Free tours in Medellín
Free walking tours Medellín · Trip Tours Medellín
From the graffiti and outdoor escalators of Comuna 13 to the city centre with its Botero sculptures, and from Provenza in El Poblado to the Metrocable that climbs to Parque Arví. Medellín is walked neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
The best free tours in Medellín
Medellín is explored on foot in stretches, not in one sitting. It sits wedged into the Aburrá valley, so almost everything is uphill and the mid-afternoon heat weighs on you. The upside is that the metro and the Metrocable link neighbourhoods that lie far apart, so a free tour usually mixes walking around one specific area with a cable-car or train hop to reach the next. It is a city of short, sharp contrasts: in twenty minutes you go from the busy, commercial centre to a lookout with the whole valley at your feet.
Three walks take in almost all of the demand. Comuna 13, in San Javier, is the most requested: you ride up the open-air escalators, read the graffiti that tells the story of the neighbourhood and stop to hear the rappers and try an ice cream at the stalls up top. The historic centre is the second: Plaza Botero with its sculptures, the Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe and Plaza de las Luces (Cisneros), all seen on a flat two-hour stroll. And El Poblado is the third, more about the neighbourhood than the monuments: Provenza street and the Manila area gather cafés, murals and terraces, and they help you understand the Medellín that transformed itself over the last few decades.
Almost all of them start from an easily recognisable metro station: San Javier station for Comuna 13, and around Parque Berrío or Plaza de las Luces for the centre. It is best to go in the morning, around 9 or 10, to dodge the heat and the afternoon downpour, which in Medellín is almost daily in the rainy season. Booking a place costs nothing; at the end you leave a voluntary contribution for the guide, depending on how long the walk lasted and how much you learned. Bring water, comfortable shoes for the hills and some cash in pesos for the ice cream or coffee along the way.
Day trips in Medellín
Day trips, skip-the-line tickets and guided visits in Medellín, booked through GetYourGuide.
Free tours in Medellín are booked through Trip Tours partners such as FreeTour.com and GuruWalk. Booking is free and the price is the same for you; it helps us keep the site running.
Frequently asked questions about free tours in Medellín
- How much do you pay for the free tour in Medellín?
- Booking your spot is free. When the route ends you thank the guide with a voluntary contribution, usually in the range of 15 to 20 euros per person. You can hand it over in cash, in Colombian pesos or in euros, depending on how much you enjoyed and learned.
- Which free tour is best to begin with in Medellín?
- If it is your first day, the historic centre walk gives the city its order: Plaza Botero, the Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe and Plaza de las Luces on a flat two-hour stroll. If you have come above all for the graffiti and the neighbourhood's recent history, begin with Comuna 13, the most popular and most photographed walk of all.
- Is it worth signing up in advance?
- In high season (December, January and Holy Week) and for Comuna 13 it is worth booking one or two days ahead, because groups fill up. The rest of the year, signing up the day before is usually enough. Booking costs nothing and secures you a place and a Spanish-speaking guide.
- Do the free tours run in the rain?
- Yes. In Medellín it rains almost every afternoon during the rainy season, so the guides head out anyway and make use of covered stops when it comes down hard. The Comuna 13 escalators are out in the open, so a light raincoat or a folding umbrella will come in handy. That is why many walks start in the middle of the morning, while the sky is still holding.
- What is the must-do excursion near Medellín?
- Guatapé, about two hours away by road. The classic plan is to climb the 740 steps of the Piedra del Peñol for the views over the reservoir and then wander the town's streets, their lower walls painted in bright colours. It is a full-day trip booked separately from the city free tour, ideal to pair with Medellín on a three- or four-day stay.
Why book your free tour with Trip Tours
Local guides
Walks with Medellín guides who tell the city first-hand, with stories you won't find in a paper guidebook.
Several time slots
Departures at different times of day so they fit your trip, morning or afternoon.
Free booking
Hold your spot without paying anything upfront and cancel at no cost if your plans change.
