Medellin is quite the city. I love to call it the Manhattan of the Aburra valley. But it has at least one big difference with New York City: there is plenty of stunning nature.
The two best places to have a closer look at the flora are the botanical garden (Jardin Botanico, opposite of the University metro stop on the main line) and the Parque Arvi. The latter is also a beautiful cable car ride, first with line K to the barrio of Santo Domingo and then line L (at an extra charge), which takes you in twenty minutes from the bustling city to this natural park at 2’500 metres.
Entrance to the botanical garden is free, Parque Arvi is in itself also free for the hikes outside of the protected area, but crime is a problem there. YOu can also do shorter marked walks for an entry fee of around 30’000 pesos for foreigners, and get an amazing close look at many plants and flowers.