Route
Medellín ──── coach via the Occidente tunnel, ~1 h 30 ──── Santa Fe de Antioquia
(1,495 m) (~550 m)
│
Plaza ─ cobbled centre ─ Puente de Occidente
The road west from Medellín climbs out of the valley, goes through the long Túnel de Occidente and drops about 900 m to the Cauca valley. The temperature rises as you descend. By the time the coach reaches Santa Fe de Antioquia, a small colonial town at about 550 m, the air is dry and hot and the contrast with the cool upland city is striking.
Coaches run from Terminal del Norte, which has a Metro station of the same name. The trip takes about an hour and a half with light traffic. Weekends are slower, so leave early on the Monday after the marathon, when the road is quieter.
September in Santa Fe de Antioquia
September here is warm, with highs around 30 °C or more and little shade at midday. Rain showers can arrive in the late afternoon. Wear a hat, carry water and do your walking early or after sunset. After a marathon, the heat is a real consideration: take the siesta that local people take.
Night one: the colonial centre
The centre is a grid of low whitewashed houses with tiled roofs and wooden doors, around a large main plaza with a church. It is compact, flat and cobbled, so the recovery walk is the plaza and the streets around it. Wear shoes with a cushioned sole, because the cobbles are rough. The town was founded in the 1540s and was the capital of Antioquia before Medellín took over.
The Puente de Occidente, a suspension bridge over the Cauca river built in the late nineteenth century by the engineer José María Villa, is a short taxi ride from town. The bridge is open to pedestrians and there is a small entry fee or none at all. Check access before you go. The walk across is flat, and the view of the river is the main reward.
For a bed, the Hotel Mariscal Robledo is a restored colonial house on the plaza, with a courtyard pool, and the Hotel Caserón Plaza is another central choice in an old building. Both are small, so book ahead for long weekends. Many hotels have a pool, which is the best recovery tool in a hot town.
For dinner, eat a bandeja or a sancocho at one of the restaurants around the plaza, and finish with the local sweets, made from papaya and milk and sold from stalls around the church.
Day two: the way home
Spend the morning at the pool or in the shade of the plaza. Take a midday coach back to Medellín, which arrives mid-afternoon. If you fly out the same day, leave Santa Fe by early afternoon and allow time for the transfer to the airport.
Getting home
José María Córdova airport (MDE) in Rionegro is the main international airport. Allow two hours from Santa Fe de Antioquia to the airport, longer if the Occidente road is congested. Check the coach timetable at Terminal del Norte before you go.