Etiquette and responsible travel

Medellin.Travel notes Pergamino sells coffee-culture souvenirs such as clothing, mugs, thermoses and postcards, and roasts and serves its best lots at four shops in the city, including one at José María Córdova international airport.

On 10 July 2015 the Ministry of Culture delivered the resolution including the silletero manifestation in the Lista Representativa de Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial; the page identifies the corregimiento of Santa Elena and its inhabitants as the origin and custodians of the silletero tradition.

The Bureau highlights hotel rooftop venues in El Poblado, including Etro Rooftop at Binn Hotel, Espíritu at Novotel Medellín El Tesoro and Terraza del Sol at 23 Hotel Medellín.

Centro mixes history and culture, with theaters (Teatro Pablo Tobon Uribe, Teatro Matacandelas), traditional cafes such as Salon Versalles and Salon Malaga, Placita de Florez, and the Ayacucho tram.

The CVB presents 'mecatear' (snacking between meals, e.g. chicken pastel, buñuelo, fresh coffee, almojabana) as a core part of Medellin food culture; bandeja paisa and cazuela are called emblematic dishes, and arepas and calentao de frijoles appear among traditional breakfast fare.

Lonely Planet says at fancier restaurants you will likely be asked whether to include the propina (tip) in your total, typically around 10% of the meal cost.

Medellín CVB says that at restaurants and bars a 10% tip is usually added to the bill; it is optional, but appreciated when service was good.

Frommer's says midrange and expensive restaurants usually include a 10% tip in the bill, while tipping is not common in budget restaurants or taxis. The page is undated.

FCDO states: "It is illegal to consume alcohol in public spaces."

Canada: "It’s illegal for foreigners to participate in local political activities, rallies or public demonstrations in Colombia." Political involvement may result in deportation.

Lonely Planet (25 Mar 2026) says residents of Medellín are fed up with the city's association with drug cartels and with tourists who go there to use cocaine, advises steering clear of Pablo Escobar tours, and notes some Colombians see the show Narcos as the exaltation of a mass murderer.

Lonely Planet (25 Mar 2026) says tipping is not obligatory but appreciated; at fancier restaurants you will likely be asked whether to include the propina in the bill, typically around 10% of the meal cost.

Rough Guides says Colombians in cities dress casual but presentable (flip-flops are for the beach), modest clothing is best for churches and rural towns, a 10% restaurant tip is standard if not already included (look for "servicio incluido"), and taxis need no tip though rounding up is appreciated.

Rough Guides advises asking before photographing people, especially in Indigenous communities, Afro-Colombian villages, churches and at street protests, and not filming people without consent or treating protests as a photo op.

Rough Guides etiquette: greet even strangers with 'Buenos dias' or 'Como estas', say 'Buen provecho' once everyone is served, expect people in cities to dress well (modest clothing for churches and rural towns), beckon with the whole hand palm down rather than a finger wag, and note English is not widely spoken outside tourist hubs.

Medellin.Travel recommends at least 4 days in the city, says more people speak English, especially in the Poblado area, and advises carrying cash for taxis, buses and street food.

Casa Museo Otraparte offers a self-guided audio guide (guia sonora) in Spanish and English covering its spaces, history and memory.

The CVB's paisa dictionary defines local slang: 'parce' (friend, companion), 'bacano' (something very good or enjoyable), 'chimba' (extremely good or positive) and 'Medallo' (informal, colloquial name for Medellin).

Itagüí's municipal museum announced free guided tours in English on 12 June 2026; visitors request information and schedule them through the museum's official Instagram account @museoitagui.

Lonely Planet (25 Mar 2026) says Colombian Spanish, particularly in Bogotá and Medellín, is considered one of the easiest to understand in Latin America because Colombians carefully enunciate, and that punctuality is relaxed ("Colombian time"), with waits of up to an hour beyond the agreed time possible for appointments or rural colectivos.

Rough Guides says a friendly "Buenos días" or "¿Cómo estás?" is expected even with strangers, women usually greet with a cheek kiss and men with a handshake or a hug if they know each other well, interrupting or talking too loudly is seen as rude, and English is not widely spoken outside tourist hubs.

AFAR reported in January 2022 that Impulse Travel's 'Pablo Who?' tour shows Medellín's recent infrastructure changes while dispelling the portrayal of Escobar and his rivals as Robin Hood figures, and quoted the writer saying the company's guides come from the communities visited.

The official Parque Lleras guide states it promotes responsible tourism free of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, and that only people over 18 are admitted to the clubs.

Medellín's official tourism guide urges visitors to give preference to formalized tourism service providers, and references a 2026-2030 Tourism Security Plan that includes prevention of scams, informal operations, commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking; it lists reporting lines 123 (emergency), 165 (GAULA) and 141 (ICBF).

The official site of Hacienda Nápoles (Doradal, Puerto Triunfo, km 165 Medellín-Bogotá highway) presents a themed-park complex with six parks (including water attractions and wildlife sanctuaries, plus museums) and ten hotels.

The official guide asks visitors not to support the trade of psychoactive substances or the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, flora and fauna, and to report such activity via 123.

AFAR reports that since the early 2000s tourists have come to Medellín for narcotourism, creating demand for tours that glamorize and exploit Colombia's painful history, and that the city has more recently invested in its music scene and works with local artists; Casa Kolacho employs local artists as guides.

AFAR describes Impulse Travel's 'Pablo Who?' tour as dispelling the myth, perpetuated by other city tours, that Escobar and his rivals were 'Robin Hood' figures who took from the rich to help the poor.

Medellín's official guide says its Plan Distrital de Seguridad Turística 2026-2030 promotes formal tourism providers and includes campaigns against scams, informality, commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Lonely Planet tells visitors to steer clear of Pablo Escobar tours and avoid Narcos talk, noting Medellín residents are fed up with the city's association with drug cartels and that some Colombians see the Narcos show as exalting a mass murderer.

FCDO states "The law against the sexual abuse of children (aged 13 and under) is strictly enforced, especially when it involves tourists", that conviction can mean a long prison sentence, and that the 141 national toll-free line and the Child and Adolescent Police are available for 24-hour protection, emergencies and orientation of children and young people.

The Medellín CVB's responsible-tourist decalogue says that in Medellín, anyone who observes a case of child labour or sexual exploitation can report it to the free emergency line 123.

Law 679 of 2001 (art. 16) bars tourism providers from offering plans involving sexual exploitation of minors and has the Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico require codes of conduct; art. 17 requires lodging contracts to warn of the legal consequences of sexual exploitation and abuse of minors.

Law 1336 of 2009 (art. 23) sets 4 to 8 years' prison for whoever directs, organises or promotes tourism activities involving the sexual use of minors, and (art. 12) requires airlines to tell passengers that Colombian law prevents and punishes sexual tourism with children and adolescents.

Migración Colombia (13 Sep 2026) reported seven foreigners were refused entry at José María Córdova airport after migration interviews established their travel purpose would be related to sexual-exploitation tourism, and that a Medellín operation in barrio Antioquia and Parque Lleras identified 17 foreigners with records (theft, drug use, bladed weapons, brawls) grounding expulsion.

The Alcaldía de Medellín (22 Sep 2026) reported that 4,473 people and 1,648 businesses in the tourism sector have been sensitized (sensibilizadas) to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of persons in travel and tourism contexts.

Medellin's official tourism site states that commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents is 'not a tourist product, it is a crime punished with prison', and asks visitors to alert authorities, calling 123 in an emergency.

Ley 1336 de 2009 (which strengthens Ley 679 de 2001) requires tourism service providers and lodging establishments to adopt and post codes of conduct preventing sexual exploitation of children (art. 1), requires tourism providers to adhere to the code to register in the Registro Nacional de Turismo (art. 5), applies extincion de dominio to lodging properties used for sexual use of minors (art. 9, as modified by Ley 2197 de 2022), and requires airlines, and international and national coach operators, to inform passengers that sex tourism with minors is punished (art. 12).

As printed in Ley 1336 de 2009 art. 23-24, directing, organising or promoting tourism activities involving sexual use of minors carries 4 to 8 years' prison (increased by half if the minor is under 12), and photographing, producing, selling, possessing or storing sexual images of under-18s carries 10 to 20 years' prison plus a fine; later amendments may apply.

Canada states: 'It's a serious criminal offence to have sex with minors in Colombia. Conviction may result in a lengthy prison sentence.'

Medellin's responsible-traveller guide asks visitors to be respectful toward residents, ethnic communities and LGBTI people, prefer formalised tourism providers, support small commerce, crafts and cultural expressions, avoid the trade in psychoactive substances (report it to the free emergency line 123), moderate noise and protect cultural and natural heritage.

Rough Guides advises not joking about drugs, guerrillas or Pablo Escobar, calling it disrespectful rather than edgy.

Government of Canada states: "Colombian law does not prohibit sexual acts between individuals of the same sex."

Government of Canada states that "2SLGBTQI+ persons could be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics."

El Colombiano reported the Marcha LGBTIQ+ de Medellín would take place Sunday 28 June 2026 as part of the Festival Medellín Vive Diversa 2026, departing at 2:00 p.m. from Barbacoas along Avenida Oriental and Avenida 33 to Parque de las Luces.

The Alcaldía reported on 29 June 2026 that more than 100,000 people joined the Marcha LGBTIQ+, a central event of the Mes de la Diversidad 'Orgullo para Toda la Vida'.

The Alcaldía announced the 2024 Marcha LGBTIQ+ for Sunday 30 June 2024, leaving La Alpujarra at 2:00 p.m. via San Juan, la 70 and calle Colombia to the Obelisco sector.

UK FCDO states: "Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Colombia, but same-sex relationships are not widely accepted, especially in rural areas."

Lonely Planet reports that homosexuality was decriminalized in Colombia in the early 1980s and that the first same-sex marriage ceremony was performed in 2013.

Out Traveler states that marriage equality has been legal nationwide in Colombia since 2016.

Lonely Planet notes that despite progressive laws, much of Colombian society remains traditionalist and many same-sex couples still feel unsafe showing affection in public.

Lonely Planet names Industry Club and Discoteca Amarna in Barrio Colombia, a Ciudad del Río-adjacent district just east of the Industriales and Poblado Metro stations, as LGBTIQ+-friendly nightlife spots.

Out Traveler (Feb 2023) describes Bar Chiquita as a queer bar in the heart of Medellín's nightlife district in Provenza, with drag performances every night, in a new venue opened in 2021 after the original Chiquita closed during pandemic shutdowns.

Travel + Leisure states Medellín has no official gay neighbourhood, but Provenza has the largest concentration of LGBTQ bars; the writer felt extremely safe throughout the trip and, on Pride parade night in Provenza, noted pedestrian-only streets around the main gay clubs and visible police.

Travel + Leisure reports Medellín's annual Pride parade takes place at the end of June, with almost 90,000 people at the 2023 parade.

Canada: "Colombian law does not prohibit sexual acts between individuals of the same sex." However, 2SLGBTQI+ persons could be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics.

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Colombia, but the FCDO says same-sex relationships are not widely accepted, especially in rural areas.

Canada states Colombian law does not prohibit sexual acts between people of the same sex, but 2SLGBTQI+ persons could be discriminated against based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics.