Caracas Sights

  1. Bolívar Family's Summer House

    Located in the far southern section of the historic center, this was the Bolívar Family's Summer House, where Simón Bolívar spent much of his youth. Restored to its original appearance and stuffed with period furniture, the house is today a museum dedicated to El Libertador.

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  2. Capilla de Santa Rosa de Lima

    The western side of Concejo Municipal houses the Capilla de Santa Rosa de Lima, where congress declared Venezuela's independence in 1811 (though it was another 10 years before this became a reality). The chapel has been restored with the decoration and furniture of the time.

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  3. Casa Amarilla

    The 17th-century balconied mansion called the Yellow House, on the western side of Plaza Bolívar, was originally an infamous royal prison. Wholly revamped and painted lemon yellow (hence its name) after independence, the building was converted into a presidential residence. Today it's the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and can't be visited, but have a good look through the archway and note the well-preserved colonial appearance of its exterior.

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  4. Casa Natal de Bolívar

    The house where independence hero Simón Bolívar was born on July 24, 1783 has been reconstructed and turned into a museum. Exhibits include period weapons, banners and uniforms. Much of the original colonial interior has been replaced by monumental paintings of battle scenes, but more personal relics can be seen in the nearby Museo Bolivariano.

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  5. Catedral

    Set on the eastern side of Plaza Bolívar, Caracas' cathedral started life in the mid-16th century as a mere mud-walled chapel. Built between 1665 and 1713, the present incarnation is packed with dazzling gilded altars and elaborate side chapels. The wide five-nave interior, supported on 32 columns, was largely remodeled in the late 19th century.

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  7. Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño

    Rising like a gigantic concrete bunker across the street from Parque Central (and linked to it by a footbridge), the Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño is a modern performing arts center. Opened in 1983, it has an enormous main auditorium, theater and side hall that regularly host concerts, ballets, plays and recitals by local and visiting performers.

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  8. Concejo Municipal

    Occupying half of Plaza Bolívar's southern side, the city hall, the Concejo Municipal was erected by the Caracas bishops from 1641 to 1696 to house the Colegio Seminario de Santa Rosa de Lima. In 1725, the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Caracas, the province's first university, was established here. Bolívar renamed it the Universidad Central de Venezuela, the moniker it keeps to this day, though it has moved to a vast campus outside the historic center.

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  9. El Hatillo

    A conveniently nearby getaway for caraqueños, the 16th-century town of El Hatillo lived its own life for centuries until it was eventually absorbed by the burgeoning city. Its narrow central streets and pretty plaza still retain many of their colonial buildings, now painted in sugary, bright colors and filled with art galleries, craft shops and restaurants. The little village overflows with visitors on the weekend. There's a magical atmosphere in the afternoon and early evening, when children can still be found skipping in the square and sapitos (tiny frogs) begin their squeaky chorus.

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  10. Estadio Olímpico UCV

    This neighboring sports complex hosts some of the Venezuela national team home soccer matches between December and March. The stadium was expanded to 40,000 capacity in order to host the Copa América in 2007.

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  11. Estadio Universitario

    Estadio Universitario Béisbol (baseball) is the local sporting obsession. Professional-league games are played from October to February at this 25,000-seat stadium, home to the Leones de Caracas (Caracas Lions; www.leones.com in Spanish), on the grounds of the Universidad Central de Venezuela. Tickets may be purchased up to game time, usually Tuesday to Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday.

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  13. Hipódromo La Rinconada

    Caracas' excellent horse-racing track features racing on Saturday and Sunday afternoons starting at . The track is 6km southwest of the center, off the Autopista del Valle.

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  14. Iglesia de la Candelaria

    Seven blocks east of Plaza Bolívar amidst an area steeped in Spanish flavor, the church Iglesia de la Candelaria has richly gilded monumental retables covering the chancel's walls. The central retable dates from about 1760, while the lateral ones are modern replicas.

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  15. Iglesia de San Francisco

    Just south of the Capitolio Nacional, the Church of San Francisco was built in the 1570s, but was remodeled on several occasions during the 17th and 18th centuries. Guzmán Blanco, unable to resist his passion for modernizing, placed a neoclassical facade on the church to match the just-completed capitol building. Fortunately, the interior of the church didn't undergo such an extensive alteration, so its colonial character and much of its old decoration have been preserved.

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  16. Iglesia del Dulce Nombre de Jesús

    Founded in 1621, the independent colonial town of Petare has long since been swallowed by the metropolis but it still preserves some of its historic character. The square is occupied by the mid-18th-century Iglesia del Dulce Nombre de Jesús.

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  17. Iglesia Santa Capilla

    This neo-Gothic church, the Iglesia Santa Capilla, is modeled on the Sainte Chapelle of Paris. It was ordered by General Antonio Guzmán Blanco in 1883 and built on the site of the first mass celebrated after the foundation of the town.

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  19. Jardín Botánico

    From Sabana Grande, it's a 10-minute walk west across hectic roads to reach the Botanical Gardens, but inside it's a blissful escape from the madness outside. As you delve deeper into the intertwining trees, draped vines and lush plants, the traffic noise fades away and birdsong takes over. The gardens are extensive, with plants from all over the world represented.

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  20. La Estancia

    This renovated fragment of a 220-year-old coffee hacienda, La Estancia houses a fine museum with works by Venezuelan artists and displays on the plantation's history, as well as a graphic arts library. Property of the Simón Bolívar family until 1895, it is now owned by Petróleos de Venezuela Sociedad Anónima (PDVSA), the national oil company. Continuous guided tours of the installations are offered (English docents available), and concerts are staged in the patio on weekends.

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  21. Museo Bolivariano

    Continuing on the Bolívar trail, this museum has successfully preserved its colonial style and displays a variety of independence memorabilia, from muskets to medals and shaving sets to swords. It also has some fascinating documents and letters written by the man himself, as well as numerous portraits.

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  22. Museo de Arte Popular de Petare Bábaro Rivas

    Museo de Arte Popular de Petare Bábaro Rivas exhibits folk art superbly displayed in a two-century-old house.

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  23. Museo de Bellas Artes

    Adjoining the National Art Gallery (Galería de Arte Nacional), the Museo de Bellas Artes is in a more functional modern six-story building, also designed by Villanueva. The museum features mostly temporary exhibitions, and includes a little shop selling contemporary art and crafts.

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  25. Museo de Ciencias Naturales

    The Natural Sciences Museum, across the circle from Bellas Artes, traces the history of evolution with displays of minerals and fossils, as well as exhibits covering indigenous languages and astronomy.

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  26. Museo de los Niños

    The brightly colored Children's Museum is an excellent science museum with lots of colorful, hands-on exhibits combining learning with fun for both kids and adults. There's a small planetarium too.

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  27. Museo del Teclado

    Tucked away behind the Museo de los Niños and up a flight of stairs, this little museum, the Museo del Teclado holds a collection of rare pianos and other keyboard instruments. It's also a venue for concerts and recitals Saturday at and Sunday at .

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  28. Museo Fundación John Boulton

    This small museum called Museo Fundación John Boulton features a collection of historic and artistic objects accumulated over generations by the family of British merchant John Boulton (1805-75). Among the exhibits are paintings by Arturo Michelena, Bolívar memorabilia and a vast collection of ceramics from all over the world.

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  29. Museo Sacro de Caracas

    In a meticulously restored colonial building on the site of the old cathedral cemetery, this museum displays a modest but carefully selected collection of religious art. Duck through the low doorway into the dark old ecclesiastical prison, where remains of early church leaders still lie in sealed niches. The Museo Sacro also stages concerts and recitals, and has a delightful cafe inside a former chapel of the adjacent cathedral.

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