Caracas Travel Guide

From Wikitravel

A view of downtown Caracas, with southern mountains in the background, as seen from the slopes of the mountains to the north of the city.

Caracas is located in northern Venezuela, near the Caribbean. It is Venezuela's capital, largest city, and the location of its major international airport.

Understand

Get in

By plane

Maiquetía's Simon Bolivar Airport is 16 km away from central Caracas, but the collapse of a bridge on the highway connecting Caracas with the airport in March 2006 means that the journey may take up to two hours during rush hour. Taxi fares are usually at least Bs. 60,000 (US$28)to Caracas but there are many unlicensed taxis offering their services, so travelers should be very careful. In particular, it is advised to agree on a price before getting into the taxi, not sharing with anyone other than the driver, and preferably using only the airport's official black Ford Explorer cabs, although these can be pricey. Check with your hotel to see if they arrange airport pickup - it may need to be booked in advance.

By car

Fairly decent highways connect Caracas with La Guaira and the airport to the north; Maracay, Valencia and Maracaibo in the west; Barcelona and Puerto La Cruz in the east.

By bus

A taxi from the bus terminal to the center will cost you around Bs.15,000.

Buses from the airport to Caracas cost around $5. Passengers have the option of alighting either at Gato Negro metro station (less than safe at street level) or under a bridge at the Parque Central bus terminal, from where you'll need to get a taxi to your final destination or walk about 1 km along a busy road to the Bellas Artes metro station.

The La Bandera bus terminal connects Caracas with towns and cities to the west of the capital such as La Victoria (1 hour), Maracay (1.5 hours) and Valencia (2.5 hours). The 800m walk from La Bandera metro station to the bus terminal is not safe after dark and travelers should exercise caution at all times.

Get around

Taxis can be easily hailed in the street and are generally safe, but have no meters so prices should be agreed on before getting in. Caracas traffic is notoriously bad and the metro is usually a better option.

The Caracas metro is clean, modern, safe and extremely cheap. A single journey costs just Bs.500, "ida y vuelta" (return ticket) is Bs.900 and a 10 journey "multi abono" ticket is Bs.4500. Because prices have changed little in recent years yet bus fares have outpaced inflation, the metro is frequently overcrowded, particularly during peak hours.

See

• La Plaza Bolivar, in the city center. Statues of Simon Bolivar, close to the congress and other government buildings. Nice colonial architecture.
• La Casa Natal de Simon Bolivar. Bolivar's birthplace, also downtown. One of the few well-preserved colonial buildings with some great paintings and a museum. Next door is the Museo Bolivariano with some of Bolivar's war relics.
• Museo de Arte Colonial. Located in the Quinta Anauco on Av Panteon in San Bernardino, this is a lovely old house and garden that hosts small concerts some weekends.

Do

A view of Caracas from near the top of the Teleferico

• The Avila mountain to the north of Caracas is highly recommended for hiking, views of Caracas, and its fresh air. The Sabas Nieves entrance, accessible by bus from Altamira, is the most popular.

• The Teleférico is a cable-car that takes visitors up the Avila. The ascent provides a beautiful view of the city. At the top (altitude approximately 2600 m), one can obtain a view of Caracas to the south, and of the ocean (Caribbean Sea) to the north on a clear day. It will cost Bs. 30,000 (US$ 15) to take the teleférico up (and back down). Reduced fares are available for students, children, and senior citizens (approximately Bs. 20,000). Take the ride up to Avila as early as possible, before an afternoon haze obstructs your view from the top of the mountain. There are a few restaurants, many food kiosks, and numerous attractions suitable for children. These include a small skating rink, some small rides, and jungle-gyms. There is a well known fondue restaurant also located at the top. Some hiking trails branch off from the teleférico station, but without a map it is not easy to find them or know where they go, as they are not marked.

Buy

• Centro Comercial Sambil. South America's largest shopping mall, with two movie theaters, dozens of restaurants and probably hundreds of shops. Metro Chacao.
• Altamira. An exclusive neighborhood and shopping district in the eastern part of the city. Can be accessed easily by metro.
• Centro Comercial San Ignacio. Many boutique stores here, as well as lots of good bars and restaurants. A hub of Caracas nightlife.
• Centro Comercial El Recreo. Metro Sabana Grande.
• Centro Ciudad Comercial Tamanaco (CCCT). Take a Metrobus from the Altamira metro station.
• Centrol Comercial El Tolon. An upmarket mall in the Las Mercedes neighborhood.
• Centro Comercial Paseo Las Mercedes. A bit old fashioned but a good art house cinema and Oscar D'Leon's Mazukamba nightclub is here.

Eat

Las Mercedes

• Malabar. Calle Orinoco, Tel: 991-3131. Expensive but very good cuisine, mostly French, with a relaxed but trendy atmosphere.
• Aranjuez. Calle Madrid, Qunita Anacoa, Tel: 993-1326. One of the older steak houses in Caracas, with top quality Argentine and Venezuelan cuts of beef.
• Cafe Ole. Calle California with Calle Jalisco, Tel: 993-9059. This open air candlelight cafe is a popular haunt for after dinner cafe and some excellent desserts.
• Mamma Mia. Avenida Principal, Tel: 993-7230. A perennially popular though noisy restaurant with a good selection of Italian dishes.

La Castellana

• Avila Tei. Avenida San Felipe, Centro Coinasa, Ground Floor, Tel: 263-1520. Excellent, if costly, Japanese restaurant.
• Chez Wong. Plaza La Castellana (facing the roundabout), Tel: 266-5015. Very good Chinese restaurant.
• Chili's. Calle Jose A Lamas, Torre La Castellana, Tel: 267-9146. A branch of the American Tex-Mex chain.
• La Estancia. Avenida Principal La Castellana, Tel: 261-1874. A famous beef/meat restaurant with traditional Spanish decor.
• La Romanina. Av Avila, between Calle Miranda and Av Mohedano (just west of Plaza La Castellana), Tel: 266-8819. A simple setting but very good thin crust pizzas.
• New Spizzico. Av Principal La Castellana (one block north of the Plaza), Tel: 267-8820. Very pleasant Mediterranean style decor with a lovely outdoor terrace. Good mostly Italian food but not with very generous portions.

Altamira

Drink

• La Belle Epóque. Located in Bello Monte, this is the best club value and experience in the city. Great prices with great bar tenders (one speaks English). Great mix of well to do caraqueños and tourists. Three parties for the price of one: techno, American rock, reggae. Live music Thurs-Sat. One room has old black and white movies playing on a projector to reggae music. Another pure techno (no beer in here, just drinks, especially Red Bull and Vodka). The last is the live band playing American rock--and they're great. This club is a must do in Caracas.
• El León. On the corner of La Castellana roundabout, this Caracas stalwart benefits from one of the best open air terraces in Caracas. Plastic tables and chairs are simple and the service is slow, but the beers are cheap and the atmosphere is good.
• Whiskey Bar. Located in Commercial Center San Ignacio. Very similar layout to a typical East Coast lounge in the United States. Popular hang-out for professionals. The coldness you experience here from people are not representative of the Venezuelan people.

Sleep

Caracas has many hotels but no youth hostels as one might expect to find in other South American countries. Backpackers will find that Caracas is not a cheap destination, and that rooms per night per person range 20-30 USD. While the whole of the city is considered to be dangerous at night, stick to the hotels in the east, that is, Sabana Grande or farther east.

Many (but by no means all) hotels in the Sabana Grande area will offer rooms on an hourly basis, primarily for unmarried Venezuelan couples.

Budget

Most hotels are in Sabana Grande. Do not stay in hotels west of the historic city center. While Sabana Grande has affordable hotel rates, you need to take great care at night. Sabana Grande is not as safe as it used to be, especially the Boulevard. Neighborhoods further east such as Altamira and Las Mercedes offer much safer accomodations but at increased cost.

Mid-range

• Hotel Milenio, (located between the Ciudad Universitaria metro and the Sabana Grande metro).
• El Cid Tel: (0212) 263-1715. This residential hotel also caters for short visits. Excellently located in the La Castellana district, it offers a pleasant alternative to many hotels with antique wooden furniture in the rooms and a guest house feel. Rooms around Bs.180,000 to Bs.200,000 ($83 to $93).
• Hotel Shelter Suites Av Libertador and Av Jose Felix Sosa, Chacao (opposite Sambil shopping mall), Tel: (0212) 265-3860 (hotelshelter@cantv.net). Great location, clean and modern, this is a popular option and should be booked two weeks in advance. Max 2 people per room. Rooms from Bs.190,000.

Splurge

• Gran Meliá
• Caracas Hilton
• Marriot Tel: (0212) 957-2222
• Hotel Intercontinental Tamanaco Tel: (0212) 909-7111
• Embassy Suites
• Radisson Eurobuilding

Contact

Cope

Get out

• El Hatillo - nice restaurants and pretty colonial architecture.
• La Guaira - several beaches popular with Caraqueños at weekends but of much lesser quality than the beaches of Choroni, Morrocoy, Mochima or Margarita.
• El Avila - see above under "Do".