Things to do
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Comuna 13
Outdoor escalators climb the hillside of San Javier, once a byword for violence in the country and now the busiest walking route in the city. Murals, hip hop crews and viewpoints line the way up, with sellers of mango and paletas at every landing. Guides from the barrio explain the 2002 military operation that broke the armed groups. Crowds build through the afternoon, so the early tours move more freely.
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El Peñón de Guatapé
A granite monolith rises two hundred metres from the lake shore, split by a crack that carries a masonry staircase of more than seven hundred steps. The climb takes about twenty minutes at a steady pace and ends on a platform over a maze of green inlets. Queues form at weekends and on holidays. Water is sold at the top, and the descent uses a separate flight.
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Museo de Antioquia
A restored art deco municipal palace on the plaza holds the work Fernando Botero donated to his home city, alongside Antioquian painting, pre-Hispanic gold and modern Colombian art. Ninety minutes covers it, and the upper floors stay quiet even when the square below is full. Temporary shows change often and are worth checking before arriving.
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Parque Arví
A cable car from Santo Domingo crosses the ridge and lands in cloud forest above the valley, where pre-Hispanic footpaths and stone canals survive under the trees. Marked trails, a weekend market and guided walks fill a half day. The ride alone earns the trip for the view back over the city. Temperatures drop sharply up there, so a jacket matters.
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Plaza Botero
Twenty three bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero stand in the open in front of the Museo de Antioquia, rounded figures of cats, women and soldiers that visitors rub for luck. The square sits beside the Parque Berrio metro stop in a dense commercial quarter, lively by day and worth some care with bags after dark. Nothing is charged to see them, and the museum is a step away.
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Pueblito Paisa
Whitewashed houses, a chapel and a barber shop make up a replica Antioquian village on Cerro Nutibara, built in 1978 as a picture of highland life before the city filled the valley. The draw is the circuit of the summit, which reads the whole basin from one point. Evenings bring families and street food, and the craft stalls sell what downtown sells.