How Much Do Medellín Tours Cost? Private vs. Shared vs. Going on Your Own

Quick answer: In Medellín, the same sight can cost very different amounts depending on the format.

• Private guided tour: a guide for your group only. Our full-day tours add a vehicle and driver.
• Shared tour: a per-person seat in a group with other travelers.
• Going on your own (DIY): often the lowest cash cost. Count Metro, taxi or bus fares, admissions and your own planning time, and there’s no dedicated guide unless you hire one separately.
• Private driver: a car or van and a driver, but no guide. On many tours, including ours, the driver and the guide are different people.

Per-group prices get cheaper per person as your group grows. Per-person prices stay the same. So for solo travelers, shared tours and DIY usually cost least. Couples, families and groups should compare the total for their party, not the headline price.

Prices are in Colombian pesos (COP), taken from our tour and transport pages on November 7, 2026. Third-party prices (park passes, rock tickets, bus fares) are set by others and can change.

Which option fits you?

These use our published prices at adult rates.

• Solo traveler. Per-group tours put the whole price on you: 1,200,000 COP for the city tour. Per-person options cost much less: our Comuna 13 tour (92,000 COP), the shared coffee tour (200,000 COP), or going on your own by Metro or bus (see the DIY budgets).
• Couple. Comuna 13 is 184,000 COP for two. The city tour works out to 600,000 COP each; a driver plus our Comuna 13 tour starts at 744,000 COP for both (city comparison). For Guatapé, compare 1,800,000 COP for the guided tour with 820,000 COP for a sedan round trip without a guide.
• Family. Check age limits first: coffee is 7 and up, and rafting’s published minimum is 12, with extra checks for young teens (see walking and kids). Per-group tours are priced by group size, so ask us how young children count before you book. We have one baby seat (80,000 COP per day).
• Group of 4–8. Per-group tours get cheaper per person: the city and Guatapé tours are 225,000 COP each for 8. A ninth person moves Guatapé to two vans (2,700,000 COP total, 300,000 COP each). For transport-only days, see choosing the right vehicle size.

Jump to: Costs for your group · Worked comparisons and DIY budgets · Questions to ask before you pay · FAQ

The four formats

Private guided tour. Only your group, with a guide whose job is to explain places, history and daily life. On some private tours the guide travels with you in a private vehicle. On others you meet the guide at a starting point. Start times are often flexible within a window, but not always: our private coffee tour, for example, starts at 9:00am or 1:00pm like the shared one.

Shared tour. You buy a seat in a group with travelers you don’t know, at a per-person price. Start times, meeting points or pickup areas, group size and inclusions vary by operator, so check each one.

Going on your own (DIY). You travel by Metro, bus, taxi or ride app, buy your own tickets and plan the route. It’s often the lowest cash cost, but add up the fares and admissions before you compare. You won’t have a dedicated guide unless you hire one, though museum guides, signs, audio guides and apps can fill some of the gaps.

Private driver (transport only). You hire a vehicle and a driver by the hour or for a flat-rate trip. The driver takes you where you want to go, waits, and brings you back. A driver is not a guide. Our drivers speak Spanish, and we arrange the day with you in English on WhatsApp, as our driver page says up front. If you want someone to explain what you’re seeing, choose a guided tour.

Mixing up the last two is the most common mistake when comparing prices. A “private tour” at a low per-group price may be a car and a driver with no guide. Before you compare two prices, check who is actually with you during the day.

Which formats our tours come in

Most of what we sell is private, meaning the booking is for your group only. The coffee farm tour is the exception: it comes in a shared and a private version.

Two details that are easy to miss:

• Comuna 13 is private but priced per person. You get your own guide whether you’re 1 person or 10, and the price per person stays the same.
• Hacienda Nápoles is transport, not a guided tour. You explore the park on your own, with passes you buy from the park.

What each price includes

A price only means something next to what it includes. This is from each tour page:

When you compare with another company, line up these columns rather than the prices. Two Guatapé day trips at different prices can differ in four ways:

• the boat, private or shared;
• the guide, or no guide at all;
• the pickup, at your door or a meeting point;
• whether the rock ticket and lunch are included.

What it costs for your group

These are our published prices. “Per person” means the total divided by the number of travelers, assuming every traveler pays the adult price. Card payments add 3.5% (see payment).

Children: on the city, Comuna 13, Guatapé and Nápoles bookings, our terms say children pay the adult price and children 3 and under are free. On per-group tours, ask us on WhatsApp how a young child affects your group size and vehicle before you book. Don’t assume a lower tier. Hacienda Nápoles park passes use the park’s own height-based child rates (see below).

Per-group tours: city tour and Guatapé

Watch the tier steps. Adding a fourth person to the city tour, or a ninth to Guatapé, raises the group total.

Per-person tours: Comuna 13, coffee and rafting

Rafting transport is per vehicle, so it gets cheaper per person as the group grows:

Transport-only: Hacienda Nápoles

Park passes are extra. On November 7, 2026, the park’s >official store listed:

• Child rates go by height, not age: about 1.19 m or shorter. The store checks height at the ticket office, and you pay the difference if a child is taller.
• Buy online at least 24 hours ahead. Otherwise, buy at the ticket office.
• The internal train is extra: 2,000 COP per day under 1.20 m, 3,000 COP per day over.
• Opening days and hours change by season. Check the park’s >hours page for your date.

For the history of the estate and the park, see the history of Hacienda Nápoles.

Worked comparisons: Guatapé, the city, coffee

Guatapé: guided tour vs driver only vs bus

Guatapé gives a particularly clear comparison, because we publish both a guided tour and a flat-rate driver round trip to the same place.

For a group of 4, the guided tour costs 980,000 COP more than the sedan round trip. That’s 245,000 COP more per person. For 8 people in a van, the difference is 950,000 COP, or 118,750 COP per person. That is the gap between two packages, not an itemized price for the guide and the boat.

What the guided tour adds is a private guide for the day and a 1-hour private boat ride. If your group mainly wants the rock and the town, the driver option costs less. Shared bus tours are compared on our Guatapé page.

Guatapé on your own: a DIY budget

Buses leave Terminal del Norte from 5am to 8pm. >Terminales Medellín lists 20,000 or 22,000 COP each way, depending on the company. Our Guatapé FAQ has the bus counters and tips for the trip back.

Not included: getting to and from Terminal del Norte, local transport between the town and the rock, meals, and any boat ride.

For comparison, a group of 4 pays 960,000 COP for our sedan round trip plus four climb tickets, or 1,940,000 COP for the guided tour plus four climb tickets. The guided tour’s extra cost covers a private guide, door-to-door transport and a 1-hour private boat ride.

About the rock ticket: El Tiempo >reported on January 5, 2026 that the climb costs 35,000 COP per person from January 1, 2026, citing the site’s own announcement. The operator’s website still shows lower prices on different pages (30,000 and 20,000 COP), so bring cash for the higher figure. The operator’s >FAQ says the ticket is paid in cash, in pesos only, and that anyone taller than 1 metre pays.

The city: full-day city tour vs driver plus Comuna 13 tour

The one-day city tour for 1–3 people costs 1,200,000 COP. Here is a DIY-with-a-driver version for a couple:

• 8 hours of sedan with driver: 560,000 COP (70,000 COP per hour)
• Our Comuna 13 tour for two: 184,000 COP
• Base total: 744,000 COP

That base doesn’t include things the city tour does:

• Metro and Metrocable fares
• the fruit tasting
• any parking or tolls on hourly service

So the 456,000 COP difference is before those extras, not a guaranteed saving.

The bigger difference is the guide. On the city tour, your guide explains downtown, the Museo Casa de la Memoria (except on the days it’s closed) and Parque Inflexión, where we tell Pablo Escobar’s history from the victims’ side. With the driver version, you only have a guide in Comuna 13.

The fully DIY version costs less again. You can reach Comuna 13 by Metro: Line A to San Antonio, Line B to San Javier, then a short taxi or bus ride (directions). Read up on Comuna 13’s history first, because without a guide the murals carry less meaning.

Metro de Medellín’s >official fare table lists 4,400 COP for its bearer or occasional fare (“al portador y eventual”) in the lowest band, with higher fares when your trip combines certain modes. Ticket booths and recharge machines take cash only.

Plaza Botero and the Museo Casa de la Memoria are also reachable by Metro or taxi (see Medellín’s best museums). The memory museum is free. Its >official hours are Tuesday to Friday 9am–6pm, and weekends and holidays 10am–4pm. It’s closed on Mondays, and on Tuesday when Monday is a holiday.

Coffee: shared vs private

The visit is the same either way: same farm, same start times (9:00am or 1:00pm), same inclusions.

• Shared: 200,000 COP per person.
• Private: 300,000 COP per person, for parties of 2 or more. A couple pays 200,000 COP more in total to have the guide to themselves.

For a solo traveler, the shared tour matches our published per-person option. If you want the private version alone, ask us on WhatsApp first.

When shared or DIY is the better choice

Private isn’t always the right answer. Shared or DIY usually makes more sense when:

• You’re traveling alone on a budget. Per-group prices fall entirely on you.
• You want to meet people. Shared tours put you with other travelers.
• You’re comfortable on public transport. Medellín’s Metro reaches San Javier (for Comuna 13), San Antonio (downtown and the coffee tour) and Caribe (the bus terminal for Guatapé).
• You’ve done your reading. If you just want to see places, a driver or the Metro may be enough.
• You have time to plan. DIY means the research, tickets and timing are on you.

Private makes more financial sense as your group grows on a per-group tour (see what it costs for your group). It makes practical sense with kids or someone who tires easily, when you want to choose your own pace, or when you’d rather ask questions than read signs.

Schedules, pickup and booking ahead

We take December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1 off: no tours or transfers on those days. “Every day” below means every other day of the year.

Booking ahead: we don’t take same-day bookings, except the Comuna 13 tour for groups of 3 or more, which can be arranged on WhatsApp. Prices don’t change in December. See Medellín in December.

Flying in or out? The Guatapé tour can start or end at José María Córdova airport (MDE) for the same price. The city tour can add an airport run for 195,000 COP in a sedan or 340,000 COP in a van (4–8 people). For 9 or more people, it’s quoted.

Guide languages vs driver languages

On the city and Guatapé tours, the guide and the driver are different people. The guide speaks your chosen language. The driver may only speak Spanish.

Walking, stairs, kids and baby seats

This is how the tour pages describe the physical side. Tell us about mobility or health needs before you book. We can’t promise any tour suits every situation.

• Comuna 13: steep streets and many steps. The outdoor escalators cover part of the climb.
• City tour: moderate walking. Comuna 13 is the hilly part; the rest is short walks between the vehicle and each stop.
• Guatapé: El Peñol has 740 steps and no lift. Climbing is optional, and the town and the boat don’t require it. Our Guatapé page notes the climb isn’t advised for people with heart or breathing problems.
• Coffee: an uphill walk and about 250 steps to the farm. Ages 7 and up.
• Rafting: our published minimum age is 12, and everyone must swim. Rapids run Class III to IV depending on recent rain. Colombia’s rafting standard, >NTS-AV 010, doesn’t allow ages 5 to 13 on Class IV rapids. So confirm the route class and whether it suits your youngest rafter before you book, especially for young teens. You need to be able to jump into the river and climb over rocks. Not suitable for people with mobility issues. No bathrooms on the river.
• Hacienda Nápoles: your driver drops you at the park entrance and you explore on your own. The park’s internal train costs extra (details).

Baby seat: we have one adjustable seat, a Bebesit Sky 360 Isofix, listed for children up to about 10 years old. It costs 80,000 COP per day. There’s only one, so add it when you book, and confirm on WhatsApp that it suits your child’s age and size. Details are on the baby seat page.

The Comuna 13 and coffee tours don’t include a vehicle. If you’re bringing small children, plan suitable transport to the meeting point. You can add the seat to a private driver booking if it’s available.

What fits in one day

Guatapé, rafting and Nápoles each take a whole day. Don’t plan a second tour on the same day. The city tour already includes Comuna 13. For a day-by-day plan, see how many days to spend in Medellín.

Rain, rivers and changes

Our tours run rain or shine. Medellín often gets afternoon rain, so bring a light rain jacket.

Rafting depends on the river. Rapids range from Class III to IV depending on recent rain. If the river is too high to run safely, we may have to move your trip.

Our terms say that if we cancel because conditions make a tour unsafe, you get a refund, or a new date if you prefer.

Payment, fees and cancellations

• Card or PayPal: a 3.5% fee is added. You’re charged in US dollars at the day’s exchange rate, shown before you pay. On a 1,800,000 COP Guatapé tour, that fee is 63,000 COP.
• Bancolombia or Nequi transfer: no fee, paid in COP. Your booking is confirmed when we receive the full payment.
• Full payment is due when you book. Hourly driver and van bookings pay the 4-hour minimum online; extra hours are paid to the driver in cash (COP) on the day.
• No cancellations or refunds by the guest, because your guide, driver and vehicle are reserved for you. You can reschedule with at least 7 days’ notice.
• No-shows aren’t refunded. If you’re running late, message us on WhatsApp right away.

The details are in our terms and conditions. Whoever you book with, read the cancellation and weather terms before you pay.

Where your money goes

Our Comuna 13, city and Guatapé guides come from Sembradores de Amor, a foundation in Comuna 13 founded by Marlly. It feeds 80 children and 35 elderly people every day.

Those three tours directly support the foundation. Our coffee, Hacienda Nápoles, rafting and private driver or van services don’t. On the coffee tour, a member of the farm’s own family guides you.

Wherever you book, a few habits help:

• Ask before photographing residents or children.
• Tip the dancers and artists you stop to watch.
• Buy from local vendors.

Questions to ask before you pay

Use these with any company, including us.

Price and inclusions

1. Is the price per person or per group, and for what group size? How are children counted?
2. What’s not included? Check entrance tickets, boat rides, meals, Metro or cable car fares, and transport to the starting point.
3. What does payment cost? Ask about card fees, the currency charged, and cash due on the day.

Who is with you

1. Is there a guide, or only a driver? Who is with you during the day, and what language does each one speak?
2. Is it private or shared? On a shared tour, ask how many people, whether the departure is guaranteed or needs a minimum number, and where the meeting points are.

The day itself

1. Where exactly is pickup? Is your hotel or Airbnb area covered, is there room for luggage, and can the day start or end at the airport?
2. Is the start time fixed or flexible? On day trips, how long do you get at each stop, and is there free time?
3. On Guatapé trips, is the boat private or shared, and for how long?

Policies and credentials

1. What happens if it rains or conditions are unsafe? What is the cancellation and rescheduling policy, and what happens if you’re late?
2. What is the company’s RNT number? Colombian law requires tourism service providers to register in the National Tourism Registry (RNT) before operating, and to renew every year (>MinCIT). You can search a company by name or number in the official >RNT search. Registration is a legal requirement, not a rating of quality or safety.
3. Does the guide hold a tourism guide card? Colombian law defines a tourism guide as a person registered in the RNT after getting a guide card issued by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (>Ley 300 de 1996, art. 94, as amended by Ley 2068 de 2020).
4. On rafting trips, what class are the rapids on your date, and what is the minimum age? Ask any operator for its safety rules and its information sheet (ficha técnica). Colombia’s rafting standard, >NTS-AV 010, requires operators to give guests a sheet that covers the route, schedule, physical and health requirements, safety measures and minimum age by rapid class. MinCIT >says adventure tourism operators must hold a safety certification at the “sobresaliente” level under Resolución 0612 de 2024, so ask to see it.
5. If supporting the community matters to you, where is the guide from, and how are they paid?

On tips: they aren’t part of our tour prices. Tips for street dancers and artists in Comuna 13 are separate, and on the city tour your guide explains how tipping works in Medellín. We don’t set a percentage.

FAQ

Is a private tour worth it if I’m traveling alone?
On per-group tours, you pay the whole group price yourself, so it’s the most expensive way to go. The Comuna 13 tour is the exception: it’s private at 92,000 COP per person, even for one. For coffee, the shared tour is the published option for one person.

Can we join other travelers to split a private tour?
Our private tours are for one group only. The coffee tour is the one tour with a shared option, where you join other travelers.

Does the driver guide us on Hacienda Nápoles or a private car day?
No. Those are transport only, with a Spanish-speaking driver. For a guide, choose the city, Comuna 13 or Guatapé tour.

Why does the Guatapé tour cost more than a driver to Guatapé?
The tour package adds a private guide for the day and a 1-hour private boat ride. For 1–4 people, the package difference is 980,000 COP per group.

Are entrance tickets included?
Not the El Peñol climb ticket or the Hacienda Nápoles park passes. The Museo Casa de la Memoria is free (the city tour skips it on Mondays, when it’s closed), and the coffee tour includes farm entry.

Can I book for tomorrow?
Yes, if the date is open on the tour’s booking calendar. We don’t take same-day bookings, except the Comuna 13 tour for groups of 3 or more, which can be arranged on WhatsApp.

Can I pay in cash?
You pay online by card or PayPal (+3.5%) or by Bancolombia or Nequi transfer (no fee). Only extra driver hours beyond the 4-hour minimum are paid in cash on the day.

---

Why book direct? In the words of Justin, our founder: “TripAdvisor and the big tour companies take about a 20% cut of ticket sales. I decided that money should stay in the neighborhood.” And on the guides: “We overpay our guides because we know the extra money goes towards feeding people in need.”

Ready to book?

• Comuna 13 tour
• One-day city tour
• Guatapé tour
• Coffee farm tour
• Rafting
• Hacienda Nápoles transport
• Private driver

Still deciding? Message us on >WhatsApp with your dates and group size.