Sun 23rd Nov 2008
- Caracas Travel Guide & City Information
Santiago de León de Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, was founded in 1567 by the spanish conqueror Diego de Lozada. It's placed in a small valley sorrounded by the Central Mountains and El Ávila. The valley is about 900 m. up to the sea level, and it's climate has been named The Endless Spring. Nowadays is the biggest and most important city of the whole country. There you'll find everything you need, and you might get surprised at first because of its modernity! Caracas is the city where Simon Bolivar The Liberator was born. He commanded the Independence War of about half of South America so you can imagine he is a hero everywhere, but specially in Caracas more than anywhere else.
Caracas is divided in districts called Urbanizaciones. Some of the notable ones include El Silencio (an historical district where the Teatro Municipal is placed), El Conde (also contains much colonial history and an amusement park), Parque Central (shopping centers), San Bernadino (residential and the Colonial Art Museum), Sabana Grande (city center nightclubs and restaurants), Chacaito (up-scale boutiques art galleries and cafes), Las Mercedes (American-style residential), and Altamira (chic nightclubs, pleasant parks and the Cleopatras Obelisk).