Parque Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda — known to everyone as Parque del Este — is the city's largest urban park, 82 hectares stretching east from the Miranda metro station to the Los Cortijos station. The park opened in 1961 and was designed by Roberto Burle Marx in his characteristic style: sweeping organic flower beds, mass tropical planting, sculptural earthworks, and water features that flow between the planted zones.
A small zoo, a planetarium, a 1:1 replica of the Santa María (Columbus's flagship), an aviary, and a serpentarium are scattered through the grounds. The park is one of the better places to see urban Caracas at leisure — joggers in the morning, families at weekends, an unexpected calm after the surrounding traffic. Open daily; closed Mondays.