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Introduction[]

Santiago de León de Caracas, or simply Caracas, is the capital and largest city in Venezuela. Other than being the main transport hub, there is little reason for visiting the city, which is ridden with crime. Mérida is far safer, and there are more interesting sights at Los Roques and the Gran Sabana.

Location[]

10°30′N 66°55′W Caracas is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range.

Things to Do[]

Caracas does have some sights to take in, but be aware of personal safety at all times.

  • Federal Capitol and the Plaza Bolívar
  • Parque del Este
  • Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño
  • Simón Bolívar's Birthplace
  • National Pantheon
  • Parque Central Complex

Weather[]

Caracas has a tropical savanna climate. Its temperature is tempered by the altitude, with rainfall between 900 and 1300 mm in the city. Most of the rain falls from May to November, with January to March being the driest months in the year.

Climate Data for Caracas
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Av. High/˚C 29.0 31.0 31.7 31.1 31.8 30.3 31.0 29.3 30.1 29.7 29.6 28.4
Daily Mean/˚C 21.1 22.8 23.5 23.7 25.0 24.2 24.0 23.0 23.5 23.1 22.7 21.3
Av. Low/˚C 13.1 14.5 15.3 16.2 18.2 18.1 16.9 16.6 16.8 16.4 15.7 14.2
Precipitation/mm 15.3 13.2 11.4 59.2 81.7 134.1 118.4 123.8 115.4 126.3 72.6 41.4

Getting There & Away[]

Simón Bolívar International Airport, near Caracas is the main international air gateway into the country. Air Canada flies from Toronto, American Airlines flies from Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth and New York, Continental Airlines flies in from Houston and Delta Airlines flies in from Atlanta. Also, Santa Bárbara Airlines also flies to Miami.

From Europe, Lufthansa flies from Frankfurt, Iberia and Air Europa fly in from Madrid, Air France from Paris, Alitalia from Rome, while TAP flies in from Lisbon, Porto and Funchal.

Around South America, TAM flies to São Paulo, TACA Perú and LAN Perú to Lima, Santa Bárbara Airlines to Bogotá, Guayaquil and Quito, LAN Airlines to Guayaquil and Santiago, Gol Airlines to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Copa Airlines Colombia to Bogotá and Medellín, Avianca to Bogotá and Aerolíneas Argentinas to Buenos Aires.

The Terminal La Bandera, 3 kilometres South of the centre, handles long-distance buses to anywhere in the West and Southwest of Venezuela. The Terminal de Oriente handles all traffic to the East and Southeast of the country; as well as to Colombia. The terminal is on the eastern outskirts of Caracas, on the highway to Barcelona, 5 kilometres beyond Petare (about 18 kilometres from Caracas’ city center). Buses servicing regional destinations still depart from the old and chaotic central Nuevo Circo regional bus terminal.

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