Riding the Metro and Metrocable: How Medellín Moves

Colombia’s only metro system, plus cable cars that climb the valley walls. A practical guide to using both.

Medellín opened its metro in 1995 and it remains the only metro system in Colombia. Locals are proud of it: stations are spotless, eating is discouraged on board, and the system is widely seen as a symbol of the city’s recovery.

The network

• Line A runs north to south along the river, through the center and past El Poblado to Itagüí and La Estrella.
• Line B branches west from San Antonio toward San Javier.
• Metrocable lines are gondolas that carry passengers up the steep hillsides. Line K, opened in 2004, was the first cable car in the world built as part of a mass public transit system.
• Tranvía de Ayacucho, a modern tram, links the center to the eastern hillsides and connects to two more cable lines.

Paying

Buy a rechargeable Tarjeta Cívica at a station ticket window and top it up. Single tickets are also sold, but the card is faster and transfers to cable lines are included on integrated routes.

Best rides for visitors

• Line K from Acevedo up to Santo Domingo for views across the whole valley.
• Continue on Line L (a tourist line with a separate fare) to Parque Arví, a large nature reserve with trails and a weekend farmers’ market.

Avoid rush hour, roughly 6–8am and 5–7pm, when trains on Line A get very full.

Quick facts

• Opened: 1995
• First Metrocable: Line K, 2004
• Fare card: Tarjeta Cívica