Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Caracas, Venezuela

Advantages: fantastic culture
Disadvantages: very much a city

...I went to Madrid last week and I really enjoyed it. Sol is the place to be, where all the shops (of which there are many), bars and clubs are. A knowledge of the Spanish language is incredibly helpful as very little English is spoken there. However, i found the locals generally friendly. I would really recommend the Reina Sofia (6 floors of amazing modern art), and Prado art gallery. Other places of interest are: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza(quite small), Coleccion Permanente del Instituto de Credito Ofifial (contemporary Spanish sculpture and Picassos), Museo de Americs, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. The Plaza Mayor is a lovely little square to relax in, where there is a statue of King Phillipe the Third, painted buildings and street artists. There were lots of fantastic statues, decorative dooways and ornate seats. The city has many... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Good night life
Disadvantages: Dangerous

...The Caraqueños like to think that Caracas IS Venezuela and to a certain extent, if one is seeking the trappings of modern days living, they may be right. However, if you are seeking to touch base with Latin American culture, you should avoid the capital completely. The city has grown hugely in what would have been a delightful position, high in a valley and enjoys a good all year round climate, but it's heavily congested, highly polluted and in recent years extremely dangerous. Foreigners tend to stick out like the proverbial 'sore thumb' so you'd do well to travel in groups avoiding any ostentation of wealth. As the city is very modern, there are loads of restaurants and cafes, but little else in terms of culture.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: cheap, beautiful, diverse
Disadvantages: can be dangerous, english is not widely spoken

...Venezuela has to be the most amazingly diverse country i have ever been to, and worry not, it is not the only place i have been. It ranges from the Andes in the West to the Gran Sabana and then onto the dense Jungle in the east. It has the world's tallest waterfall: Angel Falls, (discovered by Jimmy Angel), beautiful Carribean Coast, unique tribal communities and bustling oil rich cities. As i did with my trip lets start where most people do -Caracas. This is a city of to halves, extreme poverty and extreme wealth due to the oil, but the first thing that hit me was the incredible prices. I mean a 3 course meal for £2.50 and people were ripping you off if they were selling fags for 90p. This meant that a daily budget was tiny and in fact hotel rooms in other towns were less than £4.00 a night, so a budget of less than £15 is fine... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful