What should I pack for Medellin?

Medellin's biggest packing trap is the word "Colombia." People show up with board shorts and tank tops expecting Cartagena heat, then spend their first evening shivering on a rooftop in El Poblado at 17°C. The city sits at 1,495 meters above sea level. Daytime temperatures tend to stay between 22°C and 28°C year-round, but mornings and evenings feel cool, somewhere around 15-17°C. Pack a light fleece or hoodie you can tie around your waist during the day. Two or three cotton t-shirts, one light long-sleeve shirt, and a pair of jeans or chinos for evenings will cover most situations. The dress code across Laureles and El Poblado is casual. Nobody wears a blazer to dinner at Carmen in El Poblado unless they want to stand out.

Rain hits Medellin almost every afternoon from April through November, usually around 2-3 PM. It falls hard for 30-45 minutes, then stops. The air smells like wet concrete and warm earth afterward, and the temperature drops 3-4 degrees. A packable rain jacket handles this better than an umbrella because you'll likely be walking uphill when it starts. Worth noting, the UV index at 1,495 meters is higher than it feels. Cloud cover tricks people into skipping sunscreen, and they burn by day two. Bring SPF 50 and reapply after the rain. A wide-brimmed hat helps if you're spending time at Parque Arví, the nature reserve 30 minutes northeast by MetroCable from Acevedo station, where shade is sparse on the longer trails.

Bring one pair of broken-in walking shoes with actual tread. Medellin is built on slopes. The sidewalks in barrios like Santo Domingo Savio, where the Spain Library (opened 2007) sits on the hillside, pitch at angles that flat-soled sneakers can't grip when wet. If you plan to ride the Metro, you'll walk 10-15 minutes of hills on either end of most stations. Flip-flops work for the hostel shower and nowhere else. Sandals are fine for flat stretches in Laureles around Parque Segundo, but the tile sidewalks get slick after rain. US and Canadian travelers tend to forget this. Colombia runs on 110V with Type A and B outlets, same as North America. Leave the adapter at home. European and UK visitors need a plug converter but not a voltage transformer.

Skip packing mosquito repellent, full-size toiletries, and cheap sunglasses. Éxito supermarkets sell Off! repellent for about 12,000 COP, roughly half the US price. There's an Éxito in every major mall, including Centro Comercial El Tesoro in El Poblado. Farmatodo pharmacies stock international sunscreen and shampoo brands at lower prices than back home. If you forget a rain jacket, Decathlon sells packable ones for around 60,000 COP, about $14 USD. SIM cards from Claro or Tigo cost 20,000-30,000 COP at José María Córdova Airport, though an eSIM activated before you land saves the 20-minute queue. The one item harder to find locally is Western deodorant. Farmatodo carries some, but the selection is thin compared to a US drugstore.