Medellín is the second most developed city in Colombia and one of the cities where it is possible to to learn Spanish in one of the schools Nueva Lengua!

This article to summarize the possibilities of transport and have a vision of mobility in this city where life is good!

In other words, the geography of Medellín is in itself a challenge for architects: it is indeed located in the middle of the central Andes mountain range and extends for the most part along two mountains.

The most popular, recent, safe and clean way is the subway, which connects the city from north to south and from east to west. It is the only city in Colombia that has a subway and I was personally surprised to see the cleanliness and respect for the strict rules that citizens observe: indeed you cannot smoke, consume, drink or eat in the entire infrastructure. The price is quite affordable (the equivalent of 50 euro cents each way).

The city also has a tram that connects the city center with the east of the city and an urban bus system that operates in the city and connects it with surrounding peri-urban municipalities such as Envigado, for example. It is a popular and convenient way, but as in all big cities, it can take longer in rush hour…

The great recent innovation and the key to the transformation of the city is, of course, the construction of the metro cable, a cable car that connects the neighborhoods built on the heights with the city center, and facilitates the life and work of these people of mostly modest origins. You can also reach the gigantic Arvi park by this means.

Of course, there is a more expensive but affordable taxi system. Taxis can usually be safely hailed on the street during the day. There is also an Internet application (TAPPSI) that allows you to order the trip directly with your smartphone.

Although Uber is illegal in Colombia, it still works. Cars are usually more comfortable than taxis, they have GPS and the fare is a bit cheaper.

For long distances in Colombia in general, it is possible to take comfortable buses or travel by plane. Sometimes the price difference is not really significant between these two means. Traveling by train is not possible due to the lack of railways. Traveling by land allows you to see the landscape and feel the differences in altitude, vegetation and climate but it takes much longer (10 hours by bus VS 1 hour by plane for the distance Medellín-Bogotá for example) and given the mountain roads it is better so as not to suffer dizziness...

In Medellín, due to the traffic, the organization of the roads and the geography, it is not very practical to travel by bicycle for utilitarian routes. However, cycling is a sport that is truly appreciated by the population and very popular despite the difficulty of the relief!

This article was originally written in French