Medellín has become one of Latin America's most magnetic student cities: spring-like weather every day, a genuinely innovative public-transport and urbanism story, and a big, sociable international community. It is affordable, ringed by green mountains, and buzzing with cafés, coworking spaces and nightlife. The transformation from its troubled past into a proud, forward-looking city is something you feel walking around.

Nightlife splits between glossy El Poblado, Parque Lleras and Provenza's rooftop bars and clubs, and the more local, student-favoured Laureles around the Estadio. Reggaeton was practically born here, so expect it everywhere, alongside salsa nights and craft-beer spots. The international crowd is large and easy to plug into, and August's Feria de las Flores fills the city with parades and music.

Medellín runs 550 to 800 euros a month for a good student life, though trendy El Poblado can push that higher. A shared room costs roughly 800,000 to 1,600,000 pesos depending on the neighbourhood, set lunches are a few euros, and the metro is famously cheap. Choose Laureles over El Poblado and your budget stretches noticeably further.

Most exchange students land in El Poblado for its comfort and international feel or Laureles-Estadio for a more local, better-value scene near the universities. Rooms come mainly through Facebook groups, Comparto Apto and word of mouth, and furnished flats are common. Visit before paying, and factor in that El Poblado's hills mean a lot of stairs and steep streets.

Medellín's Metro is Colombia's only one and the pride of the city, clean, cheap and safe, extended by Metrocable gondolas that climb the hillside barrios and a tram through the centre. A Cívica card ties it all together, EnCicla offers free bike share, and Metroplús buses fill the gaps. Riding the Metrocable up to Santo Domingo or Comuna 13 is transport and sightseeing in one.

The Universidad de Antioquia is the big public flagship, EAFIT and the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana the leading private options, with the Nacional's Medellín campus strong in engineering. Teaching is in Spanish, though some business and engineering courses run in English, and campuses are green and well-equipped. Academic culture is friendly and increasingly geared to international students.

For most Europeans, plus US, Canadian, UK and Australian citizens, Colombia stamps you in visa-free for up to 90 days, extendable at Migracion Colombia to a maximum of 180 days in a calendar year. For a short single-semester exchange that can be enough, and it is easily the simplest route.

For longer study you apply for a student visa, either a Visitor (V) visa or a Migrant (M) visa for study depending on length, through Colombia's online visa portal before or soon after arrival. You will need an acceptance letter, proof of funds and health cover; once it is granted, register it and collect your cedula de extranjeria ID card. The online process is reasonably quick by regional standards if your documents are in order.

This is 'paisa' country, so the food is hearty: the bandeja paisa piles beans, rice, chicharrón, egg and arepa onto one plate, and mondongo (tripe soup) is a weekend ritual. The plump, plain arepa paisa accompanies everything, third-wave coffee is superb given the surrounding farms, and Botero Plaza downtown is dotted with the artist's rotund bronzes. Spanish is a must outside El Poblado.

El Poblado is the leafy, upscale, international zone; Laureles-Estadio is its flatter, more authentic and cheaper rival, hugely popular with students. Envigado just south feels like a friendly town of its own, Belén is solidly local, and Comuna 13 is the once-notorious hillside barrio reborn through art and its famous outdoor escalators. Laureles is the all-round student winner.

Medellín's mountains hide postcard weekends: Guatapé with its multicoloured houses and the El Peñol monolith you climb for a lake panorama is two hours away, colonial Santa Fe de Antioquia is warmer and closer, and the coffee-country towns of Jardín and Jericó are pure Andean charm. Cheap flights from José María Córdova airport reach Cartagena, Bogotá and beyond.

Medellín is welcoming but keep street smarts, especially around El Centro and Parque Lleras late at night, use the metro and ride apps and keep your phone tucked away. The daily rule 'no dar papaya' (don't make yourself a target) will serve you well. The perfect weather hides a real UV load at altitude, so wear sunscreen even when it feels mild.