Valencia Transportation

The city of Valencia has a fine freeway system that circles the city, so it's possible to drive right through without delay by any stop lights. Freeway lighting is excellent in the Valencia metro area, but some bulbs may be burned out. During rush hour, the northside freeway can get heavily congested for awhile, but never for long compared to Caracas. Freeways connect Valencia east through to Caracas, and to the west to Puerto Cabello, and south to Barquisimeto. While these freeways are generally constructed to high standards, the tropical rains create potholes on some flat areas and slides, particularly along the section leading downhill to Puerto Cabello. Excercise caution, particularly at night, because in such troubled areas warning signs, lighting, and detours are often poorly marked. Unlike freeways in the USA, vehicles do pull over to buy from roadside vendors, but the shoulders are generally wide enough for this not to be a safety problem. Gasoline stations are conveniently located at intervals along the freeway system.

I have not used local buses, but they should not be missed as a sight in its own right. There are no strange-looking bulbous buses common in Colombia and Ecuador, but the buses are very colorfully painted, and have odd logos painted on the back, such as 'I proceed with the power of God' or 'In Honor of my daughters Ana and Olga'. There are young guys standing in the doors who yell out where the bus is heading.

Venezuelans appear to own a lot more cars than people in Colombia and Ecuador, and as a result, there are a lot fewer taxis. Many of these taxis are not marked either, which makes finding one in the street not very easy.

A trip from center to northern areas should cost about Bs10,000. In fact, most fares are Bs10,000.

The best company that you can use to reach Valencia from Caracas (and come back) is Aeroexpresos Ejecutivos. Their terminal in Caracas is in a nice and safe area called Chacao. Tickets cost Bs12,500, and the trip takes about 2.5 hours. There are several departures every day - you can check exact times at Aeroexpresos.com.ve The terminal in Valencia is shared with other bus companies in Urb San Diego next to Big Low shopping center. Taxi from here to center is about Bs10,000.

The buses are super comfortable, have a/c, show movies. You can get a cheaper bus for about Bs7,500.