vacation mode; locals dress neatly, jeans and sneakers are the safe default.

Download offline before you fly: Google Maps offline, Uber, WhatsApp, and Google Translate (Spanish offline pack).

For a short trip, stay in El Poblado or Laureles. They are walkable, safe by Medellín standards, and close to everything visitors want.

• El Poblado (Provenza / Manila / Astorga), the easiest entry point. Restaurants, bars, coworking, hotels, Uber-friendly. Touristy but convenient. Pick this if it's your first time.
• Laureles / Estadio, flatter, more local feel, great food, less party noise. Better if you want to actually experience the city, not just the expat bubble.
• Envigado, quieter, residential, very safe, lots of good food. A short Uber from Poblado.
• Avoid for a short stay: Centro (interesting by day, sketchy after dark), Comuna 13 as a place to sleep (visit on a tour, don't book a hotel there), and far-north comunas.

Hotels and aparthotels are usually a better deal than Airbnb in Medellín, and Airbnb is one of the biggest drivers of rent inflation for locals. Use hotels for short trips when you can. (Why we care →)

The single rule: no dar papaya. Don't give anyone an opportunity. That means:

• No phone out on the street. Step into a shop or restaurant to use it.
• No flashy watches, jewelry, or designer bags. Dress down.
• Avoid walking around drunk and alone, especially at night, and never on streets where there aren't other people around. Be extremely cautious if people approach you specifically while you're drunk and alone. Take an Uber, even for four blocks.
• Never accept a drink from a stranger, and never let your drink out of sight. Scopolamine (burundanga) is real and is the #1 risk for male tourists, especially through dating apps and at bars in Poblado.
• If you're robbed, hand it over. Phones are replaceable.

Day-to-day in Poblado, Laureles, and Envigado is calmer than most US cities. The risks here are opportunistic theft and drink-spiking, not random violence.

From the airport: Uber (~80–120k COP). Official airport taxis are fine too. Avoid unmarked cars.

In the city: Uber works well and is used constantly, sit in the front seat to look like a friend, not a passenger. Street taxis are cheap and safe when hailed via app; avoid flagging from the curb late at night.

Metro: clean, safe, cheap (under 1 USD), and a point of local pride. Includes cable cars (metrocable) up the hillsides, Line K to Santo Domingo is a worthwhile ride on its own.

Intercity buses: for Guatapé and other day trips, buses leave from Terminal del Norte (~2 hours to Guatapé, ~$22k COP).

Renting a car: don't, unless you're driving outside the city. Traffic, parking, and pico y placa restrictions are a headache.

Currency is the Colombian peso (COP). Approximate rate: 3,500 COP = 1 USD (updated weekly).

• Cards work in most restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, and chain stores. Carry some cash for taxis, tiendas, street food, and tips.
• Use bank ATMs (Bancolombia, Davivienda, BBVA) inside malls or branches, not standalone street ATMs. Withdraw larger amounts less often to save on fees.
• Tell your bank you're traveling, or use a no-foreign-fee card (Charles Schwab, Wise, Revolut).
• Tipping: a 10% service charge (propina voluntaria) is usually added at restaurants, they'll ask if you want to include it. Say yes. No extra tip needed.

Medellín's food scene has exploded. A few anchors:

• Provenza & Manila (Poblado) for upscale international.
• Laureles & La 70 for great local food at fair prices.
• Mercado del Río for a one-stop food hall with everything.
• Try: bandeja paisa, arepas with quesito, buñuelos, mondongo, sancocho, lechona, fresh fruit you've never heard of (lulo, guanábana, granadilla, mangostino).
• Drink: Colombian coffee (obviously), aguardiente if you're feeling brave, and local beer (Bogotá Beer Company, 3 Cordilleras).
• Tap water in El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado, and most of the city is genuinely safe to drink. EPM treats it well.

• Dating app meetups in your hotel/Airbnb are the #1 way tourists get drugged and robbed. If you meet someone online, meet in a public restaurant first and don't bring them home night one.
• Sex tourism, illegal involvement with minors is heavily prosecuted, including for foreigners. Do not engage. Hotels report.
• Street drug deals, not your friend. Often a setup for robbery or extortion by fake police.
• Taxis without an app at night, "millionaire's ride" kidnappings are rare but real. Use Uber.
• Changing money on the street, use ATMs or licensed casas de cambio in malls.

• Greet with "buenos días / buenas tardes" when you walk into shops, taxis, elevators. It matters here.
• Paisas are warm and chatty. A little Spanish goes a long way, they'll meet you halfway.
• Don't call the country "Columbia." It's Colombia.
• Pablo Escobar jokes are not funny, he killed a lot of people. Locals find it generally offensive, especially when foreigners are joking about it.
• The country code is +57, the city code is 4. Mobile numbers start with 3.
• Emergency number: 123.