Squares in Medellín
Squares: the best places in and around Medellín, verified one by one.
- 11 places
- 10 zones
- average
- Parque Principal de BelloBelloThe Parque Principal is the centre of Bello in every sense. It was a market square until 1937, when it became a park, and it keeps the feel of an Antioquian town plaza: cobble and tile paving, concrete benches and big trees.
Plaza BoteroLa CandelariaPlaza Botero gathers in the open air the 23 bronze sculptures Fernando Botero donated to his city. There is no other place in the world with so many of his pieces together and out in the weather, and that is exactly the point: you touch them, walk round them and photograph them with no glass in between.
Parque Principal De EnvigadoEnvigadoEnvigado's square was marked out on 11 April 1776, in the act of laying out the new settlement, and is therefore the exact point where the town began.
Parque Berrío.La CandelariaParque de Berrío is Medellín's founding centre. The surveyor Agustín Patiño marked it out as the Plaza Mayor on 2 November 1675, and the city grew from there. Between 1784 and 1892 it served as the public market, and it was also the setting for executions and for the great public and political acts of the nineteenth century.
Parque de SabanetaSabanetaParque Simón Bolívar is Sabaneta's main square: it was built in 1943 and has been remodelled three times, in 1968, 1993 and 1996, keeping the small-town feel the municipality has been losing outside it.
Parque Principal de la EstrellaNorte del ValleLa Estrella's main square is the centre of the town and is organised around the basilica of Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá, which occupies one of its sides.
Parque Simón Bolívar ItagüíItagüíParque Simón Bolívar is Itagüí's main square and, quite literally, the town's reference point: its street numbering is ordered from here, wedged between Calles 50 and 51 and Carreras 50 and 51.- Top ratedParque Principal y Sillas de Colores (Jardín)JardinUnanimously considered one of the most beautiful towns in Colombia, the Parque El Libertador of Jardín is a National Monument. It is dominated by the monumental Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (built in hand-carved stone from the local quarries). The square is known worldwide for its hundreds of hand-painted wooden chairs in vibrant colour combinations in front of the traditional cafés.
- Top ratedPlazoleta y Calle de los Zócalos (Guatapé)GuatapeFamous as 'the most colourful town in the world', the streets of Guatapé keep the centuries-old tradition of carving and painting relief zócalos on the lower part of every house front. The zócalos tell tales of muleteering, family trades, sunflowers, animals and paisa symbols. The Plazoleta de los Zócalos is its nerve centre, with multicoloured stairways, live music and craft shops.
- Top ratedParque Principal de San Antonio de Pereira (Ruta del Postre)RionegroSan Antonio de Pereira is the most emblematic food district of Rionegro, crowned the 'capital of the traditional dessert' of Antioquia. Its cobbled square is surrounded by more than 30 artisan sweet shops specialising in arequipe with figs, dulce de leche millefeuilles, strawberries with fresh cream, tres leches desserts and passion fruit cazuelas, as well as cosy night gastrobars with live music.
- Parque de Belén y Parroquia Nuestra Señora de BelénBelénThe heart of one of the most historic and traditional communes of Medellín. The Parque de Belén is presided over by the imposing Church of Nuestra Señora de Belén (begun in the early 20th century). Around its leafy centuries-old trees and concrete benches, everyday paisa life goes on: traditional ice cream parlours, cafés for chatting, neighbourhood bakeries and bookshops.
Before you go
In Antioquia, when someone says «see you at the park», they almost always mean the main square: the space in front of the church where the town meets, has a tinto, buys the paper and watches the afternoon go by. This category brings those squares together, both downtown Medellín's, such as Parque Berrío and Plaza Botero, and the main squares of Envigado, Sabaneta, Itagüí, Bello or La Estrella.
They are free and very easy to combine. At Plaza Botero you see the artist's sculptures in the open air with the Museo de Antioquia right beside it; it is best on a weekday and in daylight, when downtown feels calmer. The main squares of the southern towns have a different rhythm: in Envigado and Sabaneta they fill up on weekend nights, with restaurants, ice-cream shops and bars all around.
In every town in the valley with a Metro station, the main square is a walk or a short bus or taxi ride from the station. Sunday after mass is the best moment to see small-town life inside the metropolitan area. Watch your belongings in the busiest squares, especially downtown Medellín.
