8°35′38″N 71°9′11″W

Map of Mérida

The city has a straight-forward street grid with numbered Calles crossed by numbered Avenidas. The streets do not always have signs, but the city center is easily navigable. Plaza Bolívar, between Avenidas 3/4 and Calles 22/23, is a focal point for the center.

There are busetas going just about everywhere. In the center, many of them stop on Avenida 25 between Calles 2/3.

There are several small Andean towns in the region which are quite scenic and easy to visit, such as Jají, Mucuchies, Apartaderos, and Santo Domingo.

• ^{[dead link]} Cinex Alto Prado, Alto Prado Mall (Cross bridge on calle 26, turn left at the second light past the bridge, right side of the street.). Movie theater near the center. Sometimes shows Venezuelan movies. Half price on Mondays. 

• 8.529167-71.0636111 Teleférico. The city's main attraction. It's the world's highest cablecar. For US$25, it will lead you to Pico Espejo (4765m) with two stops on the way. It's best to pick a clear day and go in the morning as early as possible to avoid queues. Many travellers go up on the teleférico, and then descent via mules, hiking and SUVs. This means that during the busy season, upward tickets may be sold out days in advance, but this can be circumvented by reversing the trip. Typically, locals in SUVs will wait in the morning near the base of the teleférico to drive tourists up to Los Nevados for US$15, where mules can be hired for the final ascent. The top is usually covered in clouds later in the day. Take warm clothes. The cable car is frequently closed for maintenance. It stops running in early afternoons. (updated Dec 2016)

• 8.612514-71.140342 Plaza de Toros de Merida (Román Eduardo Sandia Briceño), Carr. Trasandina y Enlace German Briceño Ferrini. Large bullring with a seating capacity of 15,000 spectators, built in 1967. Bullfights are usually held in winter. Hosts the "Bullfight Carnival of America" event. The venue is sometimes used for concerts or special events. (updated Jun 2024)

• Pico Bolivar or Pico Humboldt. Climbing these mountains can be organised via through tour agents (see below) for serious mountaineers. A local guide who speaks a little bit of French is José Betancourt . Remember too that the altitude differential between Mérida and the top of the teleferico is huge and that an attempt to climb Pico Bolivar or Pico Humboldt should wait for the next day, least you experience mountain sickness. (updated Dec 2016)
• Adventure activities are offered by several tour agents. Mountain-biking, paragliding, white-water rafting, bungee jumping, and canyoning are all available in Mérida. Four tour agents are Arassari Trek, Calle 24 No 8-301, 0274-252-5879, Jakera, Calle 24 no 8-205 0 274 2529577 and Gravity Tours^{[dead link]}. Abadia Tours Travel & Destinations, Av 3 entre calles 17 y 18, 0274-2513115.
• Spanish Language Schools. Mérida is a good location to learn Spanish. Jakera has a few programs .

• Mercado Principal (From the center, take busetas marked "mercado"). A big market with a wide assortment of artesania and other touristy goods, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables on the first floor. Try the Levantón Andino, a smoothie that contains, among other things: fish eggs, quail eggs and a bull's eye. 

• ^{[dead link]} Panaderia Roma, Calle 24 No 8-68, ☏ +58 274 2529095. Bread, pastries and coffee. Popular spot for breakfast. 
• La Montaña Calle 24 6-47. Excellent meals for a reasonable price. Try the chicken in orange sauce and the lemon pie.
• Delicias Mexicanas Calle 25 7-48. To satisfy your cravings for Mexican food.
• Heladeria Coromoto Avenida 3 28-75. Has an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for being the icecream parlour with the most flavours. It has around 800 flavours including hamburger or rice-flavoured ice cream. But on any given day it only serves around 100 different flavours.
• La Abadia^{[dead link]}, Av. 3 between calles 17 and 18, is a restaurant/cafe/cybercafe with excellent fresh fruit drinks, trout dishes and coffees/desserts. Abadia Tours Travel & Destinations: llanos, paramo, paragliding, Canaima. Info: http://www.grupoabadia.com%5Bdead+link%5D
• Areperia Dona Flor Nearby to Cafe Calypso/Centro Commercial El Viaducto, this is the queen of all arepa (corn-flour pita or pupusa like object) restaurants, with stuffings from the mundane shredded pork to pickled eggs and more.
• Calle Burgers At night small hamburger/hotdog stands appear near all the major nightclubs. Shady though they may look, their burgers are second to none with toppings including fried eggs, ham, shoestring potato fries and more.
• ¡Date! Con Rolando, Avenida Urdaneta and Calle 49, is another one of these excellent nocturnal hamburger stands, with a variety of meats and cheeses available for your burger, as well as patacones, in which crispy, mashed and fried plantains substitute for the bun. Established in 1985, ¡Date! has become so popular that Rolando has found it necessary to open locations in Barinas and Maracaibo.
• Pizzeria Da Enzo The best pizzas of Mérida, with the secret recipe of an Italian family. Andres Bello Avenue Centro Comercial San Cristobal, Mérida City.
• Pizzería El Sabor de los 4 Quesos ^{[dead link]} Best pizza in town, Avenue 2 between 13 and 14 No 13-66, in front of Plaza Milla.
• Café Ático, Near the Plaza de las Heroinas, this small coffeehouse/bar is a popular counterculture scene
• La Astilla, Plaza Milla. Excellent restaurant that serves local dishes and pizzas. Try the "Lomita al Salsa Mostaza Dyon", "Trucha con Champignones" and "Limonada Frappe". 
• Federicos, Av. 5 between Calle 18 and 19. Italian/Argentinian owner that serves anything between pastas and delicious meat dishes. 

Mérida is a college town full of fantastic bars and discos playing salsa and international pop music well into the morning, fueled by cheap Polar beer and strong cai pirinhas.

Cafe Calypso

(excellent cai pirinhas) in the Centro Commercial El Viaducto is a top spot to begin the night, conveniently near to the popular dance club,

El Bodegón de Pancho

(Centro Comercial Mamayeya) You can see the lit-up sign for blocks around, El Bodegón is the place to finish the night and dance until the early morning.

Alfredo's

(Av.4 Bolívar. Esquina De La Calle 21) features cheap set-ups of rum - you can buy a bottle and some mixers with a group of friends. Cheapest beers in town.

El Balcon

(Av. 2 con Calle 26) Balcony views, cheap Polar beer.

Hoyo Queque

(Av. 4 Bolívar. Esquina De La Calle 21) is a tiny bar with good often live music

Birosca

(Av. 2 Lora Con Calle 24 C.C. Los Tapiales) with famous "Bombas" drinks and a maze like interior from its colonial heritage to explore. A good place to escape from Reggaeton.

Gradas Sports Bar

(Av. 4 Bolívar. Esquina De La Calle 21 - caddycorner from Oyo) A fancy bar with lots of screens to watch futbol on

The Clover

(Av. 4 Bolívar entre calles 14 y 15) - best place to get a non-Polar beer in town.

Habana Kawy

(Av. Principal De Los Chorros De Milla) dance club focusing more on disco than salsa/merengue.

La Cucaracha

(c.c. Las Tapias, Nivel Estacionamiento.) Inside the Las Tapias mall, this is the quintessential Mérida dance club. Unfortunately, the bouncers are sometimes racist.

• Poco Loco (A couple blocks up from Plaza Bolivar near Gradas Sports Bar). A popular rock/punk club 
• La Botana, Plaza de las Heroínas. A laid-back reggae bar in Las Heroínas 

Heaps of cheap backpacker posadas with shared bathrooms (generally) are clustered around Plaza Las Heroínas. A few blocks further northeast, in La Plaza Milla, are a few nicer posadas

Venezuela's cheapest internet shops can be found in Mérida. There are dozens and cost around US$0.50 per hour or less.

Remember to wear your sunscreen and be careful about over-exerting yourself - you're at reasonably high altitudes, and close to the equator.