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Caracas
Capital and largest city of Venezuela

Caracas

Caracas, officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas.

Plan a trip to Caracas→From Valencia

It is located along the Guaire River in the northern part of Venezuela, within the Caracas Valley of the Venezuelan coastal mountain range. The valley is close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the shore by a steep 2,200-meter-high (7,200-foot) mountain range, Cerro El Ávila. To the south there are more hills and mountains that form the valley. The Metropolitan Region of Caracas has an estimated population of over 5 million inhabitants.

Get in

Getting to Caracas

Maiquetía's

  1. 01
    Simón Bolívar Airport or Aeropuerto Maiquetia
See

Worth seeing

Caracas has more than enough sights and attractions to fill three or four days although it is often overlooked by international travellers.

  1. 01
    La Plaza Bolivar
  2. 02
    Simón Bolívar Birthplace House
  3. 03
    Boulevard of Sabana Grande

    Avenida Las Acacias-Quebrada Chacaíto (Plaza Venezuela, Sabana Grande and Chacaíto metro stops).

  4. 04
    Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas

    An art museum in the Museum Square in Los Caobos Park, Caracas.

  5. 05
    Centro de Arte La Estancia

    An art gallery in the middle of the lush and manicured gardens.

  6. 06
    Jardin Botanico
Do

Things to do

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 Teleferico is a cable-car that takes visitors up the Avila. The ascent provides a beautiful view of the city.

Eat

Where to eat

El Granjero del Este, Av. Río de Janeiro,. Open late. One of the better of the dozens of "areperas" dotted around town. Specializes in arepas, a savory corn-flour bread that doubles as Venezuela's traditional staple food.

  1. 01
    Maute Grill

    A very nice place, often crowded but rightfully so, the food and wine are outstanding.

  2. 02
    Aranjuez

    One of the older steak houses in Caracas, with top quality Argentine and Venezuelan cuts of beef.

  3. 03
    Cafe Ole

    This open air candlelight cafe is a popular haunt for after dinner cafe and some excellent desserts.

  4. 04
    Mamma Mia

    A perennially popular though noisy restaurant with a good selection of Italian dishes.

  5. 05
    Carnivino

    It is good if you want to savor good meat and chicken.

How locals move

Getting around Caracas the local way

  • Get aroundThe ubiquitous minibuses, or por puestos, run along many main roads in Caracas, often ending up in obscure residential neighborhoods that are not accessible by metro.

From Wikivoyage: Caracas, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.