Touristically speaking, South America´s sixth largest country should be a star, thanks to its considerable offerings in ecotourism, adventure, beaches, and culture. Instead, it ranks below not just neighbors like Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and especially Brazil, but even the likes of Paraguay. But even before the fateful rise of Hugo Chávez and his “Bolivarian”/Chavista movement to power in 1999, tourism to Venezuela was almost an afterthough – fairly marginal in an economy which relied overwhelmingly on oil, and since ´99 not only has that marginalization and reliance on oil continued, but conditions on the ground have worsened, especially since 2013, with rampant corruption and major deterioration in infrastructure, consistency of service, reliability of transportation, and health and security conditions.
After further blows delivered by the COVID pandemic in 2020, a slow, uneven recovery seemed to take hold as of 2021. But then during the final months of 2025 most international airlines scaled back or suspended service to Caracas due to the U.S. attacks on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean Sea (although Copa has since resumed flights from Panama, as has Wingo from Bogotá, and other international airlines are eyeing a return this February or March). And now in 2026, the chaos and turmoil in the aftermath the shocking January 3 removal of Chavez´ successor Nicolás Maduro by the United States has added an extra layer of chaos on all of this. Most major international governments are very clear in advising against visiting Venezuela due to crime, instability, and even risk of arbitrary detention.
So yes, things are looking undeniably grim for tourism here at the moment. And the future is murky, as the still-Chavista dictatorship struggles to reassert its political authority and maintain a modicum of security. But if Venezuela ever were to get its act together, it has much to offer, starting with these nine places:
Jorge Brito
Caracas
Venezuela’s capital (pop. 3 million) is intense but culturally rich – and best explored if possible with strong local guidance. Highlights start with the colonial core where the city was founded in 1567, with charming colonial architecture and landmarks like the cathedral (completed in 1674), Plaza Bolívar, and the 152-year-old neoclassical National Pantheon, housing the remains of various national heroes, most notably Caracas-born Simón Bolívar, who in the early 19th century led the fight to free a half-dozen countries from the Spanish Empire.
Worthwhile museums include the National Art Gallery, the Museum of Fine Art, the Bolivarian Museum, the Simón Bolivar Birth House, the Museum of Colonial Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Parque Central, which showcases works by not just Venezuelans but also Picasso, Monet, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Warhol, and Bacon. There´s a vibrant dining and nightlife scene as well, but extra care should be taken if going out at night due to high street crime.
It´s also worth taking a 15-minute teleférico (cable car) ride from Caracas up to Cerro Ávila, part of the forested 330-square-mile El Ávila National Park (official name Waraira Repano), with sweeping views over the city and a variety of hiking and ecotourism options as well as the historic Humboldt Hotel - and even a seasonal ice skating rink.
And always keep in mind that there exist serious urban security risks in Caracas, particularly after dark, which can nonetheless be managed with precautions and prudence.
Joanlink
Mérida
A roughly hourlong flight (or 10½-hour drive) from Caracas, this atmospheric university city up in the Andes Mountains with around 200,000 inhabitants was founded in 1558, and Its allure lies cool mountain air, café culture, and access to ecotourism and adventure sports in the surrounding highlands as well as the Sierra Nevada National Park, to which you can get via the world´s highest and second longest cable car. The Casco Central is the historic core dating back to the city’s founding, where the main square Plaza Bolívar (above) is a lively hub surrounded by important historical buildings including the 201-year-old neo-Renaissance cathedral and the Palacio de Gobierno. The nearby covered market Mercado Principal offers a glimpse into local life, with vendors selling produce, handicrafts, and traditional snacks. And as an bonus, the Los Aleros theme park recreating an Andean village. Finaly, Thanks in no small part to the presence of the University of the Andes, Mérida also boasts a vibrant arts scene and bustling nightlife. It´s also worth noting that the city is generally calmer and safer than Caracas.
Coro
Venezuela´s second oldest city (founded in 1527) is located out on the western Caribbean coast, a 6 ½-hour drive from Caracas (you can cut it down to just over four by flying), and using adobe and wattle) that it holds UNESCO World Heritage status. It feels like a living museum, albeit one suffused with contemporary life, with cobblestone streets, colorfully painted houses, and landmarks like whitewashed Santa Ana de Coro cathedral, built in the late 16th and early 17th century, and the 19th-century Casa de las Ventanas de Hierro (House of the Iron Windows). The Museo de Coro showcases local history and culture, and the Mercado Municipal is a classic, lively Latin American covered market experience. Nearby, La Vela de Coro is another beautiful colonial town; Los Taques beach offers white sands and turquoise waters; and the Médanos de Coro National Park is famous for its huge sand dunes, which constantly shift with the wind.
ruidoblanco
Margarita Island
Reached from Caracas via an hourlong flight, the “Pearl of the Caribbean” is Venezuela´s main beach resort destination, and still manages to feel largely disconnected from the hardships in the rest of the country. You´ll find great strands like Caribe, El Agua, El Tirano, Parguito, and Puerto Cruz; plenty of resorts and hotels, and a lively Caribbean scene in Porlamar (founded in 1538 and the island´s biggest population center, with around 145,000 people), which has great dining and shopping (including the Conejeros traditional market). The actual capital is La Asunción (pop. 28,000), just 15 minutes from Porlamar, whose colonial old town dating back to 1565 has landmarks like the cathedral and the late-17-century for Santa Rosa de la Eminencia, Other Margarita spots to visit include the town of Pampatar (home to the San Carlos Borromeo fortress, built in 1685, and known for its shopping and dining); the colonial town of El Valle del Espíritu Santo, and The Laguna de la Restinga National Park, centered around a coastal lagoon with mangroves, beaches, and great snorkeling and diving.
BIT1982
Los Roques Archipelago
This dreamlike group of coral islands just a half hour-to-40-minute flight from Caracas Is known for shallow turquoise flats, windsurfing/kitesurfing, paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling/diving, and boat-hopping to several of the 300-plus cays, such as Cayo de Agua, Dos Mosquises, Francisquí, and Madrisquí. The main island – just over half a square mile in size – is Gran Roque, in whose town of the same name (pop. around 1,500), visitors typically stay in converted fishermen's homes called posadas, which include meals in their rates. Brightly painted houses; sandy streets with no cars; and a handful of restaurants, casual bars, and shops selling essentials, beach gear, and souvenirs. Oh, and a short stroll away, the Faro Holandés (Dutch Lighthouse), which offers panoramic views over Gran Roque and nearby cays.
Canaima National Park/Angel Falls
An hour by air from Caracas, one of South America’s great nature experiences is a 12,000-square-mile UNESCO World Heritage expanse (about the size of Belgium or the U.S. state of Maryland) featuring tepuis (tabletop mountains), jungle rivers, and Salto Angel (Angel Falls), the world´s highest waterfall, dramatically plunging 3,212 feet from one of the tepuis Into a series of rivers (it´s named, by the way, for a U.S. pilot, Jimmie Angel, who was the first to spot the falls back in 1933). Most visitors book tours from Caracas and overnight in lodges in the village of Canaima. The hiking is exceptional – especially with the aid of local guides of the Pemón people who can explain and point out flora and fauna such as monkeys, river otters, toucans, parrots, and harpy eagles, carnivorous plants, orchids, bromeliads, and ancient plant species found only on tepui summits. You can also take sightseeing flights and visit Pemón villages to learn about their culture.
Gran Sabana National Park
Even farther afield – take a 50-minute flight to Puerto Ordaz, then drive another eight hours or so to the town of Santa Elena de Uairén (pop 14,000). But Gran Sabana is certainly impressive, an expanse of more than 4,100 square miles of wide open savanna, rivers, waterfalls, and tepuis (it´s actually part of Canaima National Park). Also best done as part of an organized tour, the main allure here is hiking, from savanna walks and day hikes to scenic waterfalls like Salto Aponwao and Salto Kawi for a range of fitness levels to multiday treks to tepuis such as Mount Roraima and Tepuy Kukenán which offer views of dramatic cliffs and otherworldly rock formations but are much more physically challenging. Along the way, hikers spot wildlife such as capybaras and howler monkeys, as well as myriad bird species, among them hawks, parrots, and toucans. The local rivers, meanwhile, are perfect for natural swimming, river walks, and canoe excursions. Camping options are available, along with cultural visits to Pemón communities. Best visited during the dry season (December–April).
Morrocoy National Park
On the western Caribbean coast and more accessible from Caracas – a drive of 3½ to four hours – this lush 124-sq.-mile park is known for its mangrove channels, pristine beaches like Mero and Sombrero, snorkeling/diving, and boat trips to offshore cays like Cayo Peraza, Cayo Sal, and Cayo Sombrero; visitors generally stay in nearby Tucacas or Chichiriviche or camp in Morrocoy itself. Water wildlife in the parks includes whales, dolphins, crocodiles, and several species of giant marine turtles, and on land howler monkey, three-toed sloths, anteaters, crab-eating foxes, opossums, pacas, agouties, peccaries, and various species of deer. Then of course there are also 270 species of birds, among them ospreys, flamingos, pelicans, ibises, frigatebirds, cormorants, egrets, and more.
The Venezuelan Llanos
Los Llanos Venezolanos are another area of vast plains as well as wetlands – some 94,000 sq. miles sprawling across five states in the country´s northwest, a six-hour drive from Caracas to the nearby city of San Fernando de Apure (pop. 121,000). And they´re all about wildlife—capybaras, caimans and crocodiles, anacondas and boa constrictors, giant river otters, river dolphins, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, and of course myriad bird species—plus experiencing the horseback ranch culture of the llaneros and sunset landscapes. Visitors can stay in San Fernando or out on the Llanos in hatos (ranch houses).
More info: besides the official Venezuelan government tourism website, other good independent sources include Lonely Planet´s Venezuela destination page, Against the Compass, and SimCorner.com.
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