Foundation

Diego de Lozada founder of Caracas in a painting by Venezuelan painter Antonio Herrera Toro.

The background of the founding of Caracas originates in the herd of San Francisco, which established the mestizo Francisco Fajardo in 1560. The foundation was made from another previous population founded on the coast of Caracas by Fajardo himself, and as a result of his attempts to populate the Toromaimas Valley or San Francisco, to support and defend the exploitation of gold mines discovered last year in the nearby area of Los Teques, where Cacique Guaicaipura lived. Fajardo departed twice, in 1555 and 1558, from Margarita, his native island, to establish towns on the mainland, using his familiarity and friendship with the indigenous people who inhabited the north-eastern and north-central coasts of Venezuela, and taking advantage of the advantage of dominating the language of the indigenous Caracas, their relatives on the coast.

When the Spanish conquistador Juan Rodríguez Suárez arrived in the San Francisco herd, the region was at war with the Spanish invaders, and daily the herd was attacked with the consequent loss of people and animals. In order to strengthen this facility and use it as a strategic base for the future conquest of the territory, Rodríguez Suárez makes it Villa de San Francisco, appoints mayor and councilors, and distributes land among soldiers. However, the foundation did not survive the attack of the indigenous peoples of the Teques, Mariches, Toromaimas and other inhabitants of the province confederated by Guaicaipura.

In 1567, the Spanish conqueror Diego de Lozada, following a Royal ballot issued in 1563, following the depopulation of San Francisco, villages the site, orders its rebuilding and formally reinforces the city on July 25, 1567 under the name Santiago de Leon de Caracas, a name that remains to this day, taking the name of Caracas by the name taken by the indigenous people who inhabited the region upon the arrival of the conquistadores and the name of the apostle Santiago by the date of the founding and by the evocation of Santiago "el matamoros" to serve as spiritual guide in the struggle against the natives.

On airplane

Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetía.

To get to the city of Caracas by plane, you can do it through the facilities of Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetía. The airport is the country's main airport. It has a large number of domestic and international flights from the country's major cities and the world.

Main international destinations:

Paris, Madrid, Miami, Frankfurt, Tenerife, New York, Rome, Damascus, Lima, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, Aruba, Curacao, Dallas, Atlanta, San Juan, Toronto, Mexico City, Panama City, Port of Spain, Brussels, Geneva, Barcelona (art.), Santiago de Compostela, Lisbon, Porto, Madeira ira, Quito, Medellin, Punta Cana, San Jose, Santo Domingo, Havana, Cancun)

More information: Maiquetía International Airport.

The airport, located less than 20 minutes from the city of Caracas, offers a variety of public and private transport services, which provide a connection between the airport and the capital city.

On Bus

Eastern Terminal.

La Bandera Terminal.

The Terminal of the East, is one of the capital's main bus terminals and can be reached from almost any major city in the interior state of the country and vice versa.

The Terminal of La Bandera, is the other major bus terminal in the city of Caracas and is located in the central part of the city.

Private bus companies offer services to other cities from Caracas and vice versa:

• Executive Aeroexpressionists C.A. [1], Main Avenue of Bello Campo, Quinta Marluz, Bello Campo, Chacao. Phones: (0212) 266.23.21 - 266.36.01
• Rodovias from Venezuela C.A. [2], Avenida Libertador with Boulevard Amador Bendayan, Sector Santa Rosa from Quebrada Honda, 100 m from the Metro Station College of Engineers. Phones: (0212) 577.66.22 - 577.70.11 - 577.77.65

By train

There is currently no railway system that joins all of Venezuela, which is under construction, is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

The only line currently in operation is in the Central and Capital Region of Venezuela, linking the Capital District to the states of Miranda, Aragua and Carabobo.

By car

The city of Caracas has two main entrances. The first is the one that connects the city to the west of the country, and goes straight to the city of Maracay. The second links the city to the east, mainly the cities of Guarenas and Guatire, as well as the rest of eastern Venezuela. There is an entrance to the north of the city that connects it to the coastal city of La Guaira, where the Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetía is located.

By boat

Via the port of La Guaira located 25 minutes from Caracas.

Museum of Fine Arts, 🏠 Plaza Los Museos, Fine Arts. (One of the most recognized museums in Latin America, it has permanent exhibitions of collection of Egyptian art, cubism and related trends, Chinese pottery, Latin American, European and American art, contemporary art, drawing, stamp and photography. Simply a magnificent museum that the tourist can't miss. Nowadays, Picasso can be seen here and not at the Museum of Contemporary Art. (Metro Bellas Artes, L1).) 

Museo Los Galpons (The Sheds)., 🏠 Urbanizacion Los Chorros, Sucre Municipality. (Private Museum in Caracas which provides an alternative to those sectors of the Venezuelan artistic world that do not feel represented by the National Government. It has few art galleries, but the gardens are spectacular. The restaurants have good food. It is advisable to get there by taxi, far from the metro station. (Metro Los Dos Caminos, L1).) 

Bulevar de Sabana Grande, 🏠 Between Avenida Las Acacias de la Urb San Antonio and Quebrada Chacaíto (Caracas' main shopping corridor that receives more than 500,000 visitors a day), it also hosts many works of art on its way. The buildings that adorn this capital space are from the 20th century, a memory of the architectural heritage of Caracas. The highlights are: Gran Sabana Building, Banco Unión Building, Metropolitano Bank Building, 3H Building, Los Andes Building and many more. This tourist, commercial and artistic passage is 1.4 KM long. Partially restored a few years ago.) 

John Boulton House Museum, 🏠 Next to the National Pantheon. (One of the best hidden gems in Caracas. A private collection from Boulton's family. This museum houses important works of Arturo Michelena that few know about. Recommended. (Metro Capitolio, L1).) 

Museo Sacro, 🏠 Esquinas de Torre a Gradillas, opposite Plaza Bolívar, Historical Center, next to the Cathedral. (It is a museum that exhibits different religious works of art, the remains of the 19th century church dungeon, a small coaching, an art gallery, a café and popular art shops and souvenirs. (Metro Capitolio, L1).) 

In Caracas there are many places where you can go to eat, the most famous being the area of La Candelaria where there are many restaurants especially Spanish food. It is also recommended to go to the areas of Las Mercedes, Sabana Grande, El Rosal, Altamira, Los Palos Grandes, La Castellana, La Candelaria, among others, where there is also a great variety of gastronomic dishes to suit all tastes.

Budget

Café Tribus Cultural, Urb. La Candelaria, National Art Gallery.

Café Monsieur, Urb. Altamira.

Artisans, Altagracia, Plaza Bolívar.

Venezuela Nutritive Art Cathedral, Cathedral, Central Caracas.

Heladería La Poma, Boulevard de Sabana Grande.

The King of Sujuk, Boulevard of Sabana Grande.

Golfers from Antaño, Boulevard de Sabana Grande.

Moderate

Pizzeria Va Bene, Urb. Sabana Grande.

Auyama Cafe, Urb. The Mercedes.

Bread Flower, Urb. Beautiful Mount of Sabana Grande.

Pipoka, Urb. La Candelaria.

Little Rock Café, Urb. The Castellana.

The Praline Chocolatier. Urb. Altamira.

The Arabite, Urb. Beautiful Mount of Sabana Grande.

Lola Café, Urb. The Castellana.

The roof of the whale, Cathedral, central Caracas.

Expensive

The Eastern Farmer, Urb. The Mercedes.

King David, Urb. The Big Pales.

Din Din Korea, Urb. The Big Pales.

Urrutia Restaurant, Urb. Sabana Grande, Francisco Solano Avenue.

La Huerta Restaurant, Urb. Sabana Grande, Francisco Solano Avenue.

Da Guido Restaurant, Urb. Sabana Grande, Francisco Solano Avenue.

Mercedes, Urb. Las Mercedes, El Toulon Shopping Center.

Café Ole, Urb. The Mercedes.

Eight Bistro Restaurant, Urb. Bello Monte de Sabana Grande, El Recreo Shopping Center.

La Cita Restaurant, Urb. La Candelaria.

Le Club is the most exclusive club in the city, currently located in Las Mercedes and formerly in La Castellana and Chacaíto. The most popular partying districts are: Las Mercedes, El Rosal, Sabana Grande, Chacao, La Castellana and El Hatillo. Today, Las Mercedes and El Rosal are the best place to party. La Castellana, Sabana Grande and El Hatillo also have interesting options. Sabana Grande still retains its bohemian, vintage and alternative wave.

Popular Clubs:

• Le Club, in Las Mercedes.
• Holic, in Las Mercedes.
• The Quinta Live Music Bar, in Las Mercedes.
• San Ignacio Shopping Center, in La Castellana.
• Barriott, in Las Mercedes.
• Peanuts is like this, in Sabana Grande.
• Moulin Rouge, in Sabana Grande.
• Sawu, in Las Mercedes.
• El León, in La Castellana.
• Hog Heaven, in La Castellana.
• Leave If You Can, in Sabana Grande.
• The Peruvian Rock Bar, in Sabana Grande.

LGBT community:

For LGBT visitors, the most recommended nightclubs are Cool Café in La Castellana, Cups in El Rosal and Moskowa in Macaracuay. For the most daring and courageous, Triskel in Altamira; and Bar La Fragata and Bar Pullman in Sabana Grande. The best gay sauna in Caracas is Zeus, located in the Centro Entrepreneur del Este in Sabana Grande, Avenida Casanova.

Budget

• Hotel Cristal Caracas. Sabana Grande Boulevard, Pasaje Asunción. Due to its location at the heart of Sabana Grande Boulevard, it could be the best option for those with very little money. The place is very popular. A large group of police and military personnel live in the hotel, providing security.
• Hotel Altamira. Urb El Dorado, Altamira. A great place to stay near Altamira. Economic.
• Hotel Savoy. Urb. The Delicias of Sabana Grande. Although located in Sabana Grande, the nearest Metro station is Chacaíto.

Moderate

• Altamira Village Hotel. Excellent 4 star hotel with luxury restaurants and impeccable service. Near the popular community Pajaritos, where the Bohemian and alternative community of Chacao meet. Recommended.
• Lincoln Suites Hotel. Urb Sabana Grande, between the boulevard and Avenida Francisco Solano. Good four star hotel, with excellent facilities and art galleries. The restaurant is good but not impressive. Recommended.
• Coliseum Hotel. Urb Bello Monte, Sabana Grande district. Cheaper than Gran Melia Caracas. Close to El Recreo Mall and Flor del Pan Bakery. Good service.
• Alex Caracas Hotel. Urb La Candelaria, central Caracas. Excellent hotel in the heart of Caracas to get an idea of local culture and enjoy the city. Very close to the main museums of Caracas.
• Hotel Shelter Suites. Cool. A great place to stay in Chacao, near Avenida Francisco de Miranda.

Expensive

• Hotel Cayena Caracas. Urb. The Castellana. Small and cozy boutique hotel for the most demanding people. The only Leading of the World hotel in Venezuela today. Recommended.
• Hotel Gran Melia Caracas. Urb Bello Monte, Sabana Grande business district. It was the only Leading of The World hotel in Venezuela until the inauguration of Hotel Cayena Boutique in 2015-2016. It is unknown why it lost the distinction. It remains a very luxurious hotel and is in the process of a major overhaul. Headquarters of foreign embassies. He won the World Travel Awards in 2017.
• JW Marriott Caracas Hotel. Urb. El Rosal, Chacao. Although it has not been Leading Of the World in recent years, it is a prestigious hotel in Caracas that has won the Venezuela award in the World Travel Awards for many years. From 2007 to 2015, he only stopped winning in 2008. He has important agreements with Russia.
• Hotel Waldorf Caracas. Urb. La Candelaria, Libertador. Newly opened boutique hotel in the center of Caracas, close to the city's most important financial centers and the most representative museums in Caracas. Very luxurious and central. Ideal for business travelers in Caracas and contractors from the Venezuelan state.
• Hotel Pestana Suites. Urb. Santa Eduvigis. Of the once five-star hotels on the Castellana-Los Palos Grandes axis, it is one of the hotels that still holds the 5 stars. Recommended.
• Hotel Caracas Palace. Urb Altamira. Luxurious five star hotel located on the east side of the Plaza Francia in Altamira. Like Pestana Suites, it has 5 stars. The others lost them.

Caracas is considered to be the most violent city in the world, according to a 2015 study by the Mexican NGO Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. With a rate of 119.87 homicides per house of 100,000 inhabitants and a total of 3,946 violent deaths in 2015, she tops a list with the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula second. These statistics have been controversial. Private NGOs have no way to verify official government statistics, which often do not provide detailed information on the situation of violence in Venezuela. For this reason, they get information unofficially. The researcher for Caracas Chronicles and Prodavinci showed that the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence has fictitiously created up to 6,000 deaths throughout these years. The announcement attracted a lot of attention, as it came from media that oppose the Venezuelan government. No one knows the veracity of the data because the information is unofficial and the calculation methods do not meet international standards. For more information, see Dorothy Kronick's articles on Prodavinci.

Most of the hotels in Caracas are located in Sabana Grande, which until recently was the geographic center-east of the defunct Metropolitan District of Gran Caracas. However, it is advisable to see the surroundings of the hotel. The best lodging options in the Sabana Grande district are: Hotel Cristal (budget), Hotel Lincoln Suites (4*), Hotel Coliseo (4*), Hostel Vistavila Suites (3*) and the very luxurious Hotel Gran Melia Caracas (5*). Although La Candelaria and Sabana Grande have prestigious five-star hotels, most of them were on the La Castellana-Los Palos Grandes axis, although almost all of them have lost the five stars (Pestana Suites and Caracas Palace still have five). The Rosal has important four- and five-star hotels, being JW Marriott Caracas. Las Mercedes is also an excellent choice, but it is not the best option to walk. In Las Mercedes, it is recommended to stay in the hotels Paseo Las Mercedes and Hotel Tamanaco. In the city center, Hotel Alex (4*) and Hotel Waldorf (5*) are excellent options, although Alba Caracas (formerly Hilton) might have interesting offers.

We recommend you choose the hotel that suits your budget the most. View the area around the hotel and consider your transportation needs when making your choice. If you are walking, El Rosal, Sabana Grande, La Candelaria and Altamira could be your best choice. If you come here to do business, it will depend on the company. For this reason, it is recommended that you follow a series of tips to avoid being a victim of theft or violence, such as:

• Be careful with applications like Couchsurfing. If you make friends in this app, investigate your friends profiles well to avoid taking bad surprises.
• Try to restrict your activities daily, but remember that crime in Caracas strikes anytime soon. Be vigilant.
• Beware of the dress code. The best thing is to dress like the local population. Sandals for strolls in Caracas are a reminder of their status as a tourist. Try wearing shoes.
• Avoid walking alone and don't venture into dangerous-looking places. Trust your instincts. Walk where people are going.
• Don't take taxis in the street, call them on the phone, or try to organize some kind of trusted private transport. If it does, it is at its own risk.
• Don't exchange your dollars and euros with strangers. Try to ensure the socio-economic status of the buyer. Ask for verifiable references.
• Do not use any electronic devices on the street (iPods, cameras, mobile phones) and leave your jewels in the hotel. If it does, it is at its own risk.
• Bring copies of your passport and important documents and leave the originals at the hotel.
• Don't look disoriented even if you're lost, try to seem like you know where you're heading (in that case, try to find a store or a shopping mall).
• On public transport, try to sit at the front and avoid using your electronic devices.
• Be reserved and do not share your personal information with any strangers.

All parts of Caracas are vulnerable to crime, but the target of the bands is not the same. The criminal who steals a phone is not as professional as the one who is part of a gang of kidnappers. The best idea is to stay in crowded places, where you can see plenty of people, like the Sabana Grande boulevard and the commercial areas of Chacao and Baruta. In the latter two, take into account that most people travel by private vehicle and not on foot. The commercial and residential areas of Caracas have different dynamics. In busy shopping districts, it is prudent not to wear luxury clothes and dress like the local population. Nowadays, precautions should be taken in all districts of Caracas. Of course, district conditions make it more vulnerable to certain types of crimes. While pickpockets abound in Sabana Grande as the city's most important commercial corridor, kidnapping gangs are more common in residential and dark areas of the Metropolitan District. These areas are: Santa Monica, Florida, Altamira, Santa Eduvigis, El Hatillo, Prados del Este, El Cafetal, Los Palos Grandes, etc. You must follow your instincts and not be carried away by the first impressions. These kidnapping gangs often receive information from security personnel working in the residences. Common sense. Don't talk about dollars with any strangers.

Venezuelan Violence Observatory statistics have been heavily skewed, as the researcher Dorothy Kronick of Caracas Chronicles Prodavinci demonstrated. However, the crime problem remains serious. Kronick's estimates didn't fall behind in demonstrating the violence in Caracas, but they exposed the statistical errors of some NGOs. Robberies, assaults and kidnappings are very common, so it is recommended not to go out on the streets with valuables, keep mobile phones out of sight of others while in public places, and avoid certain areas of Caracas. The latest US Embassy Security Report is up to date (January 2018). Previously, the districts of Chacao and Baruta were quite safe, but the situation has changed. In fact, kidnapping offenses are more common in these districts. Kidnappers demand sums of money that can reach $20,000. Las Mercedes and El Rosal are good alternatives for the most demanding tourists who have an ample budget to pay for line taxis or rent a car in the city. To walk the city and use public transportation, the ideal area of the city could be Sabana Grande, following the hotel's recommendations. The districts mentioned above have safer areas than others and the hotel will provide you with the information you need to make your stay in Caracas a pleasant one. Hotel Alex and Hotel Waldorf are the most recommended options to stay in the center of Caracas, both of which are located in La Candelaria. Waldorf is a recently opened luxury five-star hotel and is a landmark of Venezuelan architecture.

In the evening, it is preferable to avoid walking on the streets and stay away from the dark areas, which abound in Caracas, given the multiple and common failures of public lighting. All areas of Caracas have problems of citizen security. Although some areas have fewer crimes, in per capita terms crime could actually be worse (number of reported crimes among the number of visitors/residents in the sector). Try to stay in the high traffic and pedestrian areas of the city. Citizen security at night is limited and it is prudent to visit places with heavy police presence, such as Las Mercedes, El Hatillo and Sabana Grande Boulevard. However, the local population does not trust the police and military in the city. Not all citizens believe that police presence improves security rates in the city. Security bodies have lost some legitimacy. In any case, use your instincts and common sense. He doesn't look like a typical Latin American tourist. Remember that pickpockets are common in the large commercial areas of Caracas, but with common sense you can avoid them.

It is advisable to travel with basic medicines, since while they are manufactured or imported into Venezuela many times and due to the shortage of basic products, drugs can sometimes be exhausted in pharmacies.

It is advisable not to eat prepared food on the street, in Caracas there are many food stalls on the street where minimum health standards are not met, so it is easy to get sick of your stomach, to eat this kind of food is better if you ask local people, they will know to tell you the best places to find better-known and quality street food stalls.

Regarding Public Health, it is recommended that if you need to go to a hospital and go to private hospitals and clinics, in most public hospitals there are no equipment or material needed to attend all emergencies and waiting times are very high because the city's lower class people go to these. It is recommended that private international health insurance be provided, especially if you are prone to becoming ill, as the costs of private medical services in Venezuela may be high.

Embassies

• United States, F Street with Suapure Street.
• Spain, Av. Mohedano, between 1st and 2nd transversal, Fifth Embassy of Spain, La Castellana. Phones: +58-212-263-2855 / 263-3876 / 263-0932 / 263-1956 / 263-2980

The following places are recommended after the visit to Caracas:

• Margarita Island
• Los Roques National Park
• Canaima National Park