Medellin Neighborhood Guides: Castilla

TLDR? Former soccer player Rene Higuita, a native of Castilla, has a Sports Unit named after him in this neighborhood! 

Medellin’s more than Laureles, El Poblado, Guatape and Jardin. The City of Eternal Spring has numerous neighborhoods within its 16 communes and many spaces to discover!

Castilla’s one of these neighborhoods. Although it doesn’t have recognized hotel zones and doesn’t appear on Google’s first page, you’ll find different places of interest for residents and tourists.

Learn a little more about this area and all it has to offer!

An Introduction to the Castilla Neighborhood 

Castilla’s the fifth Comuna in the northwestern area of ​​Medellin. It borders the Robledo and Doce de Octubre neighborhoods and the Medellin River.

This commune’s construction began in the 1930s. The urbanization process lasted until the 1960s when they built the slaughterhouse, the fair arena, and the north highway.

Nowadays this commune has 15 neighborhoods and four institutional areas within which are:

• Castilla
• La Paralela
• Tricentenario
• Héctor Abad Gómez
• Toscana
• Plaza Colón
• Boyacá
• Las Brisas
• Florencia
• Tejelo
• Girardot
• Gratamira
• Francisco Antonio Zea
• Alfonso López
• Belalcázar
• Caribe
• El Progreso
• Plaza de Ferias (área Institucional)
• Oleoducto (área Institucional)
• Cementerio Universal (área Institucional)
• Terminal de Transporte del Norte (área Institucional)

Within these neighborhoods and sectors, there’s an important presence of industry with factories and companies. Some of them are:

• Zenu
• Proleche
• Colanta
• Coca Cola
• Everfit-Indulana
• Carrocería Antioquia
• Secretaría de Movilidad Municipal
• Secretaría Departamental de Minas 
• Fiscalía General de la Nación 
• The Carlos Holguín Police School

What’s in Castilla?

Regarding mobility, Castilla has access to several main roads such as the aforementioned northern highway, Carrera 65, and the parallel road for public transport to and from strategic places in Medellin.

The Metro system has three stations that cover this Comuna: Acevedo, Tercentenary, and Caribbean.

For a little over five years, Castilla has had the Puente de la Madre Laura that communicates with Comuna 4, Aranjuez.

North Terminal

Right at the Caribe station of the Metro System is the Terminal del Norte of Medellin. You’ve probably been there already if you took any inter-municipal buses to towns north of Antioquia. Why not take the opportunity and get to know its surroundings?

Address: Entrada A La Autonorte #75-580, Medellín, Castilla, Medellín, Antioquia

Mobility Secretary

The Medellin mobility offices operate from this sector of the city. To manage pending tasks with the city’s traffic, one must go to Commune 5 to solve it.

Address: Cra. 64c #72 – 58, Medellín, Castilla, Medellín, Antioquia

Prosecutor’s Bunker

Almost next to the Ministry of Mobility, you’ll find the headquarters of the Prosecutor’s Office of Medellín. It’s recognizable from afar for being a set of concrete structures with the drawing of a puzzle.

Address: Cra. 64 #67-300, Medellín, Castilla, Medellín, Antioquia

Zero Point Bridge

Also known as the Pendulum Bridge or the Cocacola Bridge, it’s a point that represents “the navel” or just the center of the city. This place’s a tourist attraction, especially for architects from all over the world.

Among other places to highlight in this sector of the city are:

• Comfenalco Library of Castilla
• San Judas Tadeo Parish
• SENA Manufacturing Technology Center
• Universal Cemetery

You’ll also find nightlife in the area. There, Calle 68 is a favorite.

Parks and Natural Places in Castilla 

After talking about industries and transportation, let’s talk about natural places where you can enjoy this neighborhood!

Parque Juanes de la Paz 

This park’s part of a program to expand the city’s public space. Internationally known paisa singer Juanes promoted this park and created a computer room in it through his Mi Sangre Foundation.

In Parque Juanes de la Paz, you can enjoy recreational sports and digital events designed for citizens and appropriate for people with disabilities.

You’ll find green areas with many trees, perfect for resting from the city’s noise, jogging, or riding a bicycle along the available bike paths.

This park also offers a multisensory area for people to overcome challenges with their eyes, hands, or feet bandaged!

Address: Cra. 65 #96A-10, Medellín, Castilla, Medellín, Antioquia

Rene Higuita Sports Unit

Rene Higita is a former soccer player of the Colombian National Team known for covering a ball with the “scorpion” step. He’s something like a soccer legend in the country and was born in Castilla.

This place has synthetic soccer fields and is one of the spaces with the highest quality of infrastructure and innovation in the area open for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of Castilla through sports.

In addition to the courts, there are spaces to walk and a bike path.

Address: Cra 69 #101-25, Medellín, Castilla, Medellín, Antioquia

Florida Parque Comercial

Florida is one of the newest shopping centers in Medellin. It was created for the inhabitants of the Castilla and Robledo neighborhoods since there was no similar space in the area.

This shopping center has various stores, shops, restaurants, and places to share with family or friends. It also has many green areas, outdoor, and natural spaces, which give it a “park” atmosphere perfect for relaxing on weekends.

Address: Cl. 71 #65 – 150, Medellín, Castilla, Medellín, Antioquia

Visit Castilla

Castilla’s one of the liveliest districts with the most strategic sites in the city. I could say that a person from Medellin at some point will have to visit this neighborhood either for its parks, courts, shopping center, or to do some administrative work.

In addition, it’s still a place with many tourist offers and places to discover!
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