Casa de la Memoria and Downtown Tour, Medellín (Private)

From $58 USD per person

The Museo Casa de la Memoria opened in 2012, costs nothing to enter, and was built out of testimonies, documents and the work of people who survived Medellín’s armed conflict. It is one of the most complete accounts of urban war anywhere in Latin America, and it assumes you already know who was fighting whom. This four-hour private tour supplies what the exhibits leave out, then walks you from the museum to the market, the park and the plaza, in that order, because the order is the point.

How the day works

• Your guide collects you from your hotel and sets out the arc of the day on the way downtown: what happened here, what changed, and why the sequence of stops tells it better than any one of them alone.
• You spend an hour in the Casa de la Memoria in Bicentenario Park: interactive maps of the areas hit by massacres, twelve cases devoted to each group caught in the conflict, life-size video testimony, searchable newspaper archives, and the Wall of Memory outside carrying the names of the dead. Entry is free.
• You walk to Placita de Flórez, one of the oldest working markets in the centre, where flowers, fruit, cheese and cooked food are sold the way they have been for generations.
• You stop in San Antonio Park, where a Botero sculpture bombed in 1995 stands beside the intact one the city placed next to it, both left there on purpose. There are food stops nearby.
• You finish in Plaza Botero among the 23 sculptures the artist gave the city, then your guide returns you to your hotel. Four hours in total.

What’s included

• Private English-speaking guide for the full four hours
• Private hotel pickup and drop-off in Medellín
• Casa de la Memoria visit, free entry
• Local food tastings near San Antonio Park
• All-risk insurance

Not included

• Museum of Antioquia entry, if you add it on the day
• Meals and extra drinks
• Personal purchases at Placita de Flórez or elsewhere
• Gratuities, appreciated but never expected

Good to know

• The Casa de la Memoria closes on Mondays. If your tour falls on a Monday your guide offers an alternative museum. After a public holiday it can also close on the Tuesday, so confirm when you book.
• The museum deals directly with violence and with the people it was done to. It is a serious cultural institution, not dark tourism, and it is heavy. Tell us at booking if you would rather not engage with that material.
• Around three hours of walking on downtown pavements and cobbles. Flat, comfortable shoes.
• Light clothing with a jacket for the afternoon. Medellín averages 23°C to 30°C but shifts.
• The tour runs any day of the week, subject to museum opening on Mondays.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as the Escobar tour?

No, and the difference matters. The Escobar tour follows one man’s story across the city. This one is told by the people the conflict happened to, through the museum they built.

Does the museum cost anything?

No. Entry to the Casa de la Memoria is free. Your guide’s job there is context, not access.

Is it too heavy for children?

It can be. The content is serious and the testimony is direct. Your guide will adapt, but this is worth a parent’s judgement before booking.

Is Placita de Flórez a tourist market?

No. It is a working neighbourhood market that has survived while most of its equivalents in other Colombian cities were replaced by supermarkets, which is part of why it is on the route.

What happens on a Monday?

The museum is closed, so your guide substitutes another museum that fits your interests. After a public holiday it may also close on the Tuesday, so confirm your date when booking.