To/From
the Airport
There’s bus service
between the Maiquetía airport and Caracas daily from 5:30
am until the evening. Buses are supposed to depart every half-hour,
but, as is common everywhere in Venezuela, they usually don’t
leave until they’re full. In the city, the buses depart
until about 7 pm from Calle Sur 17 directly underneath Avenida
Bolívar, next to Parque Central. Stairs connect the two
levels next to the Museo de los Niños; you can also get
down to the buses by Calle Sur 17 from Avenida México (or
Avenida Lecuna). At the airport, buses leave from in front of
both the domestic and international terminals. The last bus is
supposed to depart from the international terminal around 8 pm
and from the domestic terminal around 9 pm.
Please
note that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found
to the right of this pages. 
The bus trip either way costs
US$2 to US$3 and normally takes about 40 minutes, but traffic
jams, particularly on weekends and holidays, can double that time.
If you are going from the airport to the city during rush hour,
it’s faster to get off at the Gato Negro metro station and
continue by metro to your final destination.
The taxi fare from the airport
to Caracas depends on which suburb you go to. Sample daytime (6
am to 6 pm) rates are: the center US$22, Sabana Grande US$26,
and Altamira US$30. Nighttime tariffs are about 10% higher. The
fares from the city back to the airport are about 10% lower. Air-conditioned
taxis may charge more. A taxi takes up to four passengers and
shouldn’t charge extra for luggage.
Before boarding a taxi., check
the correct fare (eg, with the tourist office) in order to avoid
the usual overcharging. Nonetheless, drivers may overcharge you
in the evening, after all the buses are gone, because they know
you don’t have other options. Travelers have told of drivers
asking exorbitant, nonnegotiable prices. Therefore, when you book
your air ticket before your trip, make sure that you arrive at
Maiquetía reasonably early during the day.
You may be approached by ‘taxi
drivers’ inside the international terminal who will offer
you a ride to Caracas for less than the official fare, but this
should be viewed with suspicion. Their taxis are usually not in
the regular taxi line, but are parked elsewhere. Some of these
drivers are honest, but there may be some who mug you in the middle
of nowhere.
If you have just an overnight
stop in Maiquetía, there’s probably no point in going
to Caracas. Instead, you may prefer to stay the night on the coast,
although accommodation options became drastically reduced after
the December 1999 disaster.
If you’re arriving late
at night in Maiquetía, don’t venture outside the
terminal farther than the bus stop and taxi stand (both of which
are just at the building’s doors). Holdups at gunpoint have
been reported by travelers, and you probably wouldn’t want
to lose all your bags right after arrival in Venezuela.
Metro
This is the major means of
getting around Caracas. It’s fast, well organized, easy
to use, clean and cheap, and it provides access to most major
city attractions and tourist facilities.
The French-made metro system
has three lines, with a total length of 44km and 39 stations,
The longest line, No 1, goes east-west all the way along the city
axis, and you will use it most frequently. Line No 2 leads from
the center southwest to the distant suburb of Caricuao and the
zoo. The newest and shortest line, No 3, runs from Plaza Venezuela
southwest to El Valle. More lines are planned, but it will take
a while before they open.
The system also includes a
number of bus routes, called ‘Metrobús,’ which
link some of the suburbs to metro stations, You can thus easily
reach San Bernardino, El Cafetal, Prados del Este, La Trinidad
and other suburbs (plus intermediate points) that are not reached
directly by metro. For example, the Centro Ciudad Comercial Tamanaco
(CCCT) is accessible by Metrobús No 211 (La Trinidad) from
the Chacao station and No 201 (El Cafetal) from the Altamira station
(ask the driver to indicate where to get off - it’s not
immediately obvious). All of the metro lines and Metrobús
routes are marked on the Caracas maps posted in every metro station.
The metro operates daily from
5:30 am to 11 pm. The air-conditioned trains run every few minutes,
but less frequently early in the morning and late in the evening.
Yellow single-ride tickets cost US$0.45 for a ride of up to three
stations, US$0.50 for four to seven stations, and US$0.55 for
any longer route. Roundtrip tickets (boletos
de ida y vuelta) of any distance cost US$0.95. The transfer
ticket (boleto integrado)
for the combined metro-plus-bus route costs US$0.60. Consider
buying the multiabono,
an orange multiple ticket costing US$4, which is valid for 10
metro rides of any distance. Not only do you save money, but you
also avoid the seemingly interminable waits in the ever-present
lines each time you’re at the ticket counters.
To get to the train platform,
put your ticket into the slot on the turnstile, which opens and
flips it back out to you. Keep it, because you have to use it
again to open a similar turnstile at your destination. This time
your ticket won’t be flipped back, unless it’s a multiabono.
Bulky packages that might obstruct other passengers — as
the regulations say — are not allowed in the metro. Backpacks
are usually no problem, but use common sense and don’t carry
large bags during rush hours, when trains are really crowded.
The metro is generally safe,
though there have been some comments about pick pockets that operate
in groups on the escalators of the busy stations, eg, La Hoyada,
Bellas Artes and Plaza Venezuela. An example scenario might run
as follows: The man in front of you drops something and bends
down to retrieve it. His accomplices at the back push you, while
the one directly behind you tries to pick your pocket.
Bus
The bus network is extensive
and covers all suburbs within the metropolitan area, as well as
all the major neighboring localities. Carritos (small buses) are
the main type of vehicle operating city routes. They run frequently
but move only as fast as the traffic allows, sometimes getting
trapped in traffic jams. However, they cost only half the metro
fare (US$0.25). You will use carritos when going to destinations
that are inaccessible by metro. It’s probably worth taking
a carrito ride anyway, just to get a taste of local culture; the
radio will be blasting pop and the driver undertaking breathtaking
maneuvers — definitely a different kind of trip from the
smooth and silent metro ride.
Taxi
Identifiable by the ‘Taxi’
or ‘Libre’ sign, taxis are a fairly inexpensive means
of transportation and are useful to get to places not reached
by the metro. None have meters, so always fIx the fare before
boarding. It may be difficult to wave a taxi down on the street,
so either look for them at a taxi stand (there are plenty), or
request one by calling any of the numerous companies that provide
a radio service. Several companies, such as Teletaxi (Ph. No.
752 9122, 752 4155) and MóvilEnlace (Ph. No. 577 0922,
577 3344), service the entire Caracas area 24 hours a day. |
