Northern Aburrá Valley
Explore Northern Aburrá Valley with verified places and an interactive map.
- 25 places
- 19 zones
- 8 categories
- average
- Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá de La EstrellaCentroThe basilica of Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá presides over La Estrella's main square and is the country's second sanctuary devoted to that Marian devotion, after Chiquinquirá itself.
Parque Principal de la EstrellaCentroLa 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.- Top ratedAmbar VioletazulPueblo ViejoViewpoint restaurant in Pueblo Viejo with panoramic views over the Aburrá Valley, evening bonfires and signature cuisine; one of the highest-rated places in the area.
- Top ratedBúngaloCentroSpecialty coffee shop in the centre of Copacabana, opposite the town hall, popular for its warm atmosphere and its breakfast and brunch menu.
- Top ratedGlamping Ancestros EcoparqueVereda El PalmarAncestros combines accommodation and activities in the El Palmar hamlet, in the hills of Girardota, and works both ways: you can sleep there or go up just for the day.
- Santuario De La CruzEl CabuyalThe Santuario de la Cruz crowns a hill in the El Cabuyal hamlet, in Copacabana, with a metal structure some twenty-five metres tall that is visible from the valley.
- La Caprichosa CopacabanaCentroMexican restaurant in Copacabana with a good atmosphere and music, known for its XL nachos and its Mexican dishes.
- Top ratedLa Fiera RestobarCentroRestobar and grill right in the centre of Barbosa, focused on flame-grilled meats, cazuelas and a social atmosphere; it also works as an events venue.
- ArigatoVereda San José – MeleguindoArigato is a bakery and a vegetarian pizzeria at the same time, on Calle 81 Sur in La Estrella, and it makes on the premises everything it sells.
- Cocorolló La EstrellaLa Tablaza (Troncal de Occidente / Ancón Sur)Well-known Antioquian brand of hojaldras, pandequesos and traditional cooking; a classic stop on the Troncal, open all day.
- Comfama Parque CopacabanaAutopista Norte km 18Comfama's emblematic recreation park, known as 'Las Ballenitas', with swimming pools, water slides, a lake with boats and large green areas; a family tradition in the north of the Aburrá Valley.
- La DespensaNorte del ValleSmall, intimate and cosy restaurant serving artisan and gourmet cooking, with a chef trained in Buenos Aires; the grilled salmon is one of its signature dishes.
- Refugio NakawéZona alta (vereda San José / Pueblo Viejo)Nakawé sits in the Peñas Blancas hamlet, in the upper part of La Estrella, and its format is closer to a country retreat than a conventional restaurant: tables spread outdoors, vegetation all around, and the picnic as its organising idea.
- Parroquia Nuestra Señora de La Asunción, CopacabanaCentro (Parque Principal)La Asunción is Copacabana's oldest parish and one of the most historic sites in the northern valley: the foundation goes back to 1659, and tradition holds that the first mass in the Aburrá valley was celebrated on this very spot on 8 September 1541.
- Los MeandrosVereda La Matica Parte BajaLos Meandros sits on the northern motorway at kilometre 25, in the La Matica hamlet of Girardota, and its name comes from what you see from there: the meanders of the river opening out across the valley.
- Club El ZarzalVereda El Zarzal (Curazao)Country club for spending the day, with a swimming pool, a farm with animals and a restaurant, in the rural area of the El Zarzal hamlet.
- El RancheritoVereda El Noral (Km 14 vía Girardota)This is El Rancherito's house in Copacabana, in the northern valley, and it works on the same premise as the rest of the chain: traditional Antioquian cooking in a large restaurant format.
- Los CorralesBarrio SantanaFamily country restaurant-bar with a grill, cocktails, live music, horses and a children's area; a popular weekend hangout.
- Los Charcos de El BrujoVereda Dos QuebradasEl Brujo is the best known natural bathing spot in Barbosa, in the Dos Quebradas hamlet, barely a kilometre from town along the road towards Porce.
- La Laguna Encantada, reserva natural el romeralVeredas El Guayabo / El Romeral (zona alta)La Laguna Encantada is a natural body of water on the ridge of the El Romeral reserve, and reaching it is one of the most demanding walks you can do without leaving the metropolitan area.
- Morro de la virgen Barbosa AntioquiaNorte del ValleMorro de la Virgen is Barbosa's go-to viewpoint: a short hill you climb in about twenty minutes on a well-marked path, with the whole town laid out below.
- Parque Comfama La EstrellaPueblo Viejo / Casa JardínThe Comfama park in La Estrella is the large recreation facility of the southern valley, on Calle 87 Sur.
- Parque de las AguasVereda FiloverdeParque de las Aguas is the metropolitan area's water park, in the Filoverde hamlet of Barbosa, beside kilometre 23 of the Autopista Norte. It covers up to seventeen hectares.
- Parque Simón BolívarCentroThe heart of Barbosa: the Simón Bolívar main square, tree-lined and lively, presided over by the Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua, a neo-Romanesque church completed in 1948.
Before you go
Beyond Bello, the Aburrá Valley continues north through Copacabana, Girardota and Barbosa, towns that keep a small-town character and an increasingly rural landscape. As you head down towards Barbosa the climate gets warmer, rivers and natural pools appear, and people from Medellín come at weekends looking for a pool, sancocho and fresh air.
Each town has its own draw. Copacabana combines a traditional centre and its La Asunción church with cafés such as Búngalo and hikes such as the one to Santuario de la Cruz. Girardota is known across Antioquia for the pilgrimage to the Señor Caído in its cathedral, and its rural areas have glamping and country restaurants overlooking the river. Barbosa, the furthest, is about natural pools, water parks and viewpoints such as the Morro de la Virgen. There are recreation parks run by family-welfare funds and roadside restaurants at $$ for a family lunch.
The Metro does not reach this far: you travel by car or on intercity buses from the Terminal del Norte, next to Caribe station. Check each place's town before you set off, because distances between towns are long and Sunday-afternoon traffic back to the city can be heavy. In rivers and natural pools, stay out if it has rained: flash floods come quickly.
