What is La 70 in Medellín, and where is it?
La 70 is the local nickname for Carrera 70, a Medellín avenue lined with paisa restaurants, bars and fondas in the Laureles-Estadio district. The stretch everyone means runs from Estadio metro station, around Calle 47, south to the Circular Primera in front of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB).
It is a street for locals first. When Time Out named Laureles the world's coolest neighborhood in 2023, it highlighted how laid-back the area stays despite sitting next to the stadium and La 70.
Why is it also called Libertadores de América?
In July 2017, Medellín's City Council gave that stretch of Carrera 70 an official name, Corredor Urbano Libertadores de América, honoring Atlético Nacional's two Copa Libertadores titles. Locals and taxi drivers still just say La 70.
What can you do on La 70 during the day?
By day, La 70 is a relaxed commercial avenue where locals eat paisa food, drink fresh fruit juice and run errands. The best plan is to pair it with the Atanasio Girardot sports complex at its northern end and, on a Sunday morning, with the car-free ciclovía loop that circles the stadium.
- Walk the sports complex: between Carreras 70 and 74 and Calles 48 and 50 (Avenida Colombia) sits the city's main sports hub, with the stadium, the Iván de Bedout coliseum, pools, a velodrome and an athletics track. Walking its perimeter shows an everyday side of Medellín; some sections may be fenced off during the stadium works.
- Ride the Sunday ciclovía: according to Medellín's city government, the Estadio section of the ciclovía loops along Calle 50, Carrera 70, Calle 48 and Carrera 73, traditionally from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Check current routes and hours on the INDER channels (in Spanish).
- Eat like a local, then cool off: long-running lunch spots serve bandeja paisa and mondongo at midday; afternoons are for ice cream and juices made with lulo, guanábana (soursop) or corozo.
Match days change everything
Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín both play home games at the Atanasio Girardot, and on match days La 70 becomes an extension of the stands: green or red jerseys, chanting and packed terraces hours before kickoff. If you want the experience, arrive early; if you want calm, check the fixture list first.
Note that since July 2026 the stadium has been under renovation. Matches continue, but parts of the perimeter may be fenced off, and a full closure is planned for roughly the second half of 2027; according to Medellín's mayor, as reported by Infobae, home games would then move to the Cincuentenario stadium. Confirm the venue and access before you go and, if your trip is built around a match, read our guide to picking a hotel near Atanasio Girardot stadium.
What should you eat on La 70?
La 70 is all about paisa cooking, the hearty cuisine of Antioquia: bandeja paisa, arepas, chicharrón, mondongo and sancocho, served in restaurants that have fed the neighborhood for decades. Portions are generous and flavors simple, ideal for a big lunch or a meal before or after a match. At night, sharing platters and aguardiente take over.
A quick paisa food primer
- Bandeja paisa: beans, rice, ground beef, crispy pork belly (chicharrón), a fried egg, sweet plantain, arepa and avocado on one platter. Consider sharing.
- Arepas: round corn cakes, from the thin plain arepa served with every meal to the cheese-stuffed arepas topped with hogao, a tomato and onion sauce, that one long-running La 70 restaurant serves as a starter.
- Mondongo and sancocho: thick soups (tripe, and meat with root vegetables) eaten at lunch with rice, avocado and arepa.
- Picada and aguardiente: a sharing platter of chorizo, blood sausage (morcilla), chicharrón, small yellow potatoes (papa criolla) and arepa, usually with beer or aguardiente, the anise-flavored local spirit, especially at night.
If one night you would rather stay on the Segundo Parque, La Pampa, a partner grill two minutes' walk away, gives guests a complimentary starter or dessert. See the partner perks near the hotel.
La 70 at night: bars, fondas and football crowds
After dark, La 70 turns into one of Medellín's most popular party streets, with bars, clubs and fondas, rustic bars playing Colombian popular music. According to city tour guides, it peaks on Friday and Saturday after 9:00 p.m., and on match days the celebration starts earlier.
In 2020, the manager of a nightclub on the strip told the newspaper El Colombiano that his venue usually ran at "80% partying and 20% food," and the paper noted that football and the Flower Festival were what kept the area alive. The pandemic pushed many venues to invest more in food, but nightlife is still its signature.
La 70 or Provenza?
La 70 is more local, more football-driven and more down to earth; Provenza, in El Poblado, has cocktail bars, design-led venues and a very international crowd. Compare both in our guide to Medellín nightlife in Provenza and La 70.
How do you get to La 70 from Laureles?
The easiest way to reach La 70 is the metro to Estadio station on Line B, which sits right on Carrera 70 at number 47D-15. From the Segundo Parque de Laureles it is about 1.3 km in a straight line to that station, so you can also walk there during the day or take a short taxi ride.
- Metro: Estadio station, on Line B (San Antonio-San Javier), sits right beside the sports complex, between Suramericana and Floresta.
- On foot: Laureles is walkable and tree-lined; strolling its curved streets to La 70 is part of the fun in daylight.
- Taxi or ride-hailing app: at night, especially after a match, it is the easiest way back; order from inside the venue and wait there.
To map your route, check the hotel location facing the Segundo Parque de Laureles; for the rest of your trip, see our guide to getting around Medellín from Laureles.
A day on La 70: morning-to-night itinerary
With a free Sunday in Medellín you can experience all of La 70 in one day: sport in the morning, a paisa lunch at noon, a slow afternoon back in Laureles and the strip's bars at night. Adjust the plan if there is a match, because traffic, the metro and the atmosphere all change.
| Time | Plan | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Ciclovía ride or walk around the Atanasio Girardot sports complex | Bring water and sunscreen. |
| Noon | Paisa lunch on La 70: bandeja paisa, sancocho or mondongo | Portions are big; share if you can. |
| Afternoon | Fresh juice or coffee and a rest back in Laureles | Ideal for a nap. |
| Sunset | Cocktails and Peruvian food at Rocoto Rooftop, on the fifth floor of Living by Armóniko | The park view is best at last light. |
| Night | Bars and fondas on La 70 | Keep your hotel's address handy and ride back by taxi. |
Where should you stay to enjoy La 70 without sleeping above the party?
The sweet spot is Laureles itself: close to the strip but not on top of it, so La 70 is a short ride away while you sleep on quiet residential streets. Living by Armóniko is in the same district, facing the Segundo Parque de Laureles and 9 minutes from the Atanasio Girardot stadium, a practical base for nights out.
This boutique hotel in Laureles has 14 apartment-style suites, all with an equipped kitchen and private balcony, so you can fix yourself something whenever you get back. The next morning, à la carte breakfast at Botswana Café Bar on the second floor is included until 10 a.m., and luggage storage lets you enjoy your last day even after check-out.
Going to a match, the easy way
If your trip lines up with a match, our front desk coordinates the Football Tour to see a football match in Medellín: six hours with a bilingual guide, round-trip transport, a match ticket and a local team jersey, subject to match availability.
Is La 70 safe? Practical tips for visitors
It is a busy, popular area, and with basic precautions you can enjoy it without trouble. Like any nightlife zone in a big city, it calls for street smarts: keep your phone out of sight, carry only what you need and plan your ride home. Colombians sum it up as "no dar papaya": don't make yourself an easy target.
- Check the football fixtures. Crowds, traffic and a packed metro surround every match; decide whether to join in or avoid it.
- Carry small bills as well as a card, handy at small venues and for tips.
- Keep your phone away while walking, and off the table at street-facing terraces.
- Don't accept drinks from strangers and never leave your glass unattended.
- Plan the ride back. Use a ride-hailing app, or request the hotel's hourly transport service by WhatsApp for specific trips.
