Venezuela
Mérida travel guide
Mérida is a city in Venezuela, home to about 248,000 people.
- Best months
- June, August and December to March
- Nearest airport
- VIG55 km · Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso Airport
- Currency
- VESsovereign bolivar
- Time zone
- America/Caracas
- Language
- Spanish, Venezuelan Sign Language
About
About Mérida
Mérida, officially known as Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, is the capital of the municipality of Libertador and the state of Mérida, and is one of the main cities of the Venezuelan Andes. It was founded in 1558 by Captain Juan Rodríguez Suárez, forming part of Nueva Granada, but later became part of the Captaincy General of Venezuela and played an active role in the War of Independence.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Mérida
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
Do
- Teleférico
- Plaza de Toros de Merida
- Pico Bolivar or Pico Humboldt
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Mérida to stay in
Heaps of cheap backpacker posadas with shared bathrooms (generally) are clustered around Plaza Las Heroínas.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Mérida
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mérida are June, August and December to March. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; May is the wettest, with about 113 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Mérida: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso Airport (VIG), about 55 km from the city centre in a straight line; Barinas Airport (BNS, 106 km) and Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (VLV, 108 km) are also within reach.
Getting 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.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
VIG · Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso Airport
BNS · Barinas Airport
VLV · Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Mérida
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.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Mérida: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Mérida?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mérida are June, August and December to March. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; May is the wettest, with about 113 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Mérida?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso Airport (VIG), about 55 km from the city centre in a straight line; Barinas Airport (BNS, 106 km) and Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (VLV, 108 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Mérida?
sovereign bolivar (VES).
Nearby
Destinations near Mérida
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.