Medellin vs Mexico City : Which Is Better To Visit?

Trying To Decide Whether To Visit Colombia vs Mexico, And Wondering Which Is Better, Medellin Or Mexico City?

I lived in Colombia for a while to teach English so I had the chance to visit Medellin, and I’m also a frequent Mexico traveler that loves Mexico City, so here are some more details about visiting these two interesting destinations so you can decide if one vs the other is better for you to visit, or if you maybe want to make the time to visit them both in the future.

⭐️ Medellin vs Mexico City

They are in two different countries so they are two very different places to visit.

⭐️ Overall – Medellin vs Mexico City:

🇨🇴 Medellin is best for those wanting a smaller city (in comparison to CDMX), with some interesting historical sites and fun cultural activities, as well as nice spring-like weather and pretty easy further exploration of Colombia

🇲🇽 Mexico City is best for those wanting a trip with ancient history, amazing archaeological sites, fascinating cultural events, big sports games, a central location, mild temperatures, huge holiday celebrations, and delicious food

Continue reading for more details on both Mexico City, Mexico and Medellin, Colombia so you can decide if one vs the other, both, or neither are worth planning a trip for.

🇲🇽 Why Visit Mexico City, Mexico

There are so many interesting sites to see in Mexico City that really make this city worth visiting.

I love Mexico City and definitely recommend it, but here are some actual reasons why you might find this capital city more worth visiting vs Medellin, Colombia:

✅ Mexico City is one of the most fascinating historical cities in the country and the entire Western Hemisphere in my opinion, not only from the time of the Spanish, but also the Aztecs and even older more mysterious civilizations

✅ going to a soccer game in CDMX is one of the best ways to really experience the culture here and this city has 4 top league teams, so you can definitely find a game to go to, although I’d recommend Club America so you can see the famous Estadio Azteca

✅ Mexico City is also a wonderful place to visit to experience special Mexican celebrations like Dia de la Independencia or Dia de Muertos

✅ Mexico City is home to 10 Michelin-starred restaurants (two are two stars, the other eight are one star), plus all of the food here is pretty delicious

✅ CDMX is also a very entertaining city, with shows like Lucha Libre, the famous Palacio de Bellas Artes (performance hall and museum), or even Garibaldi Plaza for some Mariachi music

✅ on top of all of the amazing sites to see inside of Mexico City, there are also a ton of great nearby places to visit like:
- 🛕 Teotihuacan
- 🛶 Xochimilco
- 🤺 Puebla
- 🛕 Cholula
- ♨️ Tolantongo

Downsides Of Mexico City

If you visit Mexico City in September and do some of the special activities like going to the big rivalry game and celebrating Independence Day, you should plan to spend at least a week here.

Although I love Mexico City and think it’s a fantastic place to visit, here a few things to know before going that might make you wonder if Medellin is the better option vs this Mexican capital city:

❌ Mexico City is a very large Metropolitan area and it’s not known as one of the safest places to visit

❌ along with general safety in Mexico City, you should also be very particular about the kind of transportation you use here

❌ Mexico City is a pretty cheap place to visit, but there are better places to choose to stay here because there are many dangerous areas that you don’t want to go as a tourist

❌ in the whole metropolitan area, there are 22-23 million people, so if you’re not a big fan of crowds, you might not like Mexico City

❌ it doesn’t happen all the time, but Mexico City does get somewhat frequent earthquakes, and since the Spanish filled in the lakes and built on top of the old Aztec city, this modern city is not stable and some earthquakes have ended in severe disasters here

❌ you can’t drink the water here, unless you want to experience Moctezuma’s revenge

❌ with guided tours you’ll likely be fine, but for the rest of your travels in Mexico City, Spanish is definitely recommended and very helpful since not a lot of people speak English

🇨🇴 Why Visit Medellin, Colombia

Medellin might be better vs Mexico City for its prices.

Medellin is probably the most popular place to visit in Colombia, and although I have my own personal preferences on places to see here, these are a few reasons why you might want to choose Medellin vs Mexico City:

✅ it’s a large city with lots of sightseeing, adventurous activities, and interesting sites

✅ Medellin is pretty easy to access (by bus or plane) from places all over Colombia, and South America in general

✅ compared to Mexico City, Medellin feels more suited for non-Spanish speaking travelers since many do speak English here

✅ Medellin has one of the most popular day trip destinations in the country nearby at Guatape (a very easy place to get to from Medellin)

✅ for Colombia, Medellin is a pretty good foodie-destination with tons of restaurants (even somewhat healthier options)

✅ Medellin has lots of nightlife, which is very poplar for a lot of travelers here

✅ the city is a very artistic place (with lots of museums and famous statue squares)

✅ Medellin was the epicenter of 80s-90s history in Colombia revolving around the infamous Pablo Escobar, so there are many of these sites to see here

✅ there is a higher level sports team here (one of Colombia’s biggest soccer teams, Atletico Nacional)

✅ Medellin has pretty nice spring-like weather all year long

The Downsides Of Medellin

Compared to Mexico City, Medellin might be better to visit vs the Mexico capital for its modern historical sites.

Although I did enjoy my time in Medellin, it was not my personal favorite place to visit in Colombia and you might want to consider checking out Mexico City vs this Colombian city because:

❌ it is a large city with lots of people, and some safety concerns

❌ getting around can be frustrating with the traffic, and busy public transportation areas can create easy pickpocketing opportunities (someone tried to get into my backpack here but I caught them)

❌ since it’s a big city, it doesn’t have as many interesting or beautiful natural areas in the city or even nearby (at least in comparison to the Coffee Region)

❌ also compared to smaller areas in Colombia, the big city of Medellin is a more expensive place to stay and travel to

❌ if you’re not that into nightlife/partying like me, Medellin won’t be too interesting other than for a few days worth of sightseeing

✌️ Mexico City vs Medellin: Should You Visit Both?

Since they’re both located in different countries, Medellin and Mexico City are definitely very different places to visit so they can both be worth checking out if you find them interesting, and have the time and the budget for it.

I’ve loved the time I’ve spent in both areas, but because of my extreme love for history and Mexican food, my favorite is Mexico City, so I would suggest it if you only have time for one.

🔁 Sum Up: Medellin vs Mexico City

Mexico City, Mexico and Medellin, Colombia are both amazing cities to visit, but if you don’t have much time and have to choose one vs the other, I’d suggest Mexico City for a historical, archaeological, fun sports and shows, big celebrations, and delicious food kind of a trip, or Medellin if you want to easily explore Colombia and see some of the interesting historical sites in and around this city, plus experience some cool Colombian cultural activities.