Medellín Commune 13: Street Art Tour & Local Food with Guide

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/20

Duration3h

GroupUp to 40

LanguagesEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

The Escalators of Commune 13: Where Medellín's Graffiti Tells a Story

You walk through Commune 13's murals with someone who knows the neighborhood's real history, taste local snacks, watch live street performance, and reach the escalators with a guide who explains what each piece of art means. The tour includes entrance to the escalators and curated photo spots, and runs two to three hours in English or Spanish.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Commune 13 street art and culture

Meet guide at meeting point
Tour graffiti and urban art
Taste local empanadas and ice cream
Watch breakdancer and MC shows
Visit top of escalators for views
Learn stories behind murals
End tour at meeting point

The Experience

Your guide meets you in a green shirt at the starting point, and from there you walk straight into Commune 13—the neighborhood that was once considered one of the most dangerous parts of Medellín and is now covered in some of the city's most striking street art. The murals aren't just decoration; each one has a reason, a history, a person behind it, and your guide, who grew up here, explains what you're looking at as you move through the narrow streets. You stop in front of walls painted floor to ceiling, and the guide points out the evolution of the art, the names of the artists, the symbols that mean something to the community.

Partway through, you taste what the neighborhood actually eats—empanadas made locally, and mango ice cream that's nothing like what you'd get anywhere else in the city. There's a breakdancer or MC performing in one of the plazas, and you watch for a moment before moving on. The live dance experience isn't a staged show; it's just what happens in this sector on most days. You climb toward the famous escalators, the ones that were installed to connect the upper neighborhoods to the lower ones, and from there the view opens up—the whole city spreads out, and your guide tells you stories about what changed here and why people stayed.

The guide knows which angles work for photos and points them out without making it feel like you're just collecting Instagram moments, though the spots they show you are genuinely good ones. The whole thing takes about two to three hours, and you're moving at a pace that lets you actually look, not just pass through. English or Spanish, depending on what you need.

What’s included

Your day includes a local guide with personal stories about the neighborhood, entrance to the Commune 13 escalators, exploration of street art and hidden spots throughout the sector, traditional snacks (empanadas and mango ice cream), a live dance or performance experience, and photo moments curated for social media. The guide speaks English or Spanish and meets you at the starting point in a green shirt marked with the Medellín History Tour logo.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Medellín History Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to understand Commune 13's real story rather than just see the murals—a guide who grew up here is what makes that possible, and it's what sets this apart from walking it alone.