Venezuela
This colonial cathedral is about 420 years old, but it’s been altered by so many generations that today it’s a hodgepodge of historical styles. The latest…
Must-see attractions in South America
Venezuela
Tour the small-scale organic shade-grown cacao plantation and nibble on samples of varying concentration at this excellent chocolate producer. Tours are…
Casa del Congreso de Angostura
Venezuela
The brash pink Casa del Congreso de Angostura dominates the western side of the plaza. Built in the 1770s, in 1819 it was home to lengthy debates by the…
Isla del Sol
Over the track, and in a field just southwest, from the Piedra Sagrada, are the ancient walls of the complex known as the Templo del Inca. Although little…
Venezuela
This museum in the popular Centro Comercial Sambil, 5km north of the city, is totally devoted to baseball fanaticism. It even has a pitching machine under…
Venezuela
The massive, fortress-like Catedral was begun in the 1580s and finished half a century later, making it the oldest surviving church in Venezuela. There…
Venezuela
Nearby Parque La Llovizna and the enormous Macagua dam, the Ecomuseo del Caroní contains an interesting art gallery with a photographic history of the dam…
Venezuela
Two blocks north of the Catedral is the 18th-century Iglesia de San Francisco. The cupola of the 1760s Capilla del Santísimo Sacramento, at the top of the…
Casa de las Ventanas de Hierro
Venezuela
The Casa de las Ventanas de Hierro is noted for a splendid 8m-high plaster doorway and the wrought-iron grilles (brought from Seville, Spain, in 1764)…
Venezuela
This museum has a small collection of pre-Hispanic pottery, photos depicting the damage by the 1950 earthquake, and regional crafts. Note the remains of a…
Venezuela
The handsome Iglesia de San Francisco, on the southern side of Plaza Lara, was built in 1865 and carried the distinction of being Barquisimeto’s second…
Venezuela
This colonial port town to the northeast has a sandy beach punctuated by orange rock columns and a view of a half-sunk shipwreck. It's easy to reach by…
Venezuela
This cathedral was constructed in the 1960s. It has a bold, innovative design, noted for its parabolic concrete roof and a centrally located high altar…
Parque Zoológico y Botánico Bararida
Venezuela
Located 1.5km north-east of the center, is this large park with an artificial lake and cafes, in addition to the city’s zoo and botanical gardens. Here…
Venezuela
In the vast grounds of the Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos Ezequiel Zamora (Unellez), 3km southwest of the center, the Jardín Botánico has…
Venezuela
Named after the locally born politician, doctor and anthropologist, this museum features old maps, documents, paintings and etchings and a variety of…
Caracas
Serious birdwatchers and enthusiasts will want to pop into Colección Ornitológica Phelps in Caracas, an extensive research library that is also home to an…
Venezuela
This mid-17th-century church shelters an amazing, richly gilded main retable dating from 1760. The church is only open in the late afternoon, but if you…
Venezuela
Most of the finds from the Cementerio Indígena de Quíbor are now on display in this museum, two blocks north of Plaza Bolívar. The collection includes…
Museo Alberto Arvelo Torrealba
Venezuela
Named after a local poet, the Museo Alberto Arvelo Torrealba is set in a splendid 200-year-old mansion with a charming patio and a tree-shaded garden. It…
Venezuela
Across from the museum, the market sells some indigenous crafts and lots of black-velvet paintings. But the most interesting items are the bottles of…
Venezuela
About 1.5km north of Complejo Ferial is the Museo del Táchira. Situated in a spacious old coffee and sugarcane hacienda, the museum features interesting…
Venezuela
This 18th-century church is just a stone’s throw to the west of San Francisco. Note the anchor hanging from the middle of the ceiling, which commemorates…
Venezuela
The Fortín El Zamuro is a small fort built in the late 18th century atop the highest hill in the city, just south of the colonial quarter. It provides…
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
Venezuela
The fortresslike, three-nave Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción has quite a number of remarkable colonial altarpieces. The main retable and the…
Museo Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho
Venezuela
The Museo Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho is dedicated to the Cumaná-born hero of the War of Independence, General Antonio José de Sucre (1795–1830), who…
Casa de la Cultura Juan Félix Sánchez
Venezuela
Across the plaza is the Casa de la Cultura Juan Félix Sánchez. Rooms on the upper floor are used for temporary exhibitions of work by local artists and…
Venezuela
The pretty Iglesia de la Concepción, on the square’s southern side, was Barquisimeto’s first cathedral, but it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1812 and…
Venezuela
Parque Los Samanes is named after the species of spreading tree that grows in the park. You’ll find an impressive specimen in front of the entrance…
Venezuela
One of the city’s most impressive sights is the gigantic Monumento a Simón Bolívar. Erected in 1999, this 10m-high bronze statue is by far the tallest…
Venezuela
The blue-colored neo-Gothic Iglesia de Santa Bárbara was the only structure not pulled down in the demolition of colonial buildings that formed the core…
Museo de Arte Moderno Juan Astorga Anta
Venezuela
The large, modern Centro Cultural Tulio Febres Cordero shelters the Museo de Arte Moderno Juan Astorga Anta. It stages changing exhibitions of modern art…
Venezuela
The Museo de Arte de Coro, in a beautiful 18th-century mansion, is a branch of the Caracas Museo de Arte Contemporáneo. It features thought-provoking and…
Venezuela
The small Parque de las Cinco Repúblicas boasts Venezuela’s oldest Bolívar monument, dating from 1842. The small bust sitting atop a high, massive column…
Venezuela
A fascinating display of regional indigenous culture, the Museo Etnológico de Amazonas displays personal items and model-housing replicas from groups…
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Cumaná
Venezuela
Next to Castillo de San Antonio is this small, concrete Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Cumaná. It stages changing exhibits of modern art, and is only open…
Museo de Arqueología e Historia del Estado Sucre
Venezuela
Next door to the Casa Ramos Sucre, the Museo de Arqueología e Historia del Estado Sucre has a small archaeological collection, though it was closed for…
Venezuela
The Ateneo de Boconó is another place where you can see local weavers at work in their textile workshop on the upper floor. The Ateneo runs arts-and…
Museo de Arte Moderno Jesús Soto
Venezuela
This excellent museum has an extensive collection of kinetic works by internationally renowned artist, Jesús Soto, as well as temporary exhibits. It's in…
Venezuela
Set in a beautiful 300-year-old mansion with a courtyard, the Museo de Arte Colonial has a small but carefully assembled collection of sacred art, dating…
