Mérida (city, Venezuela).
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Overview

Mérida the capital of Mérida State, is located in Venezuela, at the foot of the Andes, 15 kilometers from Venezuela's highest point. It is the centre for outdoor activities in Venezuela.

Get in

Alternatively, the in El Vigía is not too far away, and you can take a long taxi ride from there in case of emergency.

By car The road from Valera will take you over the highest asphalted road in Venezuela. The Pico Aquila is 4118m high. The roads are of reasonable quality and can easily be driven with a small car. On the way, you will have great views over the mountains and valleys. Try to drive this route in the morning, in the afternoon is usually gets clouded and foggy.

By bus The bus terminal is a few kilometers out of the center.

There are daily connections to Barinas, Maracay, Caracas and several other destinations in Venezuela. If you want to go across to Ciudad Bolivar and avoid going north to Caracas or Valencia, then take the bus to Barinas (about 3.5 hours) and then the overnight bus, leaving at 10PM, to Ciudad Bolivar (11 hours).

On departure a departure tax is collected.

You can catch a bus to the center across the street from the bus terminal.

Get around

The city has a straight-forward street grid with numbered Calles crossed by numbered Avenidas. The streets do not always have signs, but the city center is easily navigable. Plaza Bolívar, between Avenidas 3/4 and Calles 22/23, is a focal point for the center.

There are busetas going just about everywhere. In the center, many of them stop on Avenida 25 between Calles 2/3.

See

There are several small Andean towns in the region which are quite scenic and easy to visit, such as Jají, Mucuchies, Apartaderos, and Santo Domingo.

Cinex Alto Prado. Movie theater near the center. Sometimes shows Venezuelan movies.

Do

Teleférico. The city's main attraction. It's the world's highest cablecar. It's best to pick a clear day and go in the morning as early as possible to avoid queues. Many travellers go up on the teleférico, and then descent via mules, hiking and SUVs. This means that during the busy season, upward tickets may be sold out days in advance, but this can be circumvented by reversing the trip. The top is usually covered in clouds later in the day. Take warm clothes. The cable car is frequently closed for maintenance. It stops running in early afternoons.

Plaza de Toros de Merida. Large bullring with a seating capacity of 15,000 spectators, built in 1967. Bullfights are usually held in winter. Hosts the "Bullfight Carnival of America" event. The venue is sometimes used for concerts or special events.

Pico Bolivar or Pico Humboldt. Climbing these mountains can be organised via through tour agents (see below) for serious mountaineers. A local guide who speaks a little bit of French is José Betancourt . Remember too that the altitude differential between Mérida and the top of the teleferico is huge and that an attempt to climb Pico Bolivar or Pico Humboldt should wait for the next day, least you experience mountain sickness.

Adventure activities are offered by several tour agents. Mountain-biking, paragliding, white-water rafting, bungee jumping, and canyoning are all available in Mérida. Four tour agents are Arassari Trek, Calle 24 No 8-301, 0274-252-5879, Jakera, Calle 24 no 8-205 0 274 2529577 and Gravity Tours. Abadia Tours Travel & Destinations, Av 3 entre calles 17 y 18, 0274-2513115. Spanish Language Schools. Mérida is a good location to learn Spanish. Jakera has a few programs .

Buy

Mercado Principal. A big market with a wide assortment of artesania and other touristy goods, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables on the first floor. Try the Levantón Andino, a smoothie that contains, among other things: fish eggs, quail eggs and a bull's eye.

Eat

Panaderia Roma. Bread, pastries and coffee. Popular spot for breakfast.

La Montaña Calle 24 6-47. Try the chicken in orange sauce and the lemon pie. Delicias Mexicanas Calle 25 7-48. To satisfy your cravings for Mexican food. Heladeria Coromoto Avenida 3 28-75. Has an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for being the icecream parlour with the most flavours. It has around 800 flavours including hamburger or rice-flavoured ice cream. But on any given day it only serves around 100 different flavours. La Abadia, Av. 3 between calles 17 and 18, is a restaurant/cafe/cybercafe with excellent fresh fruit drinks, trout dishes and coffees/desserts. Abadia Tours Travel & Destinations: llanos, paramo, paragliding, Canaima. Info: Areperia Dona Flor Nearby to Cafe Calypso/Centro Commercial El Viaducto, this is the queen of all arepa (corn-flour pita or pupusa like object) restaurants, with stuffings from the mundane shredded pork to pickled eggs and more. Calle Burgers At night small hamburger/hotdog stands appear near all the major nightclubs. Shady though they may look, their burgers are second to none with toppings including fried eggs, ham, shoestring potato fries and more. ¡Date! Con Rolando, Avenida Urdaneta and Calle 49, is another one of these excellent nocturnal hamburger stands, with a variety of meats and cheeses available for your burger, as well as patacones, in which crispy, mashed and fried plantains substitute for the bun. Established in 1985, ¡Date! has become so popular that Rolando has found it necessary to open locations in Barinas and Maracaibo. Pizzeria Da Enzo The best pizzas of Mérida, with the secret recipe of an Italian family. Andres Bello Avenue Centro Comercial San Cristobal, Mérida City. Pizzería El Sabor de los 4 Quesos Best pizza in town, Avenue 2 between 13 and 14 No 13-66, in front of Plaza Milla. Café Ático, Near the Plaza de las Heroinas, this small coffeehouse/bar is a popular counterculture scene

La Astilla. Excellent restaurant that serves local dishes and pizzas. Try the "Lomita al Salsa Mostaza Dyon", "Trucha con Champignones" and "Limonada Frappe".

Federicos. Italian/Argentinian owner that serves anything between pastas and delicious meat dishes.

Drink

Mérida is a college town full of fantastic bars and discos playing salsa and international pop music well into the morning, fueled by cheap Polar beer and strong cai pirinhas. Cafe Calypso (excellent cai pirinhas) in the Centro Commercial El Viaducto is a top spot to begin the night, conveniently near to the popular dance club, El Bodegón de Pancho (Centro Comercial Mamayeya) You can see the lit-up sign for blocks around, El Bodegón is the place to finish the night and dance until the early morning. Alfredo's (Av.4 Bolívar. Esquina De La Calle 21) features cheap set-ups of rum - you can buy a bottle and some mixers with a group of friends. Cheapest beers in town. El Balcon (Av. 2 con Calle 26) Balcony views, cheap Polar beer. Hoyo Queque (Av. 4 Bolívar. Esquina De La Calle 21) is a tiny bar with good often live music Birosca (Av. 2 Lora Con Calle 24 C.C. Los Tapiales) with famous "Bombas" drinks and a maze like interior from its colonial heritage to explore. A good place to escape from Reggaeton. Gradas Sports Bar (Av. 4 Bolívar. Esquina De La Calle 21 - caddycorner from Oyo) A fancy bar with lots of screens to watch futbol on The Clover (Av. 4 Bolívar entre calles 14 y 15) - best place to get a non-Polar beer in town. Habana Kawy (Av. Principal De Los Chorros De Milla) dance club focusing more on disco than salsa/merengue. La Cucaracha (c.c. Las Tapias, Nivel Estacionamiento.) Inside the Las Tapias mall, this is the quintessential Mérida dance club. Unfortunately, the bouncers are sometimes racist.

La Botana. A laid-back reggae bar in Las Heroínas

Sleep

Heaps of cheap backpacker posadas with shared bathrooms (generally) are clustered around Plaza Las Heroínas. A few blocks further northeast, in La Plaza Milla, are a few nicer posadas

Budget Paty's, Calle 24, Ave 8, A good choice for low budget travellers. There is also a laundry service in house. Several of the other posadas listed here are for group parties that sign up for their tours as well, and therefore do not cater to individual backpackers. Go all the way to the end of Calle 24 towards the teleferico, and you will find it next to some exercise bars.

Posada Guamanchi. Calle 24 No. 8-86, The backpacker's choice in Merida with an attached tour company. Rooms accommodate between two and four people.

Posada La Montaña. A beautifully restored colonial building, tastefully decorated with hand crafted wooden furniture and plenty of leafy foliage, conveniently located right in the heart of Merida. There are 19 rooms set around the sunny terrace.

Posada Jama Chia. Nine rooms with shared bathroom and a shared kitchen.

Posada Luz Caraballo. Private bathrooms, hot water, cable TV, car park, restaurant.

Casa Alemana Suiza. Very nice Swiss owner who can help you arrange tours, etc. In and around Merida. Very nice view over the mountains from the roof terrace.

Keep in mind that the beds in many hotels (mostly up to the mid-range levels) are nothing more than mattresses on concrete slabs that resemble box springs. Depending on what your sleep preference is, they may not be the most comfortable for you. Something for you to consider when looking for a hotel to stay at.