The best day trips from Medellín

Guatapé and El Peñol

Two hours east, through green hills, to a reservoir dotted with islands and a 200 meter rock you climb by 740 steps. The view from the top is the photograph everyone has seen and it still lands in person.

The town itself is worth an hour, with its painted zócalos on every building. Do the rock first at around 9am, then the town, then lunch, then a boat hour on the lake.

A coffee farm morning

You can be on a working finca in under an hour. The good ones walk you through the whole cycle, from picking cherries to cupping the roast, with a view over the hills while you drink it.

Go early, before the cloud burns off, and pick a small farm rather than a bus operation. Half a day, back in the city for lunch.

Santa Fe de Antioquia

Ninety minutes northwest and about ten degrees hotter, a colonial town of white walls and terracotta with a famous old suspension bridge nearby.

It is quiet, slow and lovely. It also gets very hot at midday, so this one works best as an early start with a pool at the far end.

Jardín

Three hours south and the prettiest town in Antioquia. A working coffee village with a technicolor main square, cable cars up the valley walls and waterfalls in walking distance.

Technically doable in a day. Much better with one night, because the square at dusk is the entire point and you should not be watching your watch.

Thermal springs and slow days

Santa Rosa de Cabal has hot springs beneath waterfalls, about three hours out. There are closer options in the hills above the city if you just want warm water and a massage without the drive.

Good move for the day after a long night, or for the middle of a week when the group needs a slower gear.

• ·Leave before 8am for anything outside the valley. Traffic on the way out of the city is the whole battle.
• ·Sunday traffic returning to Medellín in the late afternoon is heavy. Come back by 4pm or plan a late dinner outside.
• ·A driver for the day costs less than most people expect and beats a bus tour by a mile.