A week in Puerto La Cruz means sun, sand and tanning oil-covered bodies, cruises along the islands to the sound of a tropical band, underwater adventures, tasty meals and long strolls down the Paseo Colón.
 
The Barcelona-Puerto La Cruz conjunction could be considered the big metropoli of the Venezuelan east, with its 500 thousand inhabitants, the historic legacy of a population founded in 1671 by Catalonians (hence its original name of Barcelona del Dulce Nombre de Jesús), art centers, museums, many store -both old and new- where to browse, and a bohemian life that awaits in a dozen bars and pubs strategically located along the Paseo Colón and its surrounding areas.

Puerto La Cruz can be reached from any part of the world, sonce it is easily accesible by land, air and sea. The fastest and more comfortable way is by plane, although getting there by sea is a lot more fun. The city has four important marinas and countless docks in the surrounding islnads. If one gets there by plane, it is possible to rent a car or a 4x4 vehicle at any of the many car rental agencies located at the airport. To travel in the bay area and visit the islands there are many options available, and plenty of tourist agencies that rent yachts, boats and famous local peñeros. Taxi-boats are also available.

For a seven-day stay it is possible to organize a schedule that includes one or more cruises to the islands and keys that belong to the Mochima National Park, a tour around the most interesting places in Barcelona, and a visit to one of the many farms near Puerto La Cruz. The surrounding areas heading east, like Altos de Santa Fe, can also be explored, while enjoying each night discovering the night life that the restaurants and bars of the Paseo Colón have to offer.

Paseo Colón is a two kilometer long boulevard that skirts Pozuelos Bay, considered to be one of the longest natural bays in the world. Continuing down the coast, the Morro of Barcelona is reached. This is the site of the Completo Turístico El Morro, one of the most ambitious tourist projects in Latin America, which includes 800 hectares of land crossed by some 20 kilometers of artificial navigable waterways. It is divided into the acuavillas and the Morro peninsula. This tour is a must, since from the top of the Morro (mound) there is a breathtaking view of the city and the bay that should not be missed, specially at dusk.

There are many beaches in Puerto La Cruz, but the best, most adequate for tourism, are the ones on the neighboring islands. To reach them, in case you don't have a sailboat or a yacht, there are many agencies in Puerto La Cruz that rent boats with a crew, with very affordable daily prices. They organiza full-service charters in sailboats, that include visits to some three islands, with two hours stopovers and profesional guides for diving, if that is your wish. The price include diving equipment, drinks fixed with national liquors, snaks and luch.

If you have the time and wish a longer tour, with overnight stay, these agencies can arrange a trip to La Tortuga island or a cruise to all of the 53 islands on the Mochima National Park, formed in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, with crystal waters, coral bottoms, mangroves, and hidden beaches -with a sand considered among the finest in the world- ideal to excite the imagination of the simplest human being.

Puerto La Cruz may be the starting point to visit every beach on the so-called Route of the Sun (Ruta del Sol), stretching from Puerto Píritu to Cumaná. It is a pleasure to enjoy the arabesque drawn by the road on the coastline, and admire the different shapes of the islands and the colors of the sea. Such a spectacular view is worth the trip.