Caracas, capital of Venezuela, it is located to the feet of Hill the Ávila. It is the most important city in Venezuela, not only for their population, their monuments, their industries and their trade; but also to be residence of the high powers of the nation: The Presidency of the Republic and of their Ministers, of the Supreme Court of Justice and where the Cameras of Deputies and Senators meet. It is also headquarters archbishopric.

Time Zone and Time Difference

Time GMT - 3. three hours less than Greenwich Mean Time. Caracas is on Atlantic Time, one hour ahead of New York, two hours ahead of Chicago. No DST is observed. Check the "Time Ticker" for current time in Caracas.

Electricity

110V - 60 Hz.

Jet Lag

Airports

Simon Bolivar Airport - Maiquet?a, Distrito Federal (code is CCS) is the principal airport and is located 22 kilometers (14 miles) from the capital city. It has two terminals, international and domestic. There is bus service that runs on who knows what schedule (leaves when the bus is full) and connects you to the metro system in the city. I would advice taking a taxi.

Passport and Visa

A valid passport and a visa or tourist card are required. Tourist cards are issued on flights from the U.S. to Venezuela for persons staying less than ninety days. Venezuelan immigration authorities have been requiring that U.S. passports have at least 6 months validity remaining from the date of arrival in Venezuela. Some U.S. citizens have been turned back to the United States for having less than 6 months validity. Passports should also be in good condition, as some U.S. citizens have been detained overnight for having otherwise valid passports in poor condition. For current information concerning entry, tax, and customs requirements for Venezuela, travelers may contact the Venezuelan Embassy at 1099 30th St. N.W., Washington D.C. 20007, tel: (202) 342-2214.. Travelers may also contact the Venezuelan consulates in New York, Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Houston, San Francisco or San Juan. In an effort to prevent international child abduction, many governments, including Venezuela's, have initiated procedures at entry/exit points. These often include requiring documentary evidence of the relationship and permission for the child's travel from the parent(s) or legal guardian not present. Having such documentation on hand is now required by Venezuelan law.

Venezuela's legal code mandates that minors (under 18) who are residents of Venezuela (regardless of nationality) and who are traveling alone, with one parent or with a third party, must present a copy of their birth certificate and written authorization from the absent parent(s) or legal guardian, specifically granting permission to travel alone, with one parent or with a third party. When a parent is deceased, a notarized copy of the death certificate is required in lieu of the written authorization. If documents are prepared in the United States, the authorization and the birth certificate must be translated into Spanish, notarized, and authenticated by the Venezuela Embassy or a Venezuelan consulate within the United States. If documents are prepared in Venezuela, only notarization by a Venezuelan notary is required. A permission letter prepared outside of Venezuela is valid for 90 days. A permission letter prepared in Venezuela is valid for 60 days.

Health

Customs

Custom officials may require inspection of your luggage. You may bring personal belongings including jewelry and laptop as long as they can be justified for your own personal use. Venezuelan customs authorities may enforce strict regulations concerning temporary importation into or export from Venezuela of items such as plant and animal products, firearms, medications, archaeological or "cultural heritage" items, and pirated copies of copyrighted articles. It is advisable to contact the Embassy of Venezuela in Washington or one of Venezuela's consulates in the United States for specific information regarding customs requirements.

Vaccines

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747); fax 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299), or via CDC's Internet site.

Currency

The Bolivar is the legal tender currency of Venezuela. Bills in the following denominations are found: 5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 Bolivar; coins in 5, 2 y 1 Bolivar, and in 0,50 y 0,25 centimes. You will do better with credit cards as most businesses take them. ATM's abound throughout Caracas, but not so in the remote areas. Dollars are accepted everywhere, = but you have to bargain on the exchange rate on a one by one basis. They are good to use with street vendors, since they will lower the price if you use USD. At printing you could get around 2145.92 Bolivares to the USD.

Foreign exchange transactions must take place through commercial banks or exchange houses at the official rate. Hotels and banks often restrict transactions to their clients only. Money exchange by tourists is most easily arranged at "casas de cambio" (exchange houses). Credit cards are accepted at most upscale tourist establishments. Visa, MasterCard and American Express have representatives in Venezuela.

Climate and weather

Caracas has a tropical climate. Summer temperatures range between 18 and 29 degrees Celsius (64 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit) and winter temperatures between 16 and 27 degrees Celsius (60 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit). The dry season runs from December to April and the rainy season from May to November.

Language

Spanish is Venezuela's official language, but some European immigrants also speak Italian and Portuguese. English is fairly widely spoken, particularly in tourist areas, however, it is wise to learn a few basic phrases or pack a phrase book.

Holidays

Besides the patriotic holidays, like Independence Day (July 5th), the most popular holidays which most Venezuelans observe include: Christmas day, New Year's day, Carnival, and Holy week.

Fixed Holidays:

Moveable Religious Holidays:

Carnival (Mardi Gras) is celebrated on Tuesdays. With the preceding Monday being granted a holiday, most Venezuelans vacate the city and head for the beach for this extra long weekend.

As a predominately Catholic country, Venezuela observes Holy Week (between Palm Sunday and Easter). Many Venezuelans spend this week away at beaches and other popular destinations.

Tipping

Restaurants add a 10 percent service charge to the bill. There is a 16% luxury tax added to your bill. The total tip should be about 10 percent based on service. Tips are customary for luggage carriers, hotel attendants, waiters, tourist guides, messengers, chauffeurs (taxi or private car) and gasoline attendants. Hotel porters, hairdressers and guides expect tips 200 VEB or more. Taxi drivers are normally only tipped if they carry luggage.

Internet

If you travel with a laptop, it is possible to connect to the Internet at most hotels.

Lodging

Caracas has many hotels but no youth hostels as one might expect to find in other South American countries. Backpackers will find that Caracas is not a cheap destination, and that rooms per night per person range 20-30 USD. While the whole of the city is considered to be dangerous at night, stick to the hotels in the east, that is, Sabana Grande or farther east.

Many (but by no means all) hotels in the Sabana Grande area will offer rooms on an hourly basis, primarily for unmarried Venezuelan couples.

Just about every hotel in Sabana Grande. Do not stay in budget hotels in the western part of the city. However, if you're staying in Sabana Grande, you should be careful, as the zone is not as safe as it used to be, especially the Boulevard.

Getting Around

Caracas has an extensive and efficient metro system; buses and taxis are also available.

Things to see

When Simón Bolívar (1785 -1830) drove the Spanish colonialists out of Venezuela, he became the country's hero. The currency is named after him and nearly every city has a Bolívar Plaza, Caracas being no exception. As the capital of Venezuela, tributes to the country's 'liberator' can be found throughout Caracas. Those interested in discovering this passionately celebrated history can visit Casa Natal del Libertador, the reconstructed home of Bolívar and explore the neighboring Museo Bolivariano which has informative displays about his life and even offers the chance to see a pair of his trousers!

Downtown you will find: Plaza Bolívar surrounded by its Cathedral and the City Hall. Heading north toward the magnificent ?vila Mountain, you will arrive to the National Pantheon where rests the remains of the much revered Liberator Simón Bolívar. This area also includes The Libertador Forum, construction site of the National Library and the Supreme Court of Justice Building.

West to this area is the White Palace and Miraflores, the presidential palace. East on the Bolívar avenue you arrive at the Vargas Park and the cultural complex that comprises the Teresa Carre?o Theater, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Children's Museum, the National Art Gallery and the Theater Ateneo de Caracas. Eastward on the Francisco Fajardo highway you pass the Central University of Venezuela; catch a glimpse of the Botanical Gardens, which contains exotic varieties of trees and plants from every region of Venezuela. From a bridge that leads to Plaza Venezuela we can observe the kaleidoscopic, lively city stretching before us.

• Pante?n Nacional El Centro, Caracas
• Plaza Bolívar Caracas
• El Capitolio Both the declaration of Independence from Spain and Tovar's epic mural, representing Bolivar?s battle of Carabobo are the main attractions of this building. Built in 1872 by Guzman Blanco, it was originally the seat of the executive branch, then the federal court and finally the legislature.
• El Concejo Municipal The Municipal Palace has restored the old chapel of the Colegio Santa Rosa to its appearance as of July 5, 1811, when Venezuela's Independence declaration was signed here. The décor is kept as of the period, trying to capture in time the country's transition into a new nation. Opened: Monday to Sunday: 9 a.m. - 11 a.m., 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
• La Casa Amarilla Originally a Royal prison to its current Ministry of Relaciones Extertiores you may still find bars and chains in the basement cells.
• Arco de la Federación At the Calvario Hill in the 18th century this was a peregrination site during Holy Week. Guzman Blanco made it into a "paseo" (promenade) and Joaquin Crespo erected the chapel of Lourdes and the Federation Arch in 1895 to commemorate the battle of liberation from Spain.
• Monument to the Pr?ceres de la Independencia In 1956, the Venezuelan Government decided to erect a posthumous tribute to all the Independence leaders. Architects and artists designed a 2-kilometer avenue named in honor of the leaders of independence of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Marble and multiple fountains now give the ?Paseo de los Pr?ceres? its current look. The avenue, south of Caracas, borders the biggest military base in the country.
• Cathedral de Caracas Simon Bolivar, the father of Venezuela was baptized here July 30, 1783. It is located at Caracas Bolivar Plaza and dates from 1665.
• Santa Teresa Basílica In the corner of Palma Sur 2 and Sur 8 Avenue dates from 1873.
• Basílica Menor Santa Capilla This gothic style basilica, thus designated by Pope Pio XI in 1926 is located in the Urdaneta Avenue corner Santa Capilla one block from Plaza Bolivar. Dates from 1883.
• Iglesia de San Francisco In front of the Congreso de la Republica, in the Universidad Avenue corner of San Francisco was built between 1745 and 1887.
• Botanical Gardens Caracas Botanical Gardens are localized in the old Hacienda Ibarra, an old sugar cane plantation east of the city. Bought by the government in 1943 to be used as a University, it was converted as a recreational park where Caracas citizens and tourists can commune with nature.
• Bullfights Caracas new Circus is one of the four in Latin America where the bull can be killed.

Museums

• Casa Natal - Plaza Bolivar, Caracas. Tel: +58 2 541 2563. Birthplace of Bolivar.
• Museo de Bellas Artes Inaugurated in 1938, the art Museum has several permanent collections grouped as European Art, Contemporary Art, Cubism, Latin American Art, and Egyptian Art. Opened: Tuesday to Sunday: 9 a.m. - 12 m., 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
• Galer?a de Arte Nacional with more than 4000 works of Venezuelan art, it covers four centuries of Venezuelan History. Created in 1974, the National Gallery of Art opened its doors in May 1976. Opened - Tuesday to Sunday: 9 a.m. - 12 m., 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
• Quinta de Anauco Avenida Panteon, Sector los Erasos, San Bernadino, Venezuela. Tel: (58-212) 551-8190 or 551-8650. With the death of the last marquis of Toro in 1837, this country house returned to the state. Today it houses the Capital?s Colonial Museum. It houses local colonial period furniture and art thus preserving the last of Venezuela?s aristocracy. Opened: Tuesday to Saturday: 9 a.m. - 11 a.m., 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

The Scene

Caracas scene is very unstable. Bars come and go. They are usually hidden inside a "shopping center".

Organizations & Publications

• Caracas Bears
• Caracas Human Rights
• Unión Afirmativa de Venezuela Tel: 0212-751.3501 / 0416-704.1959. E-mail Fighting for all GLBT rights.
  

Dining

Casual, fairly conservative clothes are worn in Caracas. A jacket and tie should be worn at social functions and when dining in restaurants. Both men and women wear suits at business meetings.

A wide range of excellent Cafés, bistros and restaurants are scattered throughout Caracas. French, Italian, Chinese and Mexican cuisines are just some of the choices on offer and the Spanish tapas bars, in the La Candelaria neighborhood, have an enviable reputation. Venezuelan food, known as 'criollo' is a mix of Spanish and Caribbean influences and specialty dishes include 'parilla', beef marinated and cooked over a charcoal grill and 'pabell?n', shredded meat served with fried plantain, black beans and rice. "Empanadas", deep-fried pasties and 'arepas', corn cakes filled with delicious savory fillings are also fine examples of Venezuelan cuisine.

Shopping

The city's commercial district is composed of Savannah Grande, along with Las Mercedes and El Rosal. It contains a large mix of restaurants, cafes, boulevards, and the best shopping areas in town. Due to the heavy import taxes, there are few shopping opportunities in Venezuela.

Centro Comercial Ciudad Tamanaco (C.C.C.T.) is a big shopping center near Tamanaco Hotel Intercontinental.

Day Trip - Maracaibo

South America's largest lake, Lake Maracaibo, and third-longest river, the Orinoco, are here, and the country boasts the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls. It is also home to a wide variety of exotic plants and animals, including the jaguar, ocelot, tapir, armadillo, anteater, and the longest snake in the world, the anaconda. Del Lago Intercontinental Maracaibo Maracaibo, Venezuela. The hotel's exclusive and strategic location offers immediate access to the city's commercial, financial, tourist, recreational and residential points of interest and is only a 25-minute drive from the airport. Although not technically a day trip, if you have the tame take a shuttle flight to Maracaibo and enjoy a guided tour of the scenery.

References

• University, Caracas
• Citiguides, Caracas
• Maracaibo Tour

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