Caracas

Santiago de León de Caracas (Caracas)

Caracas is the capital of and also the biggest city in Venezuela. It is known to be the cultural and economic center of this beautiful South American country. Interestingly, Caracas is also one of the most expensive cities to live in worldwide. The flights from Caracas to Los Roques have a duration of 35 minutes.

Tourist attractions in Caracas

Caracas is full of sights worthwhile visiting them. One of the most famous one is the five-naved basilica also known as the cathedral of Caracas, which has already been built in 1614 and renewed from 1710 to 1713. Within the town, you should definitively visit the Plaza Bolivar, which is the center of the old colonial city of Caracas. Around the Plaza Bolivar you will also find a lot of interesting and beautiful buildings with a rich history. The birthplace of Simon Bolivar, a very important person for all Venezuelan people, is found nearby. Besides the cathedral, Caracas has also a lot of other important and nice churches to visit.

Languages spoken	Spanish
Currency used	Bolivar Fuerte
Area (km2)	777
Country name	Venezuela

Culture and history info

Caracas was already founded in 1498 as a small colony by Christoph Columbus himself. However, in 1567, the city today known as Santiago de León de Caracas (the official name of Caracas) was founded by the Spanish conqueror Diego de Losada. It was an important city for the Spanish colonies in South America and served as there capital for a long time. In the late 18th century, the export of cacao brought wealth to the people living in the peerless place. Since 1831, when the country of Venezuela was separated from Colombia, it serves as the capital of this new republic.

In 1755 and also in 1812, Caracas was hit by devastating earthquakes and a lot of the old colonial buildings were destroyed. Most of the gorgeous architectural artworks were not rebuild, but you can still find a lot of them throughout the city of Caracas. Since the 1930, Caracas profits from the run “for the black gold”.