Take a rideCaracas is so proud of its French-designed metro that it ran a campaign to teach people how to behave on it. The unpleasant aroma of the Parisian equivalent, is noticeable by its absence The metro looks as sparkling as the day it opened in 1983 There are only three lines but expansion is under way. A multi bono ticket costs 2,500 Bolivars (£2.40) for 10 trips. Apart from marvelling at the impeccable behaviour of the metro users, there’s modern art to view in many stations. At Parque del Este there’s a wooden sculpture called Doce Columnas (12 columns), while in Chacao, Concentracion para Caracas is a wall sculpture of swirling metal squares against olive tiles. At Bellas Artes there’s even an art gallery in the station.Lunch on the runSabana Grande is Venezuela’s Oxford Street – tacky and bustling. You’ll find restaurants for every budget and taste, and pavement caf?where old men play dominoes.
If you want to grab something to eat as you explore, the arepa is Venezuela’s traditional snack. Sold in areperias all over the city, arepas are cheap and filling and made of corn bread stuffed with anything from shredded beef (carne mechada) to chicken and guacamole (reina pepiada).Cultural afternoonCaracas is all about modern art and architecture. In the Fifties the city was virtually rebuilt by order of General Marcos P?z Jim?z, who transformed the colonial capital into a modern metropolis. Foreign architects were shipped in, including Gio Ponti and Fernand L?r, while the homegrown Carlos Raul Villanueva was commissioned to design a brand new university – the main hall of which has since been declared a World Heritage Site. Much of modern Caracas is less than easy on the eye – the Teresa Carre?heatre looks like a bunker, while the Zona Cultural-Parque Central is a concrete maze.
Yet in the latter you’ll find the impressive Museum of Contemporary Art (00 58 212 573 8289) which houses the largest collection of Picasso etchings in South America. And the city streets are awash with outdoor sculpture and art.Window shoppingCentro Sambil (11), Avenida Libertador (00 58 212 267 1201, ), the largest mall in Caracas and, reputedly, South America, is a major attraction at weekends. Queues stretch along the pavement, waiting for the doors to open in this shopping mall-cum-recreation centre. You’ll find everything from Zara to DKNY – but don’t expect any bargains Caraque?head to Miami to do their shopping. The centre also includes an art museum, aquarium and, on the roof, an outdoor concert arena.An aperitifThe Citron Caf?00 58 212 263 8183) in Centro Sambil is popular with image-conscious Venezuelans. Opera turns to whale music as the waiters waft by in cool grey.
From the outside terrace bar beneath a Japanese-style roof you can sip a limonada frappe beside a blue mosaic pond looking out over the city. But you shouldn’t visit Caracas without experiencing the earthier Spanish-style tascas or bars around Sabana Grande. The most famous is El Mani es Asi, Avenida Francisco Solano Calle (00 58 212 763 6671). In La Castellana, the Gran Pizzeria El Leon at Transversal de la Castellana and Avenida Principal de la Castellana, is a popular hangout, with tables on a large patio.Dinner with the localsBeef is as big in Venezuela as Argentina Cattle are ranched on Los Llanos, the plains. The Maute Grill (00 58 212 991 0892) in the swish Las Mercedes district is an open-air restaurant around a tree-shaded courtyard with a sizzling grill in the centre It has a real old rancho feel, and old photos on the walls. Huge families dine together, and waiters in dinner jackets dish up huge slabs of meat with a flourish Sunday morning, go to churchPay homage to El Liberador.