Caracas Travel Guide

Getting there

By Air The Simon Bolivar (Maiquetia) International Airport (http://www.aeropuerto-maiquetia.com.ve) is located in Maiquetia, about 16 miles from the city of Caracas. Airlines serving Maiquetia include:

Air Canada (0800 100 4918 / http://www.aircanada.ca) Air Europa (+58 212 951 1155 / http://www.aireuropa.com) Air France (0800 100 3457 / http://www.airfrance.com.ve) Air Portugal (+58 212 951 0931 / http://www.tap.pt) American Airlines (+58 212 209 8111 / http://www.aa.com) BWIA West Indies (+58 212 953 6433 / http://www.bwee.com) Continental Airlines (0800 100 3198 / http://www.continental.com.ve) Delta Airlines (+58 212 958 3953 / http://www.delta.com) Iberia Airlines (+58 212 284 0020 / http://www.iberia.com) Lufthansa (+58 212 210 2111 / http://www.lufthansa.com) Mexicana (+58 212 285 2132 / http://www.mexicana.com) TAP Portugal ( +351 707 205 700/ http://www.flytap.com )

Private buses and vans offer service to and from the airport to the Gato Negro metro station for a fare of around 2500Bs.

Taxis (+58 212 355 2770) are readily available at the terminal, and fares are around 20-25,000Bs for a trip to Caracas city center. Taxis are not metered so predetermined tickets based on your destination must be purchased. Each ticket has a flat price and can be purchased in both international and national terminals.

Rental car companies servicing the Maiquetia Airport include:

Aco Alquiler (+58 212 355 1166 / http://www.aco.com.ve) Amigo Car Rental (+58 212 355 2563) Avis (+58 212 355 1190 / http://www.avis.com) Budget (+58 212 355 2799 / http://www.budget.com.ve) Hertz (+58 212 355 2758 / http://www.hertz.com) Margarita Rentals (+58 212 355 2561) Maxi (+58 212 242 4015) Platino Rent A Car (+58 212 261 5556) Thrifty (+58 212 355 2314 / http://www.thrifty.com)

Getting around By Bus

If traveling by bus from cities around South America, service will arrive at Terminal de Oriente in Caracas located on the Eastern part of the city. For travel throughout West and Southwest Venezuela, buses stop at Terminal La Bandera, which is about five miles south of Caracas city center. By Car

Enter Venezuela at Maicao and Cucuta on the Northeastern border of Columbia and at Santa Elena de Uairen in Northern Brazil.

Metro

The quick and easy way to get around Caracas is via the metro (+58 212 507 4211 / http://www.metrodecaracas.com.ve), which serves much of the city and its surrounding areas. Take Line 1 to head East and West, Line 2 to go Southwest towards the zoo, or Line 3 to travel South from Plaza Venezuela to El Valle.

The Metrobus (+58 212 507 4211 / http://www.metrodecaracas.com.ve) runs throughout the city along with por puestos (private buses and vans).

Taxi

Taxis are fairly reasonably priced, however they are not metered so the fare needs to be agreed upon before getting in. Some taxi companies around the city include:

Taxitour (+58 212 794 1264) Taxiven (+58 212 985 5715) Tele Taxi (+58 212 753 3289)2008-08-02T07:29:22.000 104