Taxis, Lima

There is no municipal public transport from the airport (only the Urbanito private bus service, see tip above).
So if you wanna take a tax, here are the fares (in 2005):
- Centre: 7.50 USD
- Miraflores, Barranco...: 10 USD
- Others: 14 USD

Ask always first to the driver if he is an official one and tell him to show you his license. Write down the plate number, just in case. I have no personal complaints about taxis in Lima but you can read scary stories about that in the forums...

When you arrive in Lima and get out of the airport don't even talk to the taxi drivers unles you have tons of money to spend. they will charge you $30 even if the place is not too far from the airport. they called themselves that they are registered taxi drivers. OK, but I don't like to spend on the taxi more that I woud spend in the US. when you get out of the airport go right to the end of the street and turn left like street is turning. you will walk another 50 meters and get to the main road. you can catch the regular cab there for $3. I caught the cab from my hotel to the airport and they dropped me off there because they can't go to the front of the airport. If you don't mind walk a little bit you can save for the very good dinner. I didn't notice any safety issue.

The way you take a taxi in Lima is like this:

First you put your pointing-finger in the air when you see one. Beware that they will only speak Spanish, as almost everyone else in Lima.

If he is free of customers he will stop, and then you tell him where you want to go before you get in, Its not certain that he goes there, in this case just stop a new one.

Then you negotiate the price, it varies a lot, and you should be very specific and show it on a map because as a tourist the driver may try to pretend he did not understand where you wanted to go and charge you extra.(It happens all the time, even with the locals)

Then enjoy the cheap ride :-)

If you get a registered cab, they will charge you about 60 soles from the airport to Miraflores, probably. An unregistered cab should charge you about 30 or 40 soles, BUT I'd recommend you stick to the registered ones. They're the ones you normally get by calling a cab company, and the ones the information desk at the airport should get for you. Registered cab drivers are also more likely to speak English. Be careful that many unregistered cab drivers are also at the airport waiting to get customers.

Unregistered cabs are normally the ones you can get directly in the street. (It doesn't mean a thing that they're painted yellow.) Although most unregistered cab drivers are good people, a few of them might not be, since the job is not well regulated in Peru. That's why I recommend registered cabs. I especially suggest you take a registered cab if you're taking it at night, or when coming back from partying and not in full command of your senses. You can always ask the managers at most restaurants or clubs to call a registered cab for you.

If you do decide to take an unregistered cab, you should know fares are suggested by the driver at the time you stop the cab. If you agree and get in, then that's what you have to pay. The vast majority of locals do bargain, but you need to be familiar with the area to bargain reasonably.

A basic command of Spanish wouldn't hurt, since most people (and cab drivers, among all) in Peru do not speak English.

I'm a local, by the way.

There are SO many taxis everywhere that there will never be a problem finding one when you need one. They will beep their horns when they are looking for a fare. When they stop, make sure that you haggle for a good price because they will rip you off! If you offer a price and they say no, walk away and get a different taxi. They want your fare, so they may just take your offer as you're walking away. Never get in the taxi without settling on a price first.

Be aware that during the typical hours of rush hour in Lima there is a RIDICULOUS amount of traffic. For a trip that took us 30 minutes on the way TO our hotel from the airport, the return trip FROM our hotel to the airport took us almost 2 HOURS!
Every street the taxi turned down was packed with cars and we nearly missed our flight.

Lima Airport

I had a great experince when I visited Peru; however, since my spanish language level is at the extreme beginner-level, I had a difficult time trying to get-around. Then, someone told me about Andina Taxi. They have English speaking drivers or a translator that arrives with the driver. Anyway, I ended up using them all the time and they took me back to the airport. You can find them at www.andinataxiairport.com

Local price from the airport to Miraflores is 20 soles or around 6-7 USD max. The offical scammers at the airport will try and charge you 40-50..even the hostals will mark the fare up to pocket some cash. After arriving from Cuszo I was called an ass in Spanish by the cab manager at the airport after refusing to pay the "offical rate".

The hatchback cabs tend to be the ones that charge the most. Find one of the small 4 door Yugos that are numbered and negotiate a price prior to getting in.
From Miraflores to the center should be around 10 soles.