Getting Around Tips, Caracas

The buses in Venezuela are much too cold (the night buses). I had been warned about it but could not imagine how cold it actually was. For my first bus journey in Venezuela, with the night bus between Caracas and Ciudad Bolivar, I was dressed in long trousers, a warm sweater, socks in the sandals and a scarf. I very soon realised this was not enough and I was freezing cold (not just a little) during the whole journey. Many other people(who were prepered) had both jackets and blankets.
I can't understand why they have such cold air-condition when it becomes unpleasant for the passengers.

The metro in Caracas is pretty nice and safe, but those trains do get packed! I remember waiting in one station and seeing 4 trains go by in my direction but I didn't get in because they seems full to capacity. Finally, I got over it and just stuffed in like anybody else, as that was the only way I'd get in.

Around the city, you can take metro to many of the places you'll be going to as a tourist and take taxis to the rest. With the exception of going to and from the airport, I'd say the taxis were pretty cheap. Ask them for the price BEFORE you go somewhere, so you won't get cheated. This seems to be the general way things are done and I didn't see any meters like in American cabs. After dark, definitely take a taxi, but I wouldn't worry about the metro in daylight.

Ariving at the Airport, a man came to us and claimed to be an official Taxi driver, he even had a card. He offerd us an exchange rate of 2700 (about 2500 at the change).
We went to the change for the official change rate...

We heard that we had to take the big black Taxi's outside the Airport, and when we arrived outside he didn't had a black Cab as he told us.

So we took the official big Black Taxi outside the Airport, but he also rated us to much :( they told us at the Hotel ( so an new lessen fo me always make another price)

In the streets of Caracas you see a lot of taxi's, the sign taxi you can buy at the corners of the street, so everybody can be a taxidriver there.
Because of the high violence in Caracas we took the Hotel Taxi wich brought us around for a good price.
Once we took a street cab, and he brought us for a little bit more than the hotel taxi back to our Hotel (in the middle of the day). We travelled with three, but alone I would not take the risk of a street cab.

The great thing about Caracas is that unlike what I'm used to, you don't have to wait too long if you want to hop on a bus to get you a couple of blocks further (it can get really tiring to walk carcas streets is midday!!) You, the passenger, choose the bus stop! Whenever you want to get off you just scream :" Para aqui!" The driver will stop the bus as soon as he can and let you off! Almost like a public taxi! Be carefull on these busses though, lots of foreigners have been robbed in them!

All over my tips in Caracas I've been mentioning the taxi line which I trust and I use very frecuently. Now it has a new name: TAXI CAPITAL. So... when ever you read that Im talking about TAXI MOVIL ENLACE: is the same thing, same drivers, same services, same fares... they just changed the name. Now is TAXI CAPITAL.

the photo is from: http://images.google.co.ve/imgres?imgurl=http://perso.wanadoo.fr/filrouge/images/Romans%2520et%2520le%2520cinema/images/taxi.jpg&imgrefurl=http://perso.wanadoo.fr/filrouge/images/Romans%2520et%2520le%2520cinema/pages/taxi.htm&h=350&w=264&sz=15&tbnid=Aerekx7X0eAJ:&tbnh=116&tbnw=87&hl=es&start=72&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTAXI%2B%26start%3D60%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Des%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN

There are buses but as the guide-book suggest not advisable after dark and all that, you are not advised to try them. Rather be a tourist taking taxis and make Caracas as short stopover (considering the current security situation).

Transportation is not a problem in Caracas: we have a beautiful, clean, modern subway, constructed by a french company about 20 years ago. It is a gourgeous metro, I assure you.

We have big buses, medium size buses, and small ones which we call: "busetas". Almost all of them are pretty crappy, not extremely clean, but they will take you there and fast. They come one after the other after the other after the other. You dont have to wait much in order to get in one.

In big buses you pay as soon as you get in. In mediums and smalls you pay before jumping down.

Then we have taxis. Formal and serious taxi lines (like Taxi Movil Enlace or Tele Taxi) or people that work on their own but have the permission and papers to work as taxi drivers.

Then there are the "taxi piratas" (pirate taxis). Those are driven by people who really need extra money and take the risk of working with out registration and "papers". These are the cheapest taxis of them all, but I wouldent recomend taking a ride on one of these. You will not recognize them. They will recognize you and will show you a piece of cardbord with the word TAXI written on it.

We also have motorcicles -well registered- that work as a taxi. You take a seat behind the driver, put a helmet on and there you go!!!

Foreigners agree that all of our transportation services are not expensive.

What is expensive are car rentals...

But remember that you can always walk. Even though Caracas is an inmense city, you cant get lost here. There is always the mountain, "El Avila" and that means North.

Official (Black and Yellow) taxis are considered to be safe. So, after dark or for a good distance, take a taxi in Caracas.

Airplaine, most american and european airlines
Best to move around in Caracas is the Metro, It's clean and fast