Comuna 13
The most violent district in Latin America turned into an open-air gallery, escalators included.
Duration
3 hrs – 4 hrs
Best time
In the morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
San Javier, Comuna 13, was the most violent point in Medellín, fought over by guerrillas, paramilitaries and drug traffickers. Operation Orión in 2002 was carried out by the army with helicopters over the rooftops — several hundred disappeared, many never found.
The change came through access: six open-air escalators, installed in 2011, replace three hundred and fifty steps and link the top of the district to the metro. Graffiti and hip-hop did the rest, and the guides are residents telling what they lived through.
Getting there
Metro line B, San Javier station, then a bus or ten minutes on foot to the foot of the escalators.
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- 1.5 L of water
Rules on site
Take a guide from the district: half the point is the account, and the money stays local. Stay on the escalator route — the streets beyond are not a tourist circuit.
Checked on 28 August 2026 at Tours Comuna 13 — local guides