The National Capitol occupies an entire city block and, with its golden domes and neoclassical pediments, can seem even bigger. The building, commissioned in the 1870s, is most famous for its Salón Elíptico, an oval hall with a mural-covered dome and portrait-lined walls. Visit on Independence Day to glimpse the original Act of Independence of 1811.

The halls surrounding the salon are daubed with battle scenes commemorating Venezuela's fight for independence.

Visit this neatly proportioned reconstruction of the house where Simón Bolívar was born on July 24, 1783. The museum's exhibits include period weapons, banners and uniforms. Much of the original colonial interior has been replaced by monumental paintings of battle scenes, but more personal relics can be seen in the nearby Museo Bolivariano.

Pride of place goes to the coffin in which Bolívar's remains were brought from Colombia; his ashes now rest in the National Pantheon.

Bolívar's funeral was held 12 years after his death at the Iglesia de San Francisco, just a few blocks west, and it was also here that he was proclaimed 'El Libertador' in 1813. The church dazzles the eye with its richly gilded baroque altarpieces, and still retains much of its original colonial interior, despite being given a modernising once-over by Guzmán Blanco.

The gardens that surround this museum are almost as enticing as its interior. The museum is housed in a gorgeous colonial country mansion known as Quinta de Anauco. Inside the house you'll find meticulously restored rooms, filled with carefully selected works of art and furniture. Sunday mornings see occasional chamber music concerts in the old stables.

The quinta was well outside the historic town when it was built back in 1797, but today it's an oasis in the inner suburb of San Bernardino.