Paisas love to shop and Medellín and the Aburrá Valley has a huge number of centro comercials (shopping centers or malls). In this article we look at several of the largest malls in the Medellín area to find out the 14 best malls in Medellín.
In this article we look at 23 different shopping malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley and selected the 14 best malls in the Medellín metro area. Most of the malls we include in this article are Western-style malls that tend to have larger chain stores that are found in the largest malls in Medellín like Viva Envigado, Santafé and El Tesoro.
Three of the malls we include in this article about the best malls only have small tiendas (shops): Monterrey, Palacio Nacional and Terracina Plaza.
But Medellín has many more (seemingly countless) small centro comericals throughout the metro area that tend to only have small tiendas. But we couldn’t possibly include all the small centro comericials in Medellín in this article, as there are just too many of them.
However, we also looked at El Hueco, which is a shopping area in El Centro in Medellín with reportedly over 80 small shopping centers and some of the cheapest prices in the city in thousands of small shops.
I have seen other articles on the Internet about the best malls in Medellín but all of these miss some of the best and most popular malls in the Medellín metro area.
First, we look at the 14 best malls in Medellín we selected that are the largest and most popular malls in the metro area. And then we look at nine other malls in the city we also considered.
So, to start with here are the 14 best malls in Medellín that are the largest and most popular malls in the city.
The 14 Best Malls in Medellín
The following table includes details for each of the 14 best malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley, including the neighborhood (comuna or municipality) where the mall is located, approximately how many stores and the nearest metro station if the mall is conveniently located within about a five-minute walk from a metro station.
We also include the anchor grocery store, movie theater and gym (not every mall has all of these) and also other major stores for the best malls in the Medellín metro area.
The best malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley all have a big selection of shops, fast-food and restaurants plus movie theaters, gyms and grocery stores and more.
Here are more details of each of these 14 best malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley. Note we looked at each of these malls previously in more detail in separate articles for each mall. Also, these 14 best malls are in order based on my personal opinion, as to which are the best malls in the Medellín metro area.
1. Viva Envigado
Viva Envigado is one of the newest malls in the Aburrá Valley located in Envigado, which is the municipality directly south of Medellín. This new mall is reportedly the largest mall in Colombia. And it opened on October 5, 2018.
The anchor tenants of the large mall include Cine Colombia, Decathlon, Exito, Happy City, Homecenter and Smart Fit. In addition, the mall has space for a total about 400 shops.
This is an impressive mall and in January 2019, it arguably has become the best mall in Medellín after all the shops have opened. For example, it beats the Santafé mall in several ways:
- Viva Envigado is reportedly the largest mall in Medellín and Colombia.
- It has a bigger selection of restaurants than are found in Santafé mall.
- Viva Envigado is easily accessible via the Medellín metro, as it’’s only about a 5-minute walk from the Envigado metro station. In comparison, Santafé is about a 15-minute walk uphill from the Aguacatala station.
- It has an Exito for groceries and a Homecenter for home improvement. And Santafé only has a Jumbo for groceries.
- Viva Envigado has the largest movie theater in Medellín, a Cine Colombia with 12 screens including the only IMAX screen in Medellín.
- Viva Envigado has the only Decathlon store in Medellín.
- And finally, Viva Envigado has the largest Happy Center plus outdoor area for kids including a Ferris wheel. This area for kids is larger than at any other mall the Medellín area.
The bottom line is that Viva Envigado is arguably the nicest mall in Medellín.
The shops and businesses in the mall include male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians and fast food places. And there are over 50 fast food places and restaurants in the mall.
Viva Envigado is easy to get to, as it’s located only about a 5-minute walk from the Envigado metro station on Line A.
U.S. brands found in this mall include Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFC, Lego Store, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Subway.
Website: https://www.ccviva.co/envigado
Address: Carrera 48 # 32B Sur-139, Envigado
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and holidays: 11 am – 8 pm.
2. Santafé
Santafé mall is one of the largest shopping malls in Medellín and it is very popular. And this mall reportedly has about 460 shops. Santafé was built in El Poblado due to a desire to target the higher incomes in El Poblado, the wealthiest neighborhood in Medellín.
Santafé mall is a pretty unique mall in the city, as it has a retractable roof that is opened when the weather is nice.
The main tenants in the mall are Falabella, Jumbo and Cine Colombia. In addition, the mall has about 460 shops and businesses of all types, including banks, clothing stores, drugstores, eye-care, home furnishing stores, mattress stores, shoe stores and many more varieties. Also, there are nearly 60 restaurants and fast food places in the mall.
Santafé is worth going to, as it’s one largest mall in Medellín with one of the biggest selection of shops. In addition, it is located near where most expat tourists stay in the city.
A downside is that there isn’t a metro station nearby, as Santafé is located about a 15-minute walk uphill from the Aguacatala station.
U.S. brands found in this mall include American Eagle, Burger King, Converse, Dunkin’ Donuts, Forever 21, KFC, Levi’s, McDonald’s, Nautica, Nike, Starbucks, Subway and Victoria’s Secret.
Website: http://www.santafemedellin.com/
Address: Carrera 43A # 7 Sur-170, El Poblado
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 8 pm
3. Mayorca Mega Plaza
Mayorca Mega Plaza is one of the most popular malls in the Medellín metro area with several outlet shops. This mall located in Sabaneta is popular, as the prices in stores in the mall can be much lower than are found in the large malls in El Poblado.
This mall was so popular that it was expanded in November 2015 with a huge expansion into a second sizable building. So, it’s like two malls in one with an old phase and a new phase. The large expansion in late 2015 made this popular mall even more popular.
The anchor tenants in Mayorca mall include Alkomprar, Cinemas Procinal, Exito, Flamingo, Home Sentry and Jamar. There are about 400 stores in this mall including several outlet stores that are located in the older phase of the mall. It is possible to find good deals in several of these outlet stores. Also, there are over 40 restaurants and fast food places in this mall.
In addition, Mayorca is very easy to get to, as it is located next to the Itagüí metro station on Line A of the Medellín metro. And the Itagüí metro station is only about a 10-minute ride on the metro from the Poblado metro station.
U.S. brands found in this mall include American Eagle, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFC, Levi’s, McDonald’s, Nike, and Subway.
Website: http://www.mayorca.com.co/en/
Address: Calle 51 Sur # 48 – 57, Sabaneta
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 8 pm
4. El Tesoro
El Tesoro is a popular mall in Medellín with over 400 shops located in the El Poblado neighborhood of Medellín. It is located high up the hills of El Poblado. So, it offers scenic views of Medellín and the Aburrá Valley. In addition, this mall has a park with some rides for kids.
The anchor tenants of the mall include Afterland, Carrulla, Cinemark, Ktronix and Smart Fit. The over 400 shops and businesses in the mall include banks, male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, jewelry, sporting goods, stationery, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians, travel agencies, restaurants and fast food places. There are over 25 fast food places and restaurants in the mall.
El Tesoro’s biggest downside is its location, which is high up the hills in El Poblado with no metro station nearby. So, it’s not the most convenient location.
U.S. brands found in this mall include American Eagle, Burger King, Calvin Klein, Coach, Converse, Dunkin’ Donuts, KFC, Lego Store, Levi’s, McDonald’s, Nike, Nine West, Samsonite, Starbucks and Subway.
Website: https://eltesoro.com.co/
Address: Carrera 25A # 1A-45, El Poblado, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 8 pm.
5. Premium Plaza
Premium Plaza is one of the largest and most popular malls in the Medellín metro area. And a unique and popular feature of this mall is that most of the third floor dedicated to entertainment.
Premium Plaza reportedly has over 1.2 million square feet of space and over 400 shops.
The anchor tenants of the mall include Africa Parque de Diversiones, Bodytech, Jumbo, Lorito and Royal Films. In addition, the mall has over 400 shops and businesses of all types. This mall also has several stores with good prices.
Furthermore, Premium Plaza has several locations in the mall with food options. And there are over 40 fast food places and restaurants in the mall.
This mall located in La Candelaria along the border with El Pobaldo is easy to get to as it’s located only four blocks from the Industriales metro station, which is about a five-minute walk.
Website: http://www.ccpremiumplaza.com/
Address: Carrera 43A # 30-25, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm; Friday and Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 7 pm.
6. Puerta del Norte
Puerta del Norte is the largest and most popular mall in the Bello municipality, located directly north of Medellín.
The mall is quite popular since it’s easily accessible via the metro. And shoppers at this mall are not only from Bello. In addition, shoppers come from northern Medellín, which doesn’t have many malls and also come from municipalities to the north.
Puerta del Norte is one of the largest malls in the metro area, as it has over 1.38 million square feet of space (128,469 square meters) and about 350 shops. The anchor tenants of the mall include Alkomprar, Exito, Cinemas Procinal, Homecenter and Smart Fit.
The 350 shops and businesses in the mall include banks, male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, jewelry, sporting goods, stationery, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians, travel agencies, restaurants and fast food places. There are over 50 fast food places and restaurants in this mall.
Also, this mall is easy to get to on the Medellín metro. It is located next to the Niquía metro station, which is the last metro station going north.
Website: http://www.puertadelnorte.com/
Address: Diagonal 44 # 34-67, Bello
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 11 am – 8 pm; Friday and Saturday: 11 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: Noon – 8 pm.
7. Arkadia
Arkadia is the the newest mall in Medellín located in the Belén comuna of Medellín. This new mall opened on November 13, 2019 with promotions in several of the stores.
This new mall is expected to be popular since it’s the only Western-style mall in the part of Belén west of the Olaya Herrera Airport. In addition, this new mall is located across the street from PriceSmart.
This mall is located in west Belén, which was considered underserved with malls with only one mall (Los Molinos) in the largest comuna in Medellín. Belén has a population of about 200,000 compared to about 133,000 in El Poblado.
The anchor tenants of the mall include Cinemark, Decathlon, Euro, Falabella, Ktronix and Smart Fit. The Cinemark and Decathlon were not open on the opening day of the mall. In addition, the mall has a total of about 160 shops of all types.
The shops and businesses in the mall include male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians and fast food places. And the mall has five floors.
Website: https://www.arkadiacentrocomercial.com/
Address: Carrera 70 #1-141, Belén, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 8 pm.
8. Los Molinos
Los Molinos is the only Western-style shopping mall located in the Belén comuna of Medellín. I used to live two blocks from Los Molinos mall, so I used to go there frequently. Los Molinos is a nice mall that is convenient, as it has an Exito for groceries, Homecenter for home improvement projects, a Cine Colombia for movies and a Panamericana bookstore.
The anchor tenants of Los Molinos include Alkomprar, Cine Colombia, Exito, Homecenter and Panamericana. In addition, the mall has over 160 shops and businesses of all types. And there are over 25 fast-food and restaurant choices in this mall.
Los Molinos is located only a couple of blocks from the Los Alpes Metroplús bus station on Line 1 and 2. To get to the Metroplús bus lines from the metro train you connect at the Industriales station on Line A of the metro.
Website: http://www.losmolinos.com.co/
Address: Calle 30A # 82A-26, Los Alpes barrio in Belén, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 8 pm.
9. Oviedo
Oviedo is the oldest mall in the upscale neighborhood of El Poblado in Medellín, since this mall originally opened in 1979. This mall is sized at over 1 million square feet and it claims to have a total of 320 shops.
The anchor tenants of Ovideo mall include Carrulla and Cine Colombia. The 320 shops and businesses in this mall include banks, male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, jewelry, sporting goods, stationery, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians, travel agencies, restaurants and fast food places. Also, there are over 40 fast food places and restaurants in the mall.
Oviedo is located in El Poblado on Avenida Poblado (aka Milla de Oro – Golden Mile), which is convenient to where many foreigners visiting Medellín tend to stay. In addition, it’s located nearly across the street from the Santafé mall.
Similar to Santafé mall, Oviedo is located about a 15-minute walk uphill from the Aguacatala station. U.S. brands found in this mall include Dunkin’ Donuts, Lego Store, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Subway.
Website: https://www.oviedo.com.co/
Address: Carrera 43A # 6Sur-15, El Poblado, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 8 pm.
10. San Diego
San Diego is the first Western-style shopping mall that was built in Medellín and it also claims to be the first shopping mall built in all of Colombia. The San Diego mall first opened on November 3, 1972 with only 54 stores. It has expanded since that time to where it now has over 230 stores.
Notably, San Diego mall is an open-air mall. This is similar to some of the malls in San Diego, California.
The anchor tenants of the mall are Alkomprar, Exito and Falabella. The 230 shops and businesses in the mall include banks, male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, jewelry, sporting goods, photography, stationery, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians, beauty salon, travel agencies, restaurants, fast food places and a playground. Also, there are over 25 fast food places and restaurants in the mall.
San Diego mall is easy to get to on the Medellín Metro, as it’s located only about four blocks from the Exposiciones metro station on Line A. So, this is only about a five-minute walk east from the metro station to get to the mall.
Website: http://www.sandiego.com.co/
Address: Calle 33 # 42B-06, Medellín
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm; Friday and Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm and Sunday: 11 am – 6 pm. But Exito and Falabella are open an hour later on Monday to Thursday and on Sunday.
11. Unicentro
Unicentro is the largest and most popular mall in the Laureles-Estadio comuna of Medellín.
Over seven years ago, I lived for three months in the Fatima barrio in Belén, which is near the Unicentero mall. I found the mall convenient and shopped at the Exito at the mall for groceries, ate at the food court and also went to movies at the Cine Colombia movie theater located in the mall.
The anchor tenants of the mall include Exito, Cine Colombia, Happy Land Park and Smart Fit.
The mall has about 270 shops and businesses including banks, male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, jewelry, sporting goods, stationery, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians, travel agencies, restaurants and fast food places. Also, there are over 25 fast food places and restaurants in Unicentro mall.
In addition, Unicentro is located about a 10- to 12-minute walk from the Fatima Metroplús station.
Website: https://www.unicentromedellin.com.co/
Address: Carrera 66B # 34A-76, Laureles, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am – 8 pm.
12. La Central
La Central is located in the Buenos Aires comuna of Medellín. This mall opened in May 2018 with promotions in several of the stores.
This new mall is expected to be popular since it’s the only Western-style mall in the neighborhoods east of El Centro in Medellín. I went to this mall on the first day it opened and it was packed with people.
La Central is one of the largest malls in the Aburrá Valley metro area. It reportedly has nearly 200 shops and 915,000 square feet (85,000 square meters) of space in a large building with six floors of shops.
The anchor tenants of the mall include Agaval, Exito, Cinemas Procinal, Happy City and Smart Fit. The nearly 200 shops and businesses in the mall include male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians and fast food places.
La Central is located along the tram line of the Medellín Metro. It’s about a five-minute walk from the Miraflores tram stop.
Website: https://www.lacentral.com.co/
Address: Calle 49 between Carreras 25 and 19, Buenos Aires, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm; Friday and Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 10 am – 8 pm.
13. Florida Parque
Florida Parque Comercial is a popular mall located in the Robeldo comuna of Medellín. The mall is very popular since it’s the only Western-style mall in the northwestern part of Medellín.
The mall reportedly has over 200 shops and 727,600 square feet (67,600 square meters) of space.
However, this mall likely hasn’t been discovered by many foreigners since it’s located in Robledo. This is relatively far from the most popular neighborhoods for expats in the metro area, which include El Poblado, Laureles-Estadio, Envigado, Sabaneta and Belén.
The anchor tenants of the mall include Alkomprar, Agaval, Euro Supermercado, Fitness 29, Cinemas Procinal, and Happy City.
In addition, the over 200 shops and businesses in the mall include banks, male and female fashion, children’s and youth clothing, footwear, jewelry, sporting goods, furniture and decoration, lingerie, opticians, restaurants and fast food places. And there are over 30 fast food places and restaurants in this mall.
There is not a metro station within walking distance from this mall. The two nearest metro stations are Universidad and Hospital. And it’s a relatively short taxi ride to the mall from either metro station.
Website: http://www.floridapc.co/
Address: Calle 71 # 65-150, Robledo, Medellín
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 11 am – 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: noon – 9 pm.
14. Monterrey
Monterrey is a specialty mall in Medellín that is unlike all the other malls in Medellín, as Monterrey is full of small shops selling technology products.
In this mall you can find shops selling all types of technology products including cameras, cell phones, computers, computer parts, game consoles, network equipment, printers, printer cartridges, tablets and so much more including many non technology stores. Monterrey reportedly has over 350 stores.
In addition to all the technology products shops, the mall has other amenities including a movie theater, gym and a food court with over 20 eating options.
Also, Monterrey has something pretty unique that you won’t find at any other mall in Medellín. Most notably, it has bowling. Bowlinco Bolera is a bowling alley, which is located on the fifth floor.
Monterrey Mall is located in El Poblado and easy to get to as it’s conveniently located a few minutes’ walk from the El Poblado metro station. It’s also located about a 15-minute walk downhill from Parque Lleres.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ccmonterrey/
Address: Carrera 48 # 10-45, El Poblado, Medellín
Hours: Monday to Saturday 10 am to 7:30 pm, Sunday 11 am to 5:00 pm
Nine Other Malls in Medellín
We also looked at nine other malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley. Every one of these other malls has at least 50 stores and eight of these malls reportedly have less than 100 stores. So, eight of these nine malls each have between 50 to 100 stores. Only Palacio Nacional has over 200 stores.
Eight of these malls are relatively small neighborhood malls with most of the shoppers coming from the local area. Only Palacio Nacional in El Centro has shoppers that come to it from around the city. And there are countless other small centro comericals found throughout the Medellín metro area.
Here’s a chart with the details of these other nine malls in the Medellín area:
And here are additional details of each of these nine other malls and these are in order alphabetically:
15. Aventura
Aventura is a relatively new mall in Medellín that opened in early 2016. This mall is located in front of the Ruta N complex.
The mall was reportedly built with an investment of 150 billion pesos in an area underserved with shopping options. The anchor tenants in the mall include Alkomprar, Cinemas Procinal, Exito and Surtitodo. This is a relatively small mall with less than 90 stores shown on its website.
However, it’s easy to get to this mall. Aventura is located about a five-minute walk from the Hospital metro station.
Website: http://ccaventura.com/
Address: Carrera 52 # 65-91, La Candelaria, Medellín
Hours: Monday to Saturday: 10 am to 8 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am to 7 pm
16. Aves Maria
Aves Maria is a fairly small mall in Sabaneta, which is located a few blocks from the popular Parque Sabaneta.
The anchor tenants in Aves Maria include Cinemas Procinal, Exito and Gimnasio Uros. This mall has less than 100 stores and it has several vacancies. It also has a few fast-food and restaurant options.
I live near this mall and it is convenient with an Exito grocery store, Cinemas Procinal for movies and several banks. But this mall has vacancies likely due to competition from the much larger and more popular Mayorca Mega Plaza mall in Sabaneta.
Aves Maria mall is located about a 15-minute walk from the Sabaneta metro station.
There is nothing found in this mall that you can’t find in other malls in Medellín. So, unless you live nearby, it’s unlikely you will be visiting Aves Maria mall.
Address: Calle 75 # 43-202, Sabaneta
17. Bosque Plaza
Bosque Plaza is a relatively new mall in Medellín that opened in 2015. The anchor tenants in this mall include a Royal Films movie theater and a Smart Fit gym. The mall has less than 100 stores listed on its website and it has a small food court with several fast-food options.
This mall frequently has free events for local resident including cooking workshops, makeup, dance classes for kids and adults, among others.
Bosque Plaza is connected to the Universidad metro station with a short walk to the mall. So, it is very easy to get to. And it’s also close to the nearby tourist spots like Jardín Botánico, Parque Explora, Parque Norte and the Planetarium.
So, if after enjoying the nearby tourist attractions you can stop in this nearby mall for a bite to eat if in the mood for some fast-food or perhaps to pick up something in one of the shops.
Website: http://bosqueplaza.com/
Address: Calle 73 # 51D-71, Aranjuez, Medellín
Hours: Monday to Saturday: 11 am to 8 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am to 7 pm
18. City Plaza
City Plaza is a small mall located high up the hills in Envigado. This mall originally opened in 2011. I visited this mall recently and it still has a number of vacancies likely due to the inconvenient location.
The anchor tenants of City Plaza are Bodytech, Carulla and a Clinica Las Americas diagnostic center. The mall has less than 90 shops open according to its website. And there are nearly 20 fast-food and restaurant options in the mall.
To get to City Plaza mall requires about a 10,000-peso taxi ride from the Envigado metro station up the hills in Envigado. Also, there are some bus routes that go by this mall.
There is nothing found in this mall that you can’t find in better located malls in Medellín. So, unless you live nearby, it’s unlikely you will be visiting this mall.
Website: http://cityplazacc.com/
Address: Calle 36D Sur # 27A-105, Envigado
Hours: Monday to Thursday: 11 am to 8 pm; Friday and Saturday: 11 am to 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: noon to 8 pm
19. Palacio Nacional
Palacio Nacional is a large shopping mall located in El Centro that is full of over 200 small tiendas (shops) selling shoes and clothes. The mall has no large anchor tenants and only a few food options.
This building was reportedly partially built between 1928-1933. And it was completed and renovated between 1940-1945 by architect Pedro Nel Gómez.
The architectural style of the building is “modernized Romanesque”. And it has the appearance of a cathedral or palace, with a number of arches in its interior and cylindrical columns.
The building was converted into a shopping mall in 1994. The mall is popular, as it offers a wide range of clothing and shoe stores with very affordable prices. But if you are looking for things other than clothes and shoes you will need to look elsewhere. Since this mall doesn’t have much beyond clothes and shoes, it wasn’t included in the list of the 12 best malls.
Palacio Nacional is easy to get to as it’s located only about a five-minute walk from the San Antonio metro station in El Centro.
Address: Carrera 52 # 48-45, El Centro, Medellín
Hours: Monday to Saturday 8 am to 7 pm.
20. Punto Clave
Punto Clave is a small mall in a great location but a relatively small selection of shops. This mall is located next to the Industriales metro station. So, it’s very easy to get to.
Also, it looks like a big mall from the metro station. But once you are inside you realize it’s not a very big mall. There are some clothing and shoes shops and several other small shops. There is no grocery store except for a small Exito Express. And there is no movie theater and no gym.
In addition, Punto Clave has less than 80 shops listed on its website compared to about 400 shops at Premium Plaza that is located a few blocks away. Punto Clave also has a small food court with about 15 options.
The biggest benefit Punto Clave is the location next to the Industriales metro station. Also, you won’t find the bustle in Punto Clave that is sometimes seen in the larger malls in Medellín.
Website: http://www.puntoclave.com.co/
Address: Calle 27 # 46-70, El Poblado, Medellín
Hours: Monday to Saturday: 7 am to 7 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am to 6 pm
21. Terracina Plaza
Terracina Plaza is another small mall in Envigado located up the hills of Envigado, similar to City Plaza. It opened in 2013. I went to this mall recently and found that similar to City Plaza, Terracina Plaza mall has some vacancies, which is likely due to the inconvenient location.
Terracina Plaza only has a Consumo grocery store as an anchor tenant. The mall has less than 70 shops open according to its website. And all of these shops are small tiendas, unlike City Plaza that has some larger chain stores found in the larger malls in the city. In addition, there are 17 fast-food and restaurant options in the mall.
To get to Terracina Plaza mall requires about a 10,000-peso taxi ride from the Envigado metro station up the hills in Envigado. Also, there are some bus routes that go by this mall.
Similar to City Plaza mall, there is nothing found in the small Terracina Plaza neighborhood mall in Envigado that you can’t find in better located malls in Medellín. So, unless you live nearby, it’s unlikely you will be visiting this mall.
Website: http://terracinaplaza.com/
Address: Carrera 27 # 35 Sur-162, Envigado
22. Viva Laureles
Viva Laureles is a small neighborhood mall built next to an Exito in Laureles along Carrera 80. This mall originally opened in 2011.
Besides the Exito store, this small mall has no other large anchor stores. The mall has a total of less than 90 stores according to its website. It also has a food court with about 15 fast-food options.
Viva Laureles isn’t located near a metro station. And it’s relatively far away from the main parks in Laureles.
Similar to other small neighborhood malls, there is nothing found in the Viva Laureles mall that you can’t find in better located malls in Medellín. So, there is no real reason to visit this mall unless you live nearby.
Website: https://www.ccviva.co/laureles
Address: Carrera 81 # 37-100, Laureles
Hours: Monday to Saturday: 10 am to 9 pm; Sunday and Holidays: 11 am to 7 pm.
23. Vizcaya
The final mall we look at is the Vizcaya mall in El Poblado. This mall originally opened in 1998. And it is located up the hill along Calle 10 from Parque Lleras and Provenza.
Vizcaya has a Cine Colombia and Bodytech for anchor tenants. And it’s a small neighborhood mall that reportedly has less than 100 stores.
This neighborhood mall essentially has nothing that can’t be found in the much larger malls in El Poblado like Santafé, Oviedo or El Tesoro. So, you are unlikely to visit this mall unless living nearby or perhaps before or after visiting one of the nearby restaurants in Provenza or Parque Lleras.
Address: Calle 10 # 32B-25, El Pobaldo
The Best of Medellín
Besides this article about the best malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley, Medellin Guru has several additional best of Medellín articles:
- 35 Top Things to Do in Medellín and Nearby: Top Tourist Attractions
- 21 Best FREE Things to Do in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley
- 17 Top Kid-Friendly Things to Do in Medellín and Nearby
- 14 Best Malls of Medellín – the Ultimate Guide to Medellín Malls
- 12 Best Museums of Medellín and the Aburrá Valley
- 8 Best Pueblos Near Medellín Worth Visiting
- 7 Best Panoramic Views of Medellín
- 5 Best Neighborhoods in Medellín
- 2 Best Walking Tours in Medellín
- 14 Top Churches in Medellín Worth Visiting
- 22 Best Mobile Apps to Use in Medellín and Colombia
Also, Medellin Guru has several more articles about the best restaurants and coffee shops in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley:
- 19 Best restaurants in Laureles in Medellín
- 15 Best Restaurants in Envigado, Colombia
- 15 Best Restaurants in Sabaneta, Colombia
- 14 Best Pizza Places in Medellín: The Best Pizzerias in the City
- 13 Best Burgers in Medellín: Best Burger Places in the Aburrá Valley
- 12 Best Steakhouses in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley
- 12 Best Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in El Poblado
- 10 Best Mexican Restaurants in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley
- 9 Best Colombian Restaurants in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley
- 9 Best Italian Restaurants in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley
- 9 Best Places for Brunch in El Poblado
- 5 Best Independent Coffee Shops in El Poblado
- 8 Top Coffee Shops in Laureles
- 5 Best Nano/Micro Breweries in Medellín
The Bottom Line: The 13 Best Malls in Medellín
We looked at a total of 23 malls in Medellín to select the 14 best malls in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley. These best malls in Medellín will give you access to almost anything you could ever need.
In the malls you can find a wide range of shops, from upscale to outlet, small local tiendas to large Colombian chains, department stores as well as several U.S.-brand and European-brand stores.
The bottom line is that Medellin has many small neighborhood malls as well as several very large destination malls that are very popular and offer a wide selection of shops.
El Poblado has three of the largest malls in Medellín that are popular with foreigners visiting the city. But as seen in the list above there are large malls in other neighborhoods in Medellín worth visiting. In particular, in early 2019 after all its stores opened, Viva Envigado in Envigado is arguable the nicest mall in Medellín.
Also, many malls in the other neighborhoods in Medellín in my experience tend to have shops where you can find lower prices.
In over five of the over eight years I have lived in Medellín, I have lived within walking distance to a mall. And this has been very convenient, as I can walk to the mall to shop for groceries, see a movie in a movie theater, eat at a food court and go shopping.
Also, “What are the best malls in Medellín?” is common question asked by expats visiting Medellín. So, we included this question in our list of Medellín frequently asked questions (FAQ).
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Editors note: updated on October 5, 2018 to add the new Viva Envigado mall, which is the largest mall in Colombia.
Editors note: updated on January 8, 2018 to reorder the list and add reasons why Viva Envigado is now the nicest mall in Medellín. Also, added that the Primavera mall is being built in Belén.
Editors note: updated on August 26, 2019 with the new mall name Arkadia, which is the new name for what was first called the Primavera mall that is under construction in Belén.
Editors note: updated on November 13, 2019 to add the Arkadia mall, which is the newest mall in Medellín.
14 thoughts on “14 Best Malls in Medellín: The Ultimate Guide to Medellín’s Malls”
Centro Comercial Santa Fe is really something special. Most of the big commercial malls have branches of the same shops anyway but Santa Fe is right up there with the best I’ve seen around town. I also like the new Arkadia Mall which is easier and faster for me to get to. There’s a restaurant at Arkadia that also has a branch on Nutibara Ave. but the chef at the Nutibara location isn’t as top notch as the one at Arkadia. For example, I will always order my pasta “al dente” but some places that serve pasta don’t even know what I’m talking about. The chef at Arkadia knew exactly how to do it. It makes me wonder if other restaurants and stores will assign their best staff to the prestige locations.
Soy colombiano del departamento de Santander pero vivo en Medellín hace ya tres años y para mi este es el mejor centro comercial de Antioquia, es el mejor, me encanta la decoración en las diferentes festividades que hay como por ejemplo la navidad o Halloween https://medellinguru.com/santafe/
(English translation) I am Colombian from the department of Santander but I have lived in Medellín for three years now and for me this is the best shopping center in Antioquia, it is the best, I love the decoration in the different festivities that exist such as Christmas or Halloween https://medellinguru.com/santafe/
Great article. In the updates message of today, right in the middle of mentioning Malls, you mention Exito Points becoming Colombia Points. But there is no previous article related to that other than being placed where you indicate an update to the Malls article. I am confused because there are, or were, a Carulla Points system also. As I just recently arrived in Medellin to live long term and there is a Carulla close to where I live, am I correct that Carulla and Exito are related somehow and that Carulla Points have also become Colombia Points ?
Carulla Points are the same as Exito Points as Carulla is owned by Exito. So, Carulla has also changed to Colombia Points. You will need to sign up again as your membership doesn’t transfer automatically to the new program. I found out about the change when shopping in a Carrulla. as my name didn’t show up as it usually did on the screen when I gave them my number and there was no info about my points on my receipt.
I updated individual mall articles on the Medellin Guru site like Oviedo that has a Carulla – https://medellinguru.com/oviedo/
Also, your points from the old program will transfer to the new program when you sign up for the new program.
Thanks for the awesome post about the malls in Medellin! It clearly must have taken a long time to do this. Thanks for all the valuable and helpful information.
Thanks for the nice comprehensive mall article that is up to date.
Thanks for this well researched article about the malls in Medellin. And I agree with your rankings but i have not been to the new La Central mall yet. But it looks like its worth visiting.
This best malls article is the perfect example of why Medellin Guru is the #1 blog in Colombia. Medellin Living is complete amateurism in comparison with hundreds of posts never updated. Their best malls article is out of date from 2013 and was probably written by a backpacker. It only has 5 malls so its pathetic and missing most of the best malls in the city. LOL.
Keep up the good work!
Wow, thanks for this awesome and complete article about the malls in Medellin. Santafe used to be my favorite until the huge expansion at Mayorca. So Mayorca is now may favorite as it’s easier to get to since it’s next to a metro. Also it has lower prices.
Hi David, thanks. Yes, Mayorca is a much nicer mall and more popular mall after the expansion in late 2015.
A truly great report and a must read for any Medellin shopper.
FYI – I do believe there is a gym in the Florida Parque Mall in Robledo. The name escapes but I know the owner.
Thanks, I didn’t see a gym a Florida Parque last time I was there and also didn’t see one listed on their website. But I’ll ask someone I know living in Robledo and add when I can confirm.
Hi Rich, thanks, I confirmed that there is a gym named Fitness 29 in Florida Parque mall, so added it to the article.
Thanks Jeff nice job. Problem in the US. That malls have put so many many retail stores out of business, and the towns losses it’s natural character. In my home town the only music store where can buy CD’s and make special orders and going out of business. Many more have closed before that. I like to buy locally. However, it;’s very nice to get the deals. Also a nice place to meet women. LOL
nice work!