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Caracas — travel, stays & events guide
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Caracas, VenezuelaOpen-Meteo forecast.
Caracas city overview
Caracas is a city in Venezuela shaped by its region, population, local economy, landmarks, climate and civic history. This overview summarizes the city itself: where it sits, what defines it, which places anchor its identity and why it matters within the wider country.
City facts
Known forCaracas, Capital city in Venezuela, Caracas planning base 3, Caracas planning base 4
RegionVenezuelaVenezuela
Time zoneAmerica/Caracaslocal time
Founded1555historical origin
City history
Francisco Fajardo, the son of a Spanish captain and a Guaiqueri cacica, who came from Margarita, began establishing settlements in the area of La Guaira and the Caracas valley between 1555 and 1560.
Fajardo's 1560 settlement was known as Hato de San Francisco, and another attempt in 1561 by Juan Rodríguez de Suárez was called Villa de San Francisco, and was also destroyed by the same native.
Fajardo attempted to establish a plantation in the valley in 1562 after these coastal towns proved unsuccessful, but it did not last long, being destroyed by natives of the region led by Terepaima and.
Before the city was founded in 1567, the valley of Caracas was populated by indigenous peoples.
In 1577, Caracas became the capital of the Spanish Empire's Venezuela Province, under the province's new governor Juan de Pimentel, leader from 1576–1583.
With the coastal mountains of the Central Range acting as a barrier, Caracas was relatively immune to such attacks, compared to other Caribbean coastal settlements, but in 1595 the Preston–Somers expedition landed and around.
This and the destructive 1641 earthquake put the city into decline, and they likely began illegally trading with the Dutch Empire, which Caraqueños later proved sympathetic to; by the 1670s, Caracas had a trading.
In 1728, the Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas was founded by the king, and the cacao business grew in importance.
Luis de Unzaga created the Captaincy General of Venezuela in the summer of 1777, with Caracas as the capital.
Caracas then came under worse luck: in 1812, an earthquake destroyed Caracas, a quarter of its population migrated in 1814, and the Venezuelan War of Independence continued until 24 June 1821, when Simón Bolívar.
Cultural landmarks, like the University City of Caracas, designed by modernist architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000; the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art; and the Teresa.
Urban reforms only took place towards the end of the 19th century, under Antonio Guzmán Blanco: some landmarks were built, but the city remained distinctly colonial until the 1930s.
Out of the newly established settlements, Caracas was the closest to the coast.
The city became important in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and also moved from using largely native slave labor to African slaves, the first of the Spanish colonies to become part of the slave.
Worth seeing
Caracas
Caracas is a practical Caracas planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Capital city in Venezuela
Capital city in Venezuela is a practical Caracas planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Caracas planning base 3
Caracas planning base 3 is a practical Caracas planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Caracas planning base 4
Caracas planning base 4 is a practical Caracas planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Caracas planning base 5
Caracas planning base 5 is a practical Caracas planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Caracas planning base 6
Caracas planning base 6 is a practical Caracas planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Stay overview
Compare Caracas before booking Caracas hotels. Start with the places you will repeat most, then check airport timing, parking, nightly price and event demand before choosing the final base.
Hotels & areas
Compare accommodation options in and around Caracas by area, not only by nightly price. A cheaper room can become expensive when airport transfers, parking, attraction routes, late arrivals or event-week demand add time and cost.
Compare stays in Caracas, VenezuelaFlights & airports
Main airport TBC arrival plan
- Caracas airport accessMain gateway TBC.
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Rental cars
Caracas day-trip car use
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Compare rental carsTravel tips
Best time to visit
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Transport notes
Choose a base around the trips you will repeat most: airport, station, old town, waterfront, venue district or day-trip route.
Crowds
Prices can jump around festivals, conventions, school holidays, cruise days, ski weeks, race weekends and large sports events.
Booking detail
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Upcoming events
No upcoming Caracas events in the shared event index yet.