Porlamar is the main city on Venezuela's Margarita Island. Travelers will usually arrive and depart here and even if staying in a resort area elsewhere on the island, are likely to visit the city for dining, shopping, or nightlife.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport (PMV  ^IATA) (Porlamar is about a 30 minute drive from Margarita via a fast highway.). Flights from Barcelona (VE), Barquisimeto, Caracas, Guayaquil, La Fría, Maracaibo, Maturín, Puerto Ordaz, Tucupita, Valencia (VE) and Port of Spain  

Get around

Car rental

Car rentals are available in Porlamar as well as in other parts of the island including at the airport and Playa El Yaque. Ensure that you thoroughly check the credentials of any rental agencies and ensure that they are licensed, have readily accessible office and an office contact number. Also ensure that you fully check the vehicle for any pre-existing damage including all lower body panels, the roof, and all window glass, before you sign the contract with any rental provider.

See

Typical colonial neighborhood in Porlamar

• 1 Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Francisco Narváez (Francisco Narváez Museum of Contemporary Art), Calle Diaz (10 St), ☏ +58 412-3512563. (updated Nov 2017)
• 2 Iglesia San Nicolás de Bari (St Nicholas of Bari's church), Boulevard Guevara. (updated Nov 2017)

Buy

Boulevard Guevara and Boulevard Gomez.

Learn

Learn Spanish, or pick up the first words necessary to get around while on the island.

• Peter's Language Institute, ☏ +58 295-3114661, Info@academia-peter.com.ve. Introduction to Spanish courses and on-line pre-arrival courses. Owned and run by the teachers. You can do a tandem language course, teaching English or German in the time you take a Spanish course. 
• Cela Spanish School, Calle Corocoro Qta. Cela Urbanizacion Playa El Angel, Pampatar, (travel north east of the city to Pampatar), ☏ +58 295 262 8198, +58 412 353 3124. The school is owned and managed by Sabine Loffler, PhD in Linguistics and specialist in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. The school has also a free on-line version where you can learn Spanish for your travel to Venezuela. Teaching is to 5 levels of ability and Spanish courses for special purposes such as medicine law and business are available. Courses are offered in small groups with a maximum of 7 participants and it is also possible to book one-to-one lessons. 

Eat

Splurge

• La Casa de la Langosta (Lobster House), Avenida 4 de Mayo, ☏ +58 295 264 3238. Serving their specialty, lobster for the last 19 years in Porlamar. Choose from lobster served natural, thermidor, with mushrooms, four cheese, criolla style, natural medallions, on ice, salad, or vinaigrette. Also available is a full range of other fresh seafood along with chicken, beef, lamb and pork dishes. 

Sleep

Mid-range

• Aguila Inn, ☏ +58 295 261-2311. 3-star 
• Aparto-Hotel Marliu, ☏ +58 295 261-9032. 
• Barcelo California, ☏ +58 295 263-8536. 

Splurge

• La Samanna, US$220-260 for a single room
• Bella Vista, ☏ +58 295 261-7222.