Venezuela travel and tourism guide with hotel, airport, airline and vacation information. Compare Venezuela vacation packages, hotels and cruise deals. Venezuela has a diverse geography: beaches, plains, and mountains. The weather also varies very much from one place to another.
Venezuela has wonderful beaches (playas), especially at the east (Playa Colorada), in the islands (Margarita, Coche) and in the central-west region (Morrocoy, Cata, and Choroní).
Venezuela is served by Simon Bolivar International Airport (Airport Code: CCS) in Caracas. Airlines serving Venezuela include American, Delta, Continental, Mexicana, LAN, COPA and others. Visit our Airports & Airlines section for more information.
Venezuela's cities are full of life. Caracas, the capital, with more than 4 million inhabitants, is the political and economic center of the country. In the west are located Maracaibo (the oil capital), Barquisimeto (the city of the sunsets), Mérida (tourist and student centers), San Cristobal, Valencia, and Maracay. In the east: Maturín (challenging Maracaibo´s oil leadership), Puerto La Cruz (tourist center). To the South are located Ciudad Bolívar and Ciudad Guayana (steel center).
In the Caribbean, north of Caracas, is located the Archipielago of Los Roques with its white sand beaches and its crystalline waters. One of the interesting regions in Venezuela is the Gran Sabana. Located in the southeast - Bolivar State - this region has flat top mountains called "Tepuy". "Angel" Falls (3000 ft), the highest cataracts in the world, are located here. Bolivar Peak is the highest point in Venezuela (5002 meters). A cable car can take you, in one hour, from the city of Merida to the "Pico Espejo". Venezuela has also deserts and dunes. One of the most interesting trips you can make is to the Coro Dunes (Medanos de Coro). Next to the highway from Coro to Punto Fijo you can slide from the top of these sand hills.
Passport, Visa & Embassy Information
A valid passport and a visa or tourist card are required. Tourist cards are issued on flights from the U.S. to Venezuela for persons staying less than ninety days. Venezuelan immigration authorities have been requiring that U.S. passports have at least 6 months validity remaining from the date of arrival in Venezuela. Some U.S. citizens have been turned back to the United States for having less than 6 months validity. Visit our Immigration for more information.
The Venezuelan embassy in the United States is located at 1099 30th St. NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. (202) 342-2214). In addition to Washington, D.C. Venezuela maintains consulates in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and Puerto Rico.
Approximately 23,000 U.S. citizens living in Venezuela have registered with the U.S. embassy, an estimated three-quarters of them residing in the Caracas area.
U.S. Embassy
Calle F and Calle Suapure
Colinas de Valle Arriba
Caracas, Venezuela
(tel. 58-212-975-6411)
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, are on the Internet and hard copies can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries.
U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register their travel via the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of their passports. This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency.
