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Voykit pocket guide · Venezuela
Caracas
Caracas is a daytime city moved by car: do one cluster a morning with a driver your hotel or operator arranged, be indoors by dusk, and never walk between clusters.
Caracas sits in a mountain valley at about 900 m, with a mild climate and good food and museums, but personal security decides every plan. The trips that go wrong are the ones that treat it like a walking city: street taxis, phones out on the pavement, the airport road after dark. Four small clusters cover a first visit; each is done in the morning by car, with the afternoon indoors. Check your own government's advice before you plan anything here.
- Country
- Venezuela
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · Dec
- Time zone
- America/Caracas
- Stay
- 2 days: Altamira and the museum cluster by car, mornings only
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- US dollars in cash for most things; carry small, clean notes and ask before you buy what currency is meant. Foreign cards often fail; hotels may accept them but check first.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$40–70 excl. bed · Mid US$70–140 excl. bed · High US$140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a SIM from a Movistar, Digitel or Movilnet shop with your passport.
- Emergency
- National emergency line 171
- Plugs
- 120 V, 60 Hz; type A and B sockets, the same as in North America.
- Tipping
- 10% is common in restaurants if service is not already added; tip drivers a few dollars.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; use bottled or filtered water.
- Toilets
- Hotels, malls and museums; carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Arepa and coffee at a bakery | US$3–7 |
| Sit-down restaurant meal, per person | US$12–30 |
| Bottled water, shop | US$1–2 |
| Driver for a short trip across the east side | US$8–20 |
| Museum entry | US$1–5 |
| Coffee at a café | US$2–4 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Simón Bolívar International Airport, Maiquetía (CCS)
- CCS to Altamira: one pre-booked hotel or operator car, 60–120 minutes on the coastal highway and tunnels — arrive in daylight, and never take an unarranged ride from the hall.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Simón Bolívar International Airport (Maiquetía) (CCS) | All international and domestic air arrivals | Hotel or operator car, 60–120 min; see the gateway page — never an unarranged ride |
Typical fares
- Maiquetía → Altamira, hotel or operator car
- US$50–90, 60–120 min
- Short car ride across the east side
- US$8–20
Get around
Car with a pre-arranged driver, for every trip, at every hour. This is not a walking city for visitors: security conditions, traffic patterns and the spread-out valley layout all push toward the same answer.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel or operator car | US$8–90 depending on distance, 2026 estimate | Every trip between clusters, the airport, and any evening movement |
| Walking within your hotel block | Free | A short stretch in daylight, in the immediate hotel area only |
| Street taxi | Variable | Nothing — do not hail one |
| Metro | Low, in bolívares | Not recommended for visitors |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree a day rate with a driver rather than paying trip by trip.
- Late at night
- The metro runs by day but is not recommended for visitors; use a driver.
See and do
01Plaza Bolívar and the historic centre with a guidePlaza Bolívar de Caracas
The founding square, the cathedral and the Pantheon in one guided morning.
Hours: best 09:00–12:00 · Price: Mostly free; Pantheon and Casa Natal low entry fees · Time: 2–3 h
02Museo de Bellas ArtesMuseo de Bellas Artes de Caracas
Venezuela's leading fine-arts collection beside a shaded park.
Hours: best Weekday morning · Price: US$1–5 · Time: 1.5–2 h
03Plaza Francia and a Los Palos Grandes morningPlaza Francia de Altamira
The calmest orientation walk in the city, on the hotel's own doorstep.
Hours: best 08:00–10:00 · Price: Free · Time: 30–45 min
04Ávila cable car, weather permittingTeleférico de Caracas
The best views over the valley and the coast, when the summit is clear.
Hours: best Clear mornings only · Price: US$10–25, check current price · Time: 2–4 h
05An arepa meal
The national dish, done properly, at a bakery your hotel recommends.
Hours: best Breakfast or lunch · Price: US$3–9 · Time: 30–45 min
06Colonia Tovar day trip
A German-founded mountain village and a full change of scene, 2 h out.
Hours: best Weekday · Price: See day_trips · Time: Full day
07Plaza Bolívar
The city's founding square and the start of any historic-centre morning.
Hours: Open square; go 09:00–11:00 with a guide · Price: Free
08Panteón Nacional
Bolívar's remains and Venezuela's national heroes under a painted ceiling.
Hours: Check with your guide · Price: Low, US$1–5
09Casa Natal de Simón Bolívar
The restored colonial house where Bolívar was born, one block from the plaza.
Hours: Check with your guide · Price: Free
10Parque Los Caobos
Mahogany-shaded paths between the museum precinct's buildings.
Hours: Daylight · Price: Free
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| El Ávila national park (Warairarepano) | Car to the park entrance, then walking | Half day |
| Colonia Tovar | Car, about 2 h each way | Full day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery arepa and coffee | Arepa with a savoury filling · Any panadería | US$3–7 | Budget |
| El Budare de la Castellana | Arepas (reina pepiada, pelúa, domino) · La Castellana | US$4–9 | Budget |
| Tarzilandia | Family-style Venezuelan cooking · Los Palos Grandes | US$15–30 | Mid-range |
| Moliendo Café | Cuban-Venezuelan (ropa vieja, strong coffee) · Las Mercedes | US$15–30 | Mid-range |
| Hotel or Las Mercedes fine dining | International and Venezuelan tasting menus · Las Mercedes, top hotels | US$35–70+ | Splurge |
Per person, one meal, 2026 estimate cash US dollars. Confirm each address and hours with your hotel the day of.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| mid | US$70–160 | Altamira, Los Palos Grandes | International and boutique hotels |
| mid | US$70–160 | Las Mercedes | Hotels close to the restaurant strip |
Per room per night in US dollars, 2026 estimate; Christmas and New Year add 20–50%.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Buenos díasBWEH-nos DEE-as |
| Thank you | GraciasGRA-see-as |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta por fa-VOR |
| Please take me to this address | Lléveme a esta dirección, por favorYEH-veh-meh a ES-ta dee-rek-SYON |
| I need help | Necesito ayudaneh-seh-SEE-to a-YOO-da |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greetings: A handshake or, among acquaintances, a single cheek kiss is normal; follow your guide or host's lead.
- Photos: Never photograph police, soldiers, government buildings or checkpoints. Ask before photographing people.
- Currency talk: Ask which currency a price is in before agreeing to anything; do not assume bolívares.
- Punctuality: Confirm pickup times the night before and again the morning of; traffic and security routing can shift plans.
- Tipping: See essentials.tipping — about 10% in restaurants, a few dollars for drivers.
Red lines
- Do not photograph police, soldiers or government buildings.
- Do not carry your passport on the street; carry a copy and keep the original in the hotel safe.
- Do not take a phone or camera out at a bus stop or on a busy pavement.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street taxis and unmarked cars have been used for robberies: use only a driver your hotel or operator arranged.
- Prices quoted in bolívares and dollars can differ; ask which currency is meant before you order or ride.
- Strangers who offer to change money on the street: do not; use your hotel.
One and two days
2 days
A short stop before Los Roques or Canaima. Skip: The Ávila cable car unless the weather is confirmed clear and you have a third day to spare.
Day 1 — Altamira and Las Mercedes
- 08:30Plaza Francia walk
- 12:30Lunch table, Altamira
- 14:00Rest at the hotel
- 18:00Dinner in Las Mercedes, driver both ways
Day 2 — Historic centre with a guide
- 08:30Plaza Bolívar and the Pantheon
- 11:30Back east for lunch
- 13:00Stay in for the afternoon
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ministry of Tourism of Venezuela: mintur.gob.ve/
- UK FCDO travel advice: Venezuela: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/venezuela
- Wikivoyage — Caracas: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Caracas
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Caracas
Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Plaza Bolívar de CaracasPlaza Bolívar
- Museo de Bellas Artes de CaracasMuseo de Bellas Artes
- Plaza Francia de AltamiraPlaza Francia (Plaza Altamira)
- Teleférico de CaracasTeleférico Warairarepano (Ávila cable car)
- National emergency line171
Confirm your own embassy or consulate's current address and 24-hour line before you travel; write it below.
Carry a copy of your passport, not the original, when you go out.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/caracas). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.