BEST MUSEUMS IN MEDELLÍN
ANTIOQUIA MUSEUM
The Museo de Antioquia is quite frankly the most important museum in Medellín. If you can only visit just one museum, make sure it is this one.
The main feature is a massive exhibition dedicated to Medellín’s most famous artist, Fernando Botero, as well as some fascinating exhibitions focusing on modern, colonial and religious art. The stunning architecture of the building housing this museum is arguably reason enough to part with the very reasonable entry fee.
A massive collection of Botero’s artwork is exhibited in twelve separate rooms and you will also find a totally free exhibit of his sculptures out front in Plaza Botero with a twenty-three-piece collection of giant sculptures.
In the museum itself, you can also find an array of other artists, detailing the history and culture of Colombian art and also more contemporary work. There is an important library with thousands of documents and films about the history and culture of the country.
Handheld audio guides are available so you can freely tour the different exhibit halls at your own pace. There is also museum staff available to answer questions for you to learn more about the exhibits. This is not only the most important museum in Medellín, but also the second largest museum in all of Colombia, home to thousands of significant pieces of history, art and culture of the country. This museum sits in the heart of Centro, so make a day out of exploring this part of the city, stopping in at this awesome institution.
Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday 10AM to 5PM
Entry fee for Foreigners 40,000 pesos (US$10), for Colombian Nationals 16,000 pesos
Seniors & Students 12,000. Discounts for groups of 8 or more – Foreigners 34,000 pesos (US$8), Nationals 13,600 pesos
Address: Carerra 52 #52-53 Medellín.
Tel. (+57 4) 251-3636
Website: https://museodeantioquia.co/sitio/
Museum Location
MODERN ART MUSEUM
There is really nowhere better for an art-lover to go in Medellín than the Museo de Arte Moderno in the Ciudad del Rio neighbourhood of El Poblado. Housed in an imposing and dramatic structure – itself a marvellous work of modern art – the museum is home to an incredible sequence of works by Débora Arango, a well-known modern artist who was born in Medellín.
It is housed in a refurbished industrial building, which was a former steel mill. Known also as El Mamm, this museum highlights modern and contemporary art.
You will not only love the modern structure of this museum, which includes concrete and metal boxes with floating stairs and a terrace from which you can contemplate a beautiful view of Medellín. You can also enjoy green spaces where bazaars, concerts and film screenings are occasionally held.
To get to the Museo de Arte Moderno, the fastest and easiest way is to take the Metro to the station Industriales.
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday 11AM – 7PM
Saturdays & Sundays 11AM – 6PM
Closed on Mondays, except on Holiday Mondays, then the following day, Tuesday, is closed.
Entrance fee:
16,500 pesos for Colombian Nationals and Residents
24,000 pesos (US$5.50) for foreigners.
18,500 pesos (US$4.40) for Seniors & Students
Free entrance on the last Friday of each month from 6PM – 10PM
Address: Carrera 44 #19A-100, Ciudad del Rio, Medellín.
Tel: (+57 4) 444 2622
Website: https://www.elmamm.org/
Email: info@elmamm.org
Museum Location
CASTLE MUSEUM AND GARDENS
Not many expect to come across a huge European-style castle in the heart of Medellín, but this castle happens to contain one of Medellín’s most unique and interesting museums.
Stroll around the lovely gardens and enjoy the Medellín eternal spring sunshine. It is also well worth taking the time to enjoy one of the hourly guided tours of the castle, where you can explore its myriad rooms and discover beautiful antique furniture and embellishments from hundreds of years ago.
Also, there is a wide variety of additional items, including fine china, porcelain and Baccarat crystalware, that are all kept in pristine condition throughout this stately mansion.
The castle was first built for the founder of Farmacia Pasteur and later acquired by an extremely wealthy family that dedicated themselves to decorating it with important art to convert it into a museum and cultural centre for the city.
From the castle, the panoramic views of the city are superb. The gardens are perfect for a picnic or just to relax for an hour or two. If you are fortunate, you might see some of the local scarlet macaws and others making their presence felt. To get to El Castillo Museo y Jardines, take the Metro to the station Aguacatala.
Opening hours:
Mondays to Fridays 9 am -5 pm
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays 10 am – 5 pm
Guided tour of the Castle and Gardens
Adults $27,000 (US$6.45)
Children and/or students: $20,000 (US$4.80)
Entrance only to the gardens
Adults $22,000 (US$5.25)
Children and/or students: $17,000 (US$4.00)
Includes university students
Car parking $11,000
Motorcycle $7,000
Address: Calle 9 Sur 32-269 Loma Los Balsos, El Poblado, Medellín.
Tel: (+57 4) 266 0900
Museum Location
Website: https://www.museoelcastillo.org
SAN PEDRO CEMETERY MUSEUM
Cementerio Museo de San Pedro is both an active cemetery and a museum in Medellín. Constructed in 1842 at the initiative of fifty families from the city’s elite, who wanted to have a place to keep their relatives. Declared a museum in 1998, it is a very important part of the city´s architectural and cultural legacy due to its patrimonial and artistic wealth.
The San Pedro Cemetery is the most traditional cemetery in Medellín. On the terraces and quiet areas, there are emblematic artistic European works, embodied in sculptures and monuments, by the renowned artists of the time, including Bernardo Vieco, Marco Tobón Mejía, Melitón Rodríguez and Agustín Goovaerts. The beauty of the place can be appreciated on a guided tour, while discovering the mysticism that surrounds this place.
Within the cemetery, there is a small church with amazing stained-glass windows. The main draw here is the many tombs, mausoleums and sculptures constructed out of marble and bronze, which were built for the many important Colombian political figures. Some date back more than 100 years and provide important insights into local history.
At certain times, there are cultural events on full moon nights, including shows, theatre, dance performances and concerts. These events have become very popular with the younger generations and include many tourists.
There are free guided tours available at the Cementerio Museo de San Pedro, which are highly recommended. There are interesting stories about the architecture and art around the cemetery.
Certainly, this cemetery is well worth a visit as it is another way to learn about the history and culture of Medellín.
Free entrance
DAYTIME TOUR:
Guided tour that can be general or cover various museum topics, such as history, art, commerce, politics, etc.
Duration approximately 120 minutes. Available in Spanish or English.
From 8AM – 5PM
SPECIALIZED DAYTIME TOUR:
Guided tour that delves into the museum’s theme of your group’s choice, or a combination of several.
Duration approximately 120 minutes. Available in Spanish or English.
From 8AM– 5PM
NIGHT TOUR:
General guided tour or a specific museum theme requested by the group.
Duration approximately 120 minutes. Available in Spanish or English.
From 6PM – 8PM
INDIVIDUAL TOUR:
Tours for national and international tourists or occasional visits in Spanish. Duration approximately 60 minutes.
From 8AM – 4PM
To get to Cementerio Museo de San Pedro, take the nearest Metro to Hospital station.
Opening hours:
Daily 7:30AM – 5:30PM
Website: https://cementeriosanpedro.org.co/
Tel. +57 324 504 3520
Email: auxiliarmuseo@cementeriosanpedro.org.co
Museum Location
BOTANICAL GARDEN
Jardín Botánico is a huge reprieve of peace and composure in a big energetic city, where you will find more than thirty-four acres of land with over a thousand different plant species from different regions. These botanical gardens were declared a Cultural Heritage of Medellín in 1985.
In this way, the people of Medellín can spend a pleasant day in the gardens nestled within the city, representing not only an essential strategic urban ecosystem for the health of its inhabitants, but also constituting a living and invaluable museum. Its flora is currently made up of native and exotic species from different habitats, while it houses hundreds of animals such as birds, turtles, reptiles, rodents, insects and fish.
The Jardin Botánico is divided into separate zones – Caldas Lake, Tropical Forest, Garden of the Orchids, The House of Butterflies, Desert Garden, and the Garden of the Palms. The zones are devised to follow the ecosystems and also serve as habitats for different birds and insects. Being faithful to its leitmotif of Living Museum, the Botanical Garden of Medellín is a suitable natural complex to be used as a recreation park.
Should you be visiting in August, you can catch the garden’s display of orchids for Feria de las Flores, or in September, they host events for the Book and Culture Festival. Needless to say, whenever you go, there is still a myriad of activities and things to do in the botanical gardens. The Garden´s website contains the calendar of events.
To easily reach Jardín Botánico, take the nearest Metro to Universidad station.
Opening hours:
9AM – 4:00PM
Address: Calle 73 # 51D-14, Medellín.
Tel: (+57 4) 444 5500
Free entry
Website: https://www.botanicomedellin.org/
Email: comunucaciones@jbotanico.org
Jardin Botanico Location
EXPLORA PARK
The Explora Park in Medellín is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city, providing an educational and fun experience in the field of science and technology. There are more than 300 interactive activities arranged across thematic rooms, with a giant aquarium, a planetarium, a vivarium, a digital theatre with 3D projections and a Botanical Garden.
A science museum with a huge freshwater aquarium called Explora Aquarium, which is also the largest in South America, with more than 4,000 square meters of exhibition, houses a wide variety of marine species such as sharks, rays, jellyfish, corals, octopus, crustaceans and turtles among others. It has more than four thousand species, of which four hundred are native to Colombia.
In addition, the aquarium is organised by thematic environments that recreate the most important marine ecosystems in Colombia, so visitors can explore the biodiversity of the country’s rivers, seas, and oceans and learn about the importance of these ecosystems for the survival of various marine species.
The underwater tunnel at Parque Explora is a fabulous space for literally walking under water. Through the glass structure, you can observe marine animals in their home environment going about their daily life. Amazing photographs can be taken as if you were swimming with them.
Aside from the aquarium, there are many interactive attractions, a 3D auditorium, a terrarium, a vivarium, a TV studio and an outdoor dinosaur exhibit, with a display of full-scale replicas of different species of dinosaurs, some of them move and make sounds to create a more immersive experience.
With a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces, which are all highly interactive and fun, there is something for everyone. The best way to get to Parque Explora is on the Metro to Universidad station.
Opening hours:
Tuesdays to Fridays 8:30AM – 5:30PM
Saturday, Sundays, and Holidays 10AM – 6:30PM
Closed on Mondays except on Holiday Mondays
Address: Carrera 52 # 73-74, Medellín.
Tel: (+57 4) 516 8300.
There are various plans available for entry to the gardens for foreigners, including these:
Individual Explore 55,000 pesos (US$13)
This provides entry to all spaces.
Family Explore 198,000 pesos (US$47)
This provides entry to all spaces for 4 people.
There are also plans for access to the other facilities, including the Planetarium and a show in the Dome, as well as various plans available for small groups.
Website https://www.parqueexplora.org/
Parque Explora Location
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