Taking up a whole block and covered in gold domes and neoclassical frills, this enormous, stately building dates from the 1870s. It is particularly famous for the murals splashed across the dome of its Salón Elíptico (Oval Hall), which depict the battle of Carabobo in the Wars of Independence. Tours inside made by prior appointment. For reasons of personal safety, try to avoid any political protests or demonstrations outside.
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Things to see in Caracas
Capitolio Nacional
Opening Times: Mon-Fri 0800-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
Plaza Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela
Telephone: +58 212 4829 516.
Website:
www.asambleanacional.gob.ve
El Hatillo
One of the city's most beguiling corners, El Hatillo is a colourful colonial village that was gobbled up by the expanding city, but managed to hang on to its small-town charms with brightly painted adobe buildings and a whitewashed little church. Centred on a pretty plaza, it is also the best place in Caracas to shop for handicrafts.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Casa Natal de Bolívar
The birthplace of Venezuela's most famous son, Simón Bolívar, is now a shrine to the independence hero who saw off the Spaniards in the 19th century. A colonial house in central Caracas, it has been refitted in the original style and is decorated by murals of his finest moments.
Opening Times: Mon-Fri 0800-1600.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
San Jacinto, Distrito Capital, Caracas, Venezuela
Telephone: +58 212 541 2563.
Museo de Arte Colonial
Housed in a delightful old colonial mansion called the Quinta de Anauco and surrounded by manicured gardens, this museum of colonial art is well worth the trip 15 minute's walk north of the centre.
Opening Times: Tues-Fri 0900-1200 and 1400-1600; Sat-Sun 1000-1600.
Admission Fees: Adults: Bs.F. 1,000. Concessions: Bs.F. 800.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
Avenida Panteón, San Bernardino, Caracas, Venezuela
Telephone: +58 2125 514 256.
Website:
www.quintadeanauco.org.ve
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
This gallery is one of the continent's top spots for modern art, with plenty of big names from the national and international stages, including Picasso, Chagall, Bacon, Freud, Miró and the world-famous Venezuelan artist Jesús Soto. There are also temporary exhibits including photography, video art and installation.
Opening Times: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat-Sun 1000-1600.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
Zona Cultural de Parque Central, Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela
Telephone: +58 212 573 8289.
Website:
mac.fmn.gob.ve
Panteón Nacional
This stately monument is home to the final resting place of national and continental hero El Libertador (The Liberator) Simón Bolívar, as well as other members of Venezuela's historic great and good. An elegant ecclesiastic-style building, it is well worth seeing if only for the murals that smother the ceiling en route to Bolívar's excessively extravagant tomb.
Opening Times: Tues-Fri 0900-1630, Sat-Sun 1000-1600.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
Foro Libertador, Parroquia Altagracia, Caracas, Venezuela
Telephone: +58 212 862 1518.
Parque Nacional El Ávila
A mountainous national park towering over the city, El Ávila makes the perfect getaway from the constant noise and confusion in downtown Caracas. A lofty cable car runs to the mountain top from the suburb of Maripérez. The mountain slopes are criss-crossed by trails and there is a tourist complex on the 2,175m-high (7,135ft) summit, that includes a restaurant, ice-rink and several hungry monkeys.
Opening Times: Daily 1000-2000.
Admission Fees: No.
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No
Address:
El Ávila Mountain, Caracas, Venezuela
Website:
www.el-avila.com
Galería de Arte Nacional
A display numbering than 4,000 pieces, across eleven rooms, includes some of the finest Venezuelan artwork with everything from pre-Hispanic prints to contemporary sculpture.
Opening Times: Tues-Fri 0900-1700, Sat-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: No.
Address:
Avenida México, Caracas, Venezuela
Telephone: +58 212 5768 707.
Website:
gan.fmn.gob.ve
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