Simón Bolívar Mausoleum

Caracas


After a 2010 exhumation to confirm cause of Bolívar's death, Chávez built his hero this grand new mausoleum, which opened in 2013. The US$140 million price tag and bold architecture – a gleaming white wave that mirrors the Ávila range or a gnarly 17-story skate ramp, depending on your opinion – set tongues wagging even before Chávez' death, with some cheeky pundits opining that he had plans to join Bolívar here in perpetuity.

To go inside, visitors must wear smart clothing, which in Venezuela means skirts for women, long pants and a shirt with a collar for men.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Caracas attractions

1. Iglesia Santa Capilla

0.45 MILES

This neo-Gothic church, one block north of Plaza Bolívar, is modeled on the Sainte Chapelle of Paris. It was ordered by General Antonio Guzmán Blanco in…

2. Catedral

0.53 MILES

Set on the eastern side of Plaza Bolívar, Caracas' cathedral started its life in the mid-16th century as a mere mud-walled chapel. A church later replaced…

3. Plaza Bolívar

0.54 MILES

This leafy square is the nucleus of the old town. It's always alive with huddled groups of caraqueños engaged in conversation and children feeding freshly…

4. Museo Sacro de Caracas

0.56 MILES

Set in a meticulously restored colonial building that stands upon the site of the old cathedral cemetery, this museum displays a modest but carefully…

5. Concejo Municipal

0.61 MILES

Occupying half of Plaza Bolívar’s southern side, the city hall was erected by the Caracas bishops from 1641 to 1696 to house the Colegio Seminario de…

6. Museo Bolivariano

0.62 MILES

This museum has successfully preserved its colonial style and displays a variety of independence memorabilia, from muskets to medals and shaving sets to…

7. Asamblea Nacional

0.62 MILES

As part of his mad dash toward modernization in the 1870s, Guzmán Blanco commissioned an ambitious, neoclassical seat of congress, the National Assembly,…

8. Casa Natal de Bolívar

0.63 MILES

Bolívar’s funeral took place just two blocks from the house where, on July 24, 1783, he was born. The interior of Bolívar’s birthplace has been…