Companion guide · Medellín
Things to do in Medellín while your partner recovers
You came to look after someone, and you have 5 to 10 days with long quiet stretches. Here is how to split them: short outings you can share, the things your patient has to skip, and a day trip for when they are resting.
Your job on the trip
- Be there for the clinic appointments and the first night after the procedure.
- Carry the bags. After most surgery, lifting is off the list for weeks.
- Keep fluids, medicines from the clinic and the clinic's phone number to hand.
- Know where the nearest pharmacy is. Pharmacies (droguerías) are on almost every street, and several chains in El Poblado and Laureles open 24 hours and deliver.
- Emergency number: 123 for ambulance, police and fire.
Short outings to share
Seated, short and close to the clinic districts. Most fit the early recovery days. Check each day's rules in the patient's guide.
Medellín Botanical Garden
Free gardens with an orchid house and shaded paths, next to Parque Explora.
Gentle walking, shaded or covered, about 1.5 hours
Parque Explora and aquarium
An interactive science museum with a large freshwater aquarium. Indoors.
Gentle walking, indoors, about 2.5 hours
Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara
A replica Antioquian village on a hilltop in the city, with views over Medellín. A short taxi ride up.
Gentle walking, some open-air walking, about 1.5 hours
Museum of Modern Art of Medellín (MAMM)
Colombian contemporary art in a converted steelworks in Ciudad del Río. Calm and air-conditioned.
Gentle walking, indoors, about 1.5 hours
Museo Casa de la Memoria
A free museum on the city's recent history of conflict and recovery. Indoors and quiet.
Gentle walking, indoors, about 1.5 hours
El Tesoro or Santafé mall
Large air-conditioned malls with cafés and benches, handy for a rainy afternoon.
Gentle walking, indoors, about 2 hours
Colombian cooking class
Cook arepas, empanadas and other local dishes with a chef, then eat them. Indoors.
Gentle walking, indoors, about 3 hours
Things to do on your own
Your patient has to skip these on most days, so they are ideal while they rest.
Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero
Fernando Botero's paintings indoors, and his bronze sculptures on the busy square outside.
Gentle walking, some open-air walking, about 2 hours
Comuna 13 graffiti tour
Street art, outdoor escalators and hillside lanes with a local guide. Steep, busy and mostly in the sun.
A few hours on foot with breaks, mostly in full sun, about 4 hours
Coffee farm tour
A visit to a coffee farm in the hills outside the city: plants, picking, roasting and tasting.
A few hours on foot with breaks, some open-air walking, about 6 hours
Guatapé and El Peñol day trip
The colourful lakeside town and more than 700 steps up El Peñol rock, about two hours each way, often with a boat ride.
Strenuous, mostly in full sun, about 10 hours
Rooftop bars and Parque Lleras
El Poblado's rooftop bars and clubs. Late, loud and built around drinking, often on your feet for hours.
A few hours on foot with breaks, indoors, about 4 hours
Metrocable ride over the hillsides
A seated cable car ride from Acevedo station over the hillside neighbourhoods, with wide views of the valley.
Seated, shaded or covered, about 1.5 hours
Cafés in Provenza, El Poblado
Leafy streets of cafés and small shops close to many clinics. Sit with a juice or a coffee.
Seated, shaded or covered, about 1.5 hours
Exotic fruit tasting at the market
A guided walk through a busy market, tasting fruits most visitors have never seen.
Gentle walking, shaded or covered, about 2.5 hours
Downtown walking tour
A guided walk through the city centre's squares, churches and markets. Busy streets and some sun.
A few hours on foot with breaks, some open-air walking, about 3 hours
Parque Arví
A forest park on the plateau above the city, reached by Metrocable, with trails and a weekend market.
A few hours on foot with breaks, shaded or covered, about 4 hours
Paragliding over the Aburrá Valley
A tandem flight from San Félix in the hills north of the city, with a harness, a helmet and a bumpy landing.
A few hours on foot with breaks, mostly in full sun, about 4 hours
Colombian cacao and chocolate workshop
Taste and make chocolate from Colombian cacao in a small indoor workshop.
Seated, indoors, about 2 hours
Hotel spa with steam and hot tub
Steam rooms, saunas and hot tubs in El Poblado hotel spas.
Seated, indoors, about 2 hours
A day trip, if you have a free day
Guatapé and El Peñol day trip
The colourful lakeside town and more than 700 steps up El Peñol rock, about two hours each way, often with a boat ride.
Strenuous, mostly in full sun, about 10 hours
Long days away are best on a day when your patient is comfortable and has no appointment.
Where to eat
- Fresh fruit juices. Jugos of lulo, maracuyá, guanábana or mango, made with water or milk at any café.
- Sancocho or mondongo soup. Hearty chicken, beef or tripe soups with vegetables, served at lunch with rice and avocado.
- Buñuelos and natilla. Cheese dough balls and a soft custard-like dessert, in bakeries all year.
- Arepas. Corn cakes with cheese or butter, at every bakery and street stand.
- Bandeja paisa. The regional platter: beans, rice, ground beef, crackling, egg, arepa and plantain. Huge and heavy.
- Empanadas. Fried corn pastries with meat and potato, sold on every corner. Crunchy.
- Aguardiente. The local anise spirit, poured at every party.
Recovery guides for Medellín
Tummy tuck
Medellín
10 days, day by day. A tummy tuck is major surgery on the abdomen.
Open the guideLiposuction
Medellín
7 days, day by day. Liposuction usually means one night in hospital.
Open the guideBBL
Medellín
10 days, day by day. The grafted fat needs time to take hold, so the rules are about pressure: no sitting on your buttocks except on a BBL pillow, sleeping face down, wearing the garment around the clock, walking a little every day and waiting at least one to two weeks before flying.
Open the guideBreast augmentation
Medellín
10 days, day by day. Expect soreness and swelling for two to three weeks.
Open the guide
Pharmacy and clinic map: Medellín
Clinic districts
- El Poblado. Most plastic surgery clinics, recovery hotels, cafés and nightlife. Clinics · Pharmacies
- Laureles. Flatter, quieter streets with hotels and clinics. Clinics · Pharmacies
- Envigado. South of El Poblado: residential, with several clinics and recovery houses. Clinics · Pharmacies
- Centro. Plaza Botero, museums and markets. Busy by day. Clinics · Pharmacies
Pharmacies and emergencies
Pharmacies (droguerías) are on almost every street, and several chains in El Poblado and Laureles open 24 hours and deliver.
Emergency: 123 for ambulance, police and fire.