Puerto Cabello

Puerto Cabello is the largest port in Venezuela and has been an important harbour since the colonial period, when its sheltered water made it the shipping point for the Valencia basin. The old colonial quarter behind the working docks has been restored in part: painted houses along Calle Los Lanceros, the Iglesia del Rosario and a waterfront promenade. The Castillo San Felipe, built in the eighteenth century on an islet in the bay, is reached by boat.

The main sights

• Calle Los Lanceros - the restored street of painted colonial houses.
• Castillo San Felipe - the eighteenth-century fort on an islet in the harbour.
• The waterfront - the promenade along the old harbour front.
• The working port - the container terminal that is the country's largest.

When to go

December to April is driest. Mornings are best for walking the old quarter before the heat. The fort is reached by boats that run through the day.

Good to know

The restored quarter is small and the rest of the city is industrial. The working port dominates the waterfront. Boats to the fort are negotiated and run irregularly.

Nearby

Las Trincheras is south, and Morrocoy is west.

Key facts