‘It’s not what it used to be,’ you’ll hear repeatedly in reference to the sad decay of the surrounding zone, but the Gran Café’s boulevard terrace still makes a fine place to relax over coffee and croissants and people-watch for a while, hysterical warnings notwithstanding.
Gran Café
Caracas
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas
1.34 MILES
Occupying the eastern end of the Parque Central complex, the Museum of Contemporary Art is by far the best in the country, though it can be a little…
2.47 MILES
This neo-Gothic church, one block north of Plaza Bolívar, is modeled on the Sainte Chapelle of Paris. It was ordered by General Antonio Guzmán Blanco in…
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2.46 MILES
This leafy square is the nucleus of the old town. It's always alive with huddled groups of caraqueños engaged in conversation and children feeding freshly…
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2.49 MILES
Just south of the Capitolio Nacional, the Church of San Francisco was built in the 1570s, but was remodeled on several occasions during the 17th and 18th…
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2.41 MILES
Set on the eastern side of Plaza Bolívar, Caracas' cathedral started its life in the mid-16th century as a mere mud-walled chapel. A church later replaced…
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2.53 MILES
After a 2010 exhumation to confirm cause of Bolívar's death, Chávez built his hero this grand new mausoleum, which opened in 2013. The US$140 million…
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2.47 MILES
Occupying half of Plaza Bolívar’s southern side, the city hall was erected by the Caracas bishops from 1641 to 1696 to house the Colegio Seminario de…
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1.59 MILES
Venezuela’s largest museum began construction in 1989 but was abandoned in the mid-’90s. Architect Carlos Gómez persevered though and construction resumed…
Nearby Caracas attractions
1. Universidad Central de Venezuela
0.58 MILES
With its 85,000 students, the UCV is Caracas’ (and Venezuela’s) largest university and is a hub of cultural activity.
1.19 MILES
The Museum of Fine Arts is a beautiful museum with lots of breathing room housed in two buildings, a functional modern six-story building and a graceful…
3. Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño
1.23 MILES
Rising like a gigantic concrete bunker across the street from Parque Central (and linked to it by a footbridge), the Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño is a…
1.24 MILES
One of the oldest parks in Caracas, this central green lung provides welcome respite from the concrete jungle of Parque Central.
5. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas
1.34 MILES
Occupying the eastern end of the Parque Central complex, the Museum of Contemporary Art is by far the best in the country, though it can be a little…
1.45 MILES
This vast housing, commercial and cultural center is a landmark at the heart of the city and includes its best museums and the country's tallest…
1.59 MILES
Venezuela’s largest museum began construction in 1989 but was abandoned in the mid-’90s. Architect Carlos Gómez persevered though and construction resumed…
1.72 MILES
The Museum of Colonial Art is considered one of the finest museums of its kind in Latin America. Housed in an elegant country mansion known as Quinta de…