Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, located on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela.
It is the capital of Zulia and is the second-largest city proper in Venezuela, after the national capital, Caracas. The city has an estimated population of 1,752,602, with the metropolitan area estimated at 2,727,957 as of 2019. Maracaibo is commonly nicknamed "Spanish: La Tierra del Sol Amada".
Getting to Maracaibo
- 01La Chinita International Airport
Avior Airlines flies from Bogota and Caracas.
Worth seeing
Maracaibo has a nice but sterile centre, that they try to posh up with old European styled parks - not very successful.
- 01Puente General Rafael Urdaneta
Built in 1957 over Lake Maracaibo, is recognized as one of the most impressive buildings in Venezuela.
- 02Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquira
- 03Museo Rafael Urdaneta
Mon-Fri 08ː00-15ː00, Sat 09ː00-13ː00, closed Sun.
- 04Calle Carabobo
A street noted for poignant colonial type architecture.
Things to do
Jog in the late afternoon/night at
- 01Vereda del Lago
- 02Vereda del Lago / Aquamania
A park next to the lake with a malecon and everything and good security.
Where to eat
Try the local cuisine, places like:
- 01Chop's
With their famous tequeños and patacones.
- 02Arepas Santa Rita
Santa Rita avenue.
- 03Cachapas Frank
72 Ave with Delicias.
- 04Los Dulces de Alicia
- 05Mi Vaquita
The best steak house in Maracaibo, very popular.
Getting around Maracaibo the local way
- Patrulleros - Galerías
OpenStreetMap contributors.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.