Colonial houses painted blue, yellow and green line Calle Carabobo, and nearby apartment towers look out over the lake. The old city keeps to shaded plazas and the twin domes of the Basílica de Chiquinquirá, while the newer Maracaibo spreads north in malls and wide avenues.
Beyond the center, Santa Lucía keeps its narrow colonial streets, and the Urdaneta Bridge crosses the water to the eastern shore. Gaita music fills the year's last months, and patacones are the snack everyone recommends. The hot, semi-arid climate is dry from December to March and wettest from September to November. A Local Friend knows which visits suit the cooler early hours and where the evening lake breeze makes staying late worthwhile.
