Shopping malls in Medellín
Shopping malls: the best places in and around Medellín, verified one by one.
- 10 places
- 6 zones
- average
Centro Comercial Puerta del NorteBelloPuerta del Norte is the largest shopping centre in Bello and absorbs much of the retail traffic of the northern valley.
Centro Comercial OviedoEl PobladoOviedo opened in 1979 with 97 units and is the oldest shopping centre in El Poblado. It has grown in stages — extensions in 1994, 1998 and 2003 — into a multi-level complex above Avenida El Poblado, with fashion, food, cinema and services.- Top ratedCentro Comercial ArkadiaBelénOpened at the end of 2019 with more than 150,000 m² of construction, Arkadia is the most modern and cutting-edge shopping centre in south-west Medellín. It stands out for its open bioclimatic architecture, a wide range of national and international fashion, Cinemark cinemas with XD technology, a Smart Fit gym, and a food plaza and terrace with views of the Belén mountains and the runway of Olaya Herrera Airport.
- Top ratedCentro comercial Parque FabricatoBelloParque Fabricato stands on Carrera 50, in the Rincón Santos neighbourhood, in a sector whose history is inseparable from the textile mill it is named after: Fabricato was for decades Bello's industrial engine and the reason the town grew.
- Top ratedCentro Comercial Viva Envigado & Calle BistróEnvigadoWith more than 320,000 m² of construction, Viva Envigado is the shopping centre with the largest commercial area in Colombia. It has the open food corridor 'Calle Bistró' with more than 30 sit-down restaurants, the largest IMAX cinema screen in the country from Cine Colombia, the rooftop amusement park 'Viva Park' with a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster, and sports courts.
- Centro Comercial Los MolinosBelénStrategically located on Calle 30 and Carrera 80, Los Molinos is the best-established shopping centre in western Medellín. It has five themed design towers that evoke regions and elements of Antioquia, Cine Colombia cinemas, a bowling alley, the Flying Squirrel trampoline park, an Éxito hypermarket and more than 300 brands.
- Centro Comercial MayorcaSabanetaMayorca is the reference shopping centre of the southern valley and has an advantage few match: direct access from the Itagüí metro station, so half the city reaches it without a car.
- Centro Comercial Premium PlazaManilaPremium Plaza does not compete with the hillside shopping centres: it is a neighbourhood centre, with a local crowd and an everyday rhythm.
- Centro Comercial Santafé MedellínEl PobladoSantafé is one of Medellín's largest shopping centres and sits at the southern end of El Poblado, on Carrera 43A. Its scale shows first in the car park: six basement levels with more than two thousand spaces.
- El Tesoro Parque ComercialEl PobladoEl Tesoro sits on the hillside it is named after, at the junction with the Transversal Superior, and what sets it apart from Medellín's other shopping centres is that much of it is open air: open plazas, terraces and gardens looking out over the valley.
Before you go
In Medellín a shopping centre is much more than a place to shop: it is where families spend Sunday, where people go to the cinema, have lunch in the food court and take shelter when the afternoon downpour arrives. So this category is not only for anyone who needs to buy something, but for anyone looking for an easy, safe plan under a roof.
Each one has its own character. In El Poblado, El Tesoro sits up on the hillside, with spots that look over part of the valley and a reputation for welcoming pets; Santafé is large and central within the district, and Oviedo is one of the more traditional ones. To the north, Parque Fabricato and Puerta del Norte in Bello are the weekend plan for many families in the north of the valley, and in Sabaneta, Mayorca plays that role in the south.
On weekends and during the year-end season car parks fill up and cinema queues grow; on weekdays everything moves faster. If you are not driving, check the nearest Metro station, because avoiding afternoon traffic makes a real difference. Food courts are usually the cheapest way to eat inside any shopping centre.
