Anzoátegui · Venezuela
Puerto La Cruz travel guide
Puerto La Cruz is a city in Anzoátegui, Venezuela, home to about 306,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- BLA14 km · General José Antonio Anzoategui International Airport
- Currency
- VESsovereign bolivar
- Time zone
- America/Caracas
- Language
- Spanish, Venezuelan Sign Language
About
About Puerto La Cruz
Puerto La Cruz is a port city located in Anzoátegui State, in Venezuela. It is the seat of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Puerto La Cruz
See
- Mirador El Morro
- Fortin Doña Magdalena
Do
Beach, party, girls, guys,... what else do you need? Spanish Language Schools. Playa Colorada, 30 minutes along the coast, is a famous Venezuelan beach (photo in many of the guide books) and a good location to learn Spanish. Jakera runs a highly recommended Spanish school at Playa Colorada.
- Playa Muerta
- Playa Punta La Cruz
- Playa Puinare
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Puerto La Cruz
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Cristina Suites | 1.6 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Puerto La Cruz
Puerto La Cruz has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. April is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; August is the wettest, with about 137 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 Puerto La Cruz: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is General José Antonio Anzoategui International Airport (BLA), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; Antonio José de Sucre Airport (CUM, 59 km) and Del Caribe Santiago Mariño International Airport (PMV, 105 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Flying in to Puerto La Cruz can be very expensive. Domestic flights from Caracas can go for US$150 one way per person for the 40-minute flight. Like all airlines, if you book early aad outside of peak holiday times, they can be much cheaper, e.g. US$55 one way If you take a cab from the airport make sure you take one of the airport "official cabs" as there are many "piratas" (unofficial) cabs which can be dangerous. If you fly to Puerto La Cruz the nearest airport is in Barcelona which is the capital of the state Anzoategui. From here you have to take a 30-min cab ride to Puerto La Cruz.
Getting around
So you made it to Puerto La Cruz and now you are ready to do some tourism. The best, fastest and safest way to get around in Puerto La Cruz is by taxi. A fare can go for US$5-10, which is ten times more expensive than the local bus, but it will save you time and the hassle of trying to figure out which bus to take to go where. Many times even the locals have a hard time trying to figure it out. Plus most of the buses are really old and uncomfortable. When taking a taxi, always make sure you use "legal" taxis. They are usually marked with the name of the cab company.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
BLA · General José Antonio Anzoategui International Airport
CUM · Antonio José de Sucre Airport
PMV · Del Caribe Santiago Mariño International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Puerto La Cruz
Eat
Venezuelan food is really good and flavorful, nothing spicy. Make sure you try everything. You can also find really good authentic Italian, Mediterranean, Spanish, Chinese restaurants. Mexican food is not very popular so eat your burrito when you go back home. Empanadas: These are made of corn flour based dough and are deep fried. The stuffing varies according to the region; most common are the cheese and ground beef empanadas. Other types use fish, "caraotas" or black beans, oyster, clams and other types of seafood popular in the coastal areas. Arepas: The arepa is a corn-based dish from the northern Andes in South America, now spread to other areas in modern Latin American countries.
Drink
Don't miss the opportunity of drinking real fruit juice. Whether you go to a restaurant or in the streets is always safe and healthier to drink juice. There are many options. Just ask for your favorite tropical fruit. There is also malta. Malta is a type of soft drink. It is a carbonated malt beverage, meaning it is brewed from barley and hops much like beer. However, malta is non-alcoholic. It is similar in color to stout (dark brown) but is very sweet, generally described as tasting like molasses. Unlike beer, ice is often added to malta when consumed. Malta is high in B vitamins. Venezuela is also recognized for its high quality rum.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Puerto La Cruz: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Puerto La Cruz?
Puerto La Cruz has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. April is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; August is the wettest, with about 137 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Puerto La Cruz?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is General José Antonio Anzoategui International Airport (BLA), about 14 km from the city centre in a straight line; Antonio José de Sucre Airport (CUM, 59 km) and Del Caribe Santiago Mariño International Airport (PMV, 105 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Puerto La Cruz?
sovereign bolivar (VES).
Nearby
Destinations near Puerto La Cruz
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.