Yulia Saf 
Were you ever curious how a real Colombian pueblo (a little town) looks like?
Oh-my, these guys knows about bright colors and celebrating life so much!
After living in Medellin, the second biggest city of Colombia for a month, I decided I want to visit one of those vibrant villages around Medellin. I chose Jardin, a place that is less touristy comparing to Guatape, another Colombia tourist attraction where the majority of tourists go to.
I visited Jardin, Colombia (Antioquia region) during Christmas, but seriously, any season is great, because the weather in that region is always perfect throughout the year!
Honestly, at first, I was not planning to write about Jardin, it was supposed to be just a Christmas getaway from the city. But then I liked it so much, I could not stop snapping pictures with my camera of this authentic bright-colored town!
There are no museums or world wonders in Jardin worth visiting, however that will be probably the most authentic place where you will get to feel what real Colombians are and how they live! You will see it in my travel guide below.
Here is what to do in the town:
Contents
1. People watching
Oh yes, that was by far my favorite activity!
Locals LOVE to sit in bars, drink tinto (local colombian coffee) and just enjoy their life over the conversation.
Maybe it was so full of people because of Christmas? I dont know, but something tells me it was despite of Christmas, that is just what they like to do the most!
2. Take the oldest cable car up to see the view
There are 2 cable cars you can take in the town. The new one and the old one. And by old I mean OLD!
It is called La Garrucha cable car and it is by far the oldest cable car I have ever taken in my life!
I was scared that wooden thing will fall apart right during the mount, seriously!
But don’t worry, it is safe! And fun! 🙂
3. Visit a real coffee plantation in Colombia
If you don’t have time to go to the Coffee Triangle – a region where the majority of coffee beans are produced, you should not miss a chance and go to Jardin coffee plantation!
It is a little household that produces a bit more than 60 tons a year (not much in Colombian scale) and it is not touristic at all! You will have the whole plantation just for yourself!
The price is 20 000 COP (~6 USD) for 4 hours visit including an AMAZING home cooked lunch!
4. Just walk around the town
Can you even call a village that is a bit more than 10 000 people a town?
I don’t know but it definitely has all the elements to be called so! There is a main square with numerous bars around, a big church right in the middle of it and endless people watching opportunities (see pictures above!).
Just walk around this radiant place, this is more or less what you will see:
5. Go bird watching
In all honesty, I am not really the type of person who will sit for hours waiting for that lucky moment when a bird will fly over and I will be able to see its tail. That is exactly why I liked bird watching in Jardin: there is a specific time (around 4 p.m.) when these colorful birds fly more down and you can see so many of them at once in 15-20 minutes.
6. Where to stay in Jardin
I stayed in an amazing AirBnb called La Casa Amarilla (they also have private rooms, which I chose for my stay). Our host Maria Victoria could not have been more hospitable and thanks to her we felt like locals in Jardin de Antioquia!
The place is very well decorated and is located 2 minutes walking from the main square!
The price for the 17$ if you stay in a shared room and 38$ if you choose a private room.
If you are more of a hotel person, I have some recommendations for you!
Jardin, Colombia hotels according to your budget:
LUXURY STAY: Gallito de las Rocas Guest House – this 2 bedroom chalet will leave you speachless by the breathtaking beauty that surrounds it. Can fit up to 6 people and the cost is US$110.
MIDDLE PRICE: Hospedaje Rural La Boira – 3* accommodation surrounded by amazing picturesque nature, the prices starts from US$44 per double room.
BUDGET STAY: Finca Hostal El Edén – amazing reviews, good decor, the prices starts from $25 for a double room.
7. Where to eat in Jardin
There are plenty of food choices in Jardin, all relatively inexpensive. You can try some traditional food in numerous restaurants around the square or Western food in “Cafe Europa”.
I read some reviews on Tripadvisor and realized that there are 2 trout farms where you can get fresh fish, or even more! – you can first catch it yourself from a big swimming pool! I tried (it is free), but did not have enough patience, and just ordered it a regular way. It was delicious!
8. How to get to Jardin de Antioquia
You will most probably go to Jardin from Medellin, the biggest city around.
UPDATE: We now have a new article about Best Things to Do in Medellin, make sure you check it out!
If you will go by public transport (like me), that means you will have to take a bus. Buses in Colombia are generally inexpensive and often. Even if it is not far (130 km), it is a mountain road, that is why the way will take you about 3 hours. Bring some snacks!
You can buy tickets online here or just make your way to Terminal Sur and buy it on the spot. There are 6 buses per day to Jardin and the price is 20 000 COP (~US$6).
To see the schedule back from Jardin to Medellin click here and here.
| 🚠 Best views of the town: | La Garrucha |
| ♨️ Unusual attraction: | Coffee plantation tour |
| 💵 Avg hotel price: | $60 |
| 📅 How many days: | 2-3 |
| ✈️ Cost of traveling: | Low |
Thank you for reading this article!
I hope I convinced you that Jardin should be one of the places to go visit in Colombia, it is truly one of the most cutest pueblos I have been to!
If you liked my article, please don’t forget to share the love and “Like” it on your social networks!
Yulia
Have you been to Colombia? What do you think of Jardin?
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I’m visiting Jardin and found your article. Fun post and I love how you photographed the bus departure times
Hi I just wanted to see if you were able to figure out what the name of the coffee plantation was. Thanks!
hi Yulia! great post!!! I just used it to do an English reading over the town’s radio station in JARDIN! yes! I am helping with the town’s initiative to make Jardin bilingual so we can greet wonderful travelers such as yourself to Jardin, in English! I wanted to read to them about your experiences so they know what visitors like and enjoy about Jardin. Thank you for visiting us and I hope you come back! this town gets better by the day 🙂
I’m from Canada. I visited Jardin one time from Medellin and instantly fell in love with the town and the people and the history and sightseeing, and had a very delicious and relaxing lunch there and I never wanted to leave. One day, I will go back there to retire. Love it !!! It’s not only the most beautiful town in all of Colombia but it’s maybe the most beautiful town in the whole world. I can hardly wait to move there and stay forever and make good friends with all the nice local people there. Viva Jardin !!! Viva Colombia! !!!
Brian
Hi Catalina!
OMG, this is so nice to hear!
Yes, Jardin will forever stay in my memory as a super authentic and beautiful town with some of the nicest people!
Hope to come back there one day again! 🙂
I’m glad that you visited my country.
Jose
Me too! 🙂
Yulia, thank you so much for considering Jardín is the most beautiful pueblo in Colombia. All of us here in Jardín truly believe it is true. I decided to stay here, since the first day I stepped on these lands. I came here as an English teacher, and I’m planning to teach here forever! ¡Sigue visitándonos, Señorita Turista!
Wrong: the most beautiful town in Colombia is not Jardin but Barichara: check it out!!!
Aw, what a wonderful story!
I am sure the locals are treating you well, they are such hospitable people!
Здравствуйте, Юлия! Подскажите, экскурсия на кофе плантацию на английском или испанском? и как ее найти? спасибо!
по-моему на ипанском,я уже не помню, и контакрты тоже не сохранились к сожалению, я бы попробовала поспрашивать у местных, они очень дружелюбные мигом помогут)
Do you recall if the coffee farm you visited was called Café Finca Los Angeles? I’m hoping to visit one during my stay in Jardín.
Thanks!
Hi Scott! Unfortunately i really do not remember the name, but the pictures of Cafe FInca on google images shows something where i for sure havent been though.
If you want to visit that place specifically, i can suggest showing some of the pictures from this post to any of the locals, chances are, they know this place, it was very close to Jardin!
Sorry i couldnt help more,
enjoy your time there!
Not a problem. I’ve actually just booked our accommodation at La Casa Amarilla so I’m sure Maria will be able to point me in the right direction!
Thanks!
Cool, hope you like it there! Say Hi from me (hope she still remembers me, haha).
And once you go, could you please write me an email of the coffee place?Everyone asks me 🙂
Great photos Yulia! We didn’t get to go to Jardin this time around, but the photos look so similar to Guatape! Did you find that it was more or less touristy over the Christmas season? We went in Sept-Oct and it wasn’t very busy but it also rained most days.
There were no tourists in the town except us i think 🙂
Thanks!
Thank you for this post!! I will be in Jardin in October and have been looking for a coffee tour, and unable to find anything on the internet — other t han day trips from Medellin. I will ask around and see if I can find the one you took. How did you learn about it? Where did you ask?
The host of my airbnb organized it for us. But the town is so small, i am sure someone will help you if you will ask about this tour!
Hi Yulia,
Lovely post, I wanted to ask what company you used to book your coffee tour?
I did not write it down, sorry. Just ask people around, it think it is the only one there.
Hello Miss Tourist,
great post, thanks!
Could you maybe tell us who should we contact for a coffee tour?
I wanted to save it specially for this post, but I lost it eventually, sorry!
Just ask around when there, you will find it, I am sure!
Hi – thanks for all the info. We are staying in Jardin over Christmas and wondered if you know if the restaurants will be open on Xmas day. Thought I’d ask as you said you were there over the Xmas season. Thanks,
Hi Lucie!
As far as I remember, the restaurants were open during the day!
Yulia, I like your photos and congratulate you on your perfect English – a very professional and helpful blog.
thanks so much Geoff, so nice to hear that! 🙂
Its wonderful to read this post all about Jardin and watch these stunning snaps. Bright color town really looks amazing. Thanks for this wonderfully informative post. Keep traveling with smile
Thank you so much!
Safe travels! 🙂