Comuna 13 Graffiti Walking Tour with Snacks and Spray Art Medellin

Veinte de Julio and Comuna 13 in photographs

The tour begins on the second floor of a gallery foundation building in Veinte de Julio, a busy neighbourhood at the foot of Comuna 13, the district officially called San Javier on Medellin's western hillsides. Your guide starts with a short safety briefing and an introduction to the area, then opens a folder of real photographs: the same streets as dirt paths, self-built brick houses and the years when armed groups fought over the hillside.

Seeing those images while standing in today's colourful streets is the strongest way to understand the change. The guide explains how families arriving from the countryside built the neighbourhood from the 1960s, how violence peaked in the early 2000s, and how public investment and local artists turned it around. The story is told from the residents' side, with respect for the victims. This first part lasts about 20 minutes.

Comuna 13 museum and the outdoor escalators

A short walk uphill brings you to the Comuna 13 museum, a small community space where residents keep the memory of the neighbourhood alive through photos, objects and art. On this tour it is a photo stop with explanations from your guide, a good moment to ask about daily life then and now.

Next come the Comuna 13 escalators, the symbol of the transformation. Opened in 2011, they climb the hillside of Las Independencias in six covered sections, about 384 metres long, saving residents a climb equal to a 28-storey building. They are free to use, and at the top the alleyways are covered with murals, plants and small stalls. Stop for photos on the terraces between sections, where the city stretches out below the red-brick houses.

Murals and a local artist's sculpture gallery

Comuna 13 is often called an open-air museum of street art. The murals here are not decoration: they speak of memory, of the people who disappeared, of nature returning, of Afro-Colombian and indigenous roots and of children's right to a peaceful childhood. Many are painted by local collectives that grew out of the neighbourhood's hip-hop movement, and they change regularly, so every visit is a little different.

The walk stops at the gallery of a local sculptor, where figures made from recycled materials, wood and metal share the space with paintings and prints. The artist's work and the guide's explanations help you read the symbols you see on the walls outside. You can buy original pieces or small souvenirs here; the money goes directly to the community. Allow about 20 minutes.

Afro-Colombian dance and neighbourhood snacks

Many families in Comuna 13 have roots on Colombia's Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and their music is everywhere. On this walk you stop for an Afro-Colombian street dance show, where young performers mix traditional rhythms with urban dance in a burst of energy that often pulls visitors into the circle. Tips for the dancers are welcome.

Then it is time to taste the neighbourhood. At a family ice-cream shop you try a creamy local ice cream, the mango flavour being the classic, followed by butifarras, small spiced sausages from the Caribbean coast served with a squeeze of lime, and an empanada with a crispy corn shell. These snacks are made by local families and are part of the economy that tourism now supports in the streets of Comuna 13.

Viewpoint over Medellin and your own graffiti

The last climb leads to a viewpoint over the Aburrá Valley, where the whole of Medellin spreads between green mountains. In the morning the light is clear and sharp; on the afternoon tour, which ends around dusk, you see the city lights begin to sparkle. Is Comuna 13 worth visiting? From this terrace, looking back over the painted roofs, most travellers say yes without hesitation.

The tour ends with the most personal moment: painting your own graffiti on a wall reserved for visitors. A local artist shows you how to hold the spray can, control the distance and layer colours, and then you create a tag, a symbol or a small design of your own. Spray paint and materials are included. Your artwork joins the wall as a small part of the neighbourhood's creative story. The guide then walks you back to the meeting point.