Medellín Named a 2026 Best Place to Go — How to Eat, Stay and Play
Medellín is having a moment. Condé Nast Traveler has named Colombia's second-largest city one of its Best Places to Go in 2026, and writer Nikkita Nair — who has lived there for three years — makes the case for slowing down and paying attention. Her latest guide covers everything from $35 airport rides to a zero-waste tasting menu, so here's the short version.
Most travelers arrive at José María Córdova International Airport in the neighboring city of Rionegro, about 40 minutes from the center by taxi or Uber (roughly $35–45 USD each way). Nonstop flights from New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Houston run on United, JetBlue, Avianca, American and Frontier.
Once you're in the city, start in El Centro at Plaza Minorista José María Villa, a fruit market where local guides lead two-hour tastings of up to 30 of Colombia's 400-plus native fruits. On Sundays and public holidays, the Ciclovía program closes major roads from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. so runners, bikers and rollerbladers can take over the streets.
Where to eat, drink and stay
The food scene runs from hearty bandeja paisa at old-school institutions to Zombra, chef Pablo Naranjo Agular's zero-waste spot where even eggshells are ground into the garden and the tasting menu changes with the seasons. Nair also name-checks Marzzano's handmade pasta, the garden lunches at Volver, Siempre, Volver in Envigado, and Susurro, whose Loto cocktail blends gin, sake, Andean tea and dry vermouth.
Coffee lovers should try Pergamino and Clus Clus, where the signature cold brew gets a hit of fresh orange juice. In Laureles, Rituales pours single-origin beans from La Sierra — a hillside neighborhood less than eight miles away that 30 local producers now work with directly.
For somewhere to sleep, the biophilic Wake BioHotel in El Tesoro is the flashy newcomer, with a saltwater pool, infrared sauna, cold plunges and a 24-hour gym, while sister property Wake Medellín sits steps from Provenza's restaurants and nightlife.
Tango runs unusually deep here, too. After Argentine singer Carlos Gardel died in a 1935 plane crash in Medellín, the city became one of tango's most devoted homes outside Argentina — and bars like Salón Malaga still spin the records until 2 a.m.