Top places to visit

Located adjacent to the National Art Gallery, this small but charmingly designed museum is known for its temporary displays of impressive contemporary artwork by aspiring local artists.

Another one of Caracas’s many small museums, this place contains utensils, ceramic ornaments, historic documents, antique colonial furniture, and other possessions of the Bolivar family. The museum is housed within a cheerful little yellow-colored building.

Address: Plaza Morelos, edge of Parque Central Complex Timings: Tuesdays to Sundays 10am to 6pm Tickets: free admission to all Believed to be the best modern art museum in all of South America, this neo-classical piece of architecture is a platform where international art comes up close and personal with the Caraqueños. The museum consists of 16 large halls, containing both permanent and temporary collections. The permanent collection houses over 3000 individual pieces, which have usually been done by 19th century international and local master painters and sculptors. International artists whose work is housed within include Picasso, Miró, Chagall, and Leger. A special section contains a collection of nearly a hundred engravings by Picasso, done in different materials and colors. The museum also houses permanent displays of photography depicting international as well as traditional themes, a variety of simple and complex installation art forms, and sculptures ranging from mildly interesting to genuinely captivating.

Address: inside Parque Central Housed within a lively, colorful building inside the Parque Central area, the museum provides a healthy, colorful environment for children to learn and have fun at the same time. The main highlights of the museum consist of interesting interactive displays that explain the basics of science to kids in a way they are sure to remember, using colors, music, and games. The activities that the museum offers aim at stimulating the children’s thinking and analyzing abilities, by helping them through small game-like tasks. However, the museum does not stop you from polishing up on your elementary school math and science even if you are a postdoctoral fellow! The most popular section amongst children is the space and astronomy display, including the museum’s own planetarium that hosts regular informative shows on multimedia. Other specific sections cater to kids in higher classes, like chemistry, physics, social sciences, appreciation of art, and history and culture. The museum is beautifully landscaped – enjoy an evening stroll or a nice coffee break when you are done adventuring with your little ones.

Address: foot of Mount Avila, north of El Centro district Located on the foothills of Mount Avila and stretching all the way up to the very top, El Avila National Park offers an exciting recreational opportunity for you when you get saturated with the car-clogged roads and the shopper-infested malls of the city. The park contains cable cars that take you up to the very top. A 15-20 minutes ride, this will give you breathtaking views over the city’s skyline, where you would be able to see tall magnificent skyscrapers standing out amidst cramped ranchos that creep up the hillsides. As you get to the top, the temperature takes a sudden drop – it is recommended that you bring an extra shirt or light jacket, even in the summers. Alternatively, you can choose to take the hiking/walking trail that leads up to the mountain top. This will take around 3-4 hours, depending on the number of stops you make. A small local village, Galipan, is located on the way up. Stop for some local food, especially fruit pies with steaming cups of tea, which will energize you for the remaining part of the journey.

This is the starting point for exploring the city and discovering its rich cultural heritage through its main historic district, known as Centro. The district was given this name because it was the economic, administrative and public centre during Venezuela’s colonial period. It contains artefacts from long ago, including monuments, government offices, cathedrals and museums.