Filming Locations: Where was Narcos filmed?

"Bad guys don't play by the rules. This is what makes them bad. Maybe that's what lets them win."

The fourth season of Narcos (Narcos: Mexico) continues the story of the failed American War on Drugs. This time the Netflix series develops the plot of the Guadalajara Cartel in Mexico, after focusing season 3 around the fearsome drug lords of the Cali Cartel.

Narcos was primarily filmed in Colombia and Mexico, but also in the United States, Panama, and Chile. The production required lots of different locations in Colombia.

For the first two seasons most of the interiors were shot in Bogotá; the exteriors between this city and Medellín. Season 3 shifts the action to Cali and also to New York City.

A location manager was shot and killed when scouting locations in the north of Mexico city for this last season 4. Pedro Pascal, who played DEA agent Javier Peña is not returning to Narcos. The show includes a whole new cast starring Michael Pena (DEA agent Kiki Camarena) and Diego Luna (the boss Félix Gallardo).

We grabbed as much information as we could about the filming locations of this addictive series. Here is a selection of the most relevant places where Narcos was shot.

There are some spoilers, but only up to the second season (anyway most of the facts are history), so proceed with care:

Hacienda Napoles was the famous luxurious estate that served as general headquarters for Pablo, Before becoming an outlaw.

It was originally located in Puerto Triunfo (Antioquia), but for filming, it was used on a property near the city of Villavicencio.
Image courtesy of Netflix

Many scenes were filmed in Medellín, some at the same places where the real narcos operated, like the Barrio Pablo Escobar.

In this neighborhood (situated in the district Santo Domingo Savio in Comuna 1), Escobar built hundreds of houses for the poor to gain their loyalty.
Image courtesy of Netflix

La Catedral was the well equipped and comfortable prison that hosted the Patrón and his men, after negotiating his surrender to the government.

Hotel Escobar, as it was also known, was constructed near Medellín, south of Envigado (map). However, the series was not filmed there. Any help with this one, please?

Several scenes were shot at Casa de Nariño (Bogotá), the residence of Escobar's nemesis and President of Colombia, César Gaviria.

Also, there are scenes taking place at the National Capitol of Colombia when Pablo is elected as a member of the House of Representatives.
Image by Miguel Olaya

The funeral of Luis Carlos Galán was held at the Central Cemetery of Bogotá.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Juan Carlos Pachón

Some initial scenes and the kidnapping of Martha Nieves Ochoa were filmed in the colorful historical neighborhood of La Candelaria, in Bogotá.

As the country is becoming more safe and open to tourism, more productions are filming in Colombia.

Also, check out our article Where was Jack Ryan filmed? about the second season of the Amazon series shot here.
Image by Jack Zalium

The Monaco Building in Medellín was one of Pablo’s hideouts. It was demolished in 2019.

The dynamite ended up a bloody legacy hard to forget. In its place, the city council is projecting a memorial park to honor the victims of his drug cartel.
Image by Google Maps

We don't know yet the location of the building used to film the Police Academy Carlos Holguín in Medellín.
Image courtesy of Netflix

Before being caught, there is a scene where Escobar enjoys an ice cream at Bolívar Park in Downtown Medellín.

This is the heart of the old city, the square where the Metropolitan Cathedral of Medellín is located.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map

At the end of the second season, Pablo's family lived for a while at the Hotel Tequendama in Bogotá.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map

The production filmed Pablo's death only two blocks from the real place in the Los Pinos area, near Girardot Stadium (Medellín).
Image courtesy of Netflix

The 3rd season is focused on the Cali Cartel and its four capos. Many exteriors were filmed in this southern city, in the Coltabaco building (pictured), Tequendama area, and the center (Cayzedo square, Carrera 4 y 5).
Image courtesy of Netflix and Luis Alveart

Episode six of the third season was partly filmed in the colonial walled city of Cartagena, doubling as Curaçao.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps

The wedding from the third episode of Narcos: Mexico was filmed at Palazzio Videmar in the Peralvillo neighborhood of Mexico City.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map

Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations for the Netflix series Narcos? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!

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