The national airlines Avior (website: www.avior.com.ve) and Santa Bárbara (website: www.sbairlines.com) offer direct flights to Miami but no other USA or European destinations.

From New York to Caracas is 5 hours and from Miami is 3 hours.

Aeropuerto Internacional Simón Bolívar (website: www.aeropuerto-maiquetia.com.ve) is on the coast at Maiquetía, 26km (16 miles) from the city centre (journey time - 30 to 45 minutes). To/from the airport: Coaches shuttle passengers to/from Parque Central in downtown Caracas during daylight hours. Authorized taxis (black Ford Explorers) depart from outside the domestic and international terminals. Facilities: Duty-free shop, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, bars and restaurants, tourist information and car hire.

oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), Iberia (IB), Japan Airlines (JL), LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to 34 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked; prices depend on the amount of flight zones (website: www.oneworld.com). For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.

Payable in US Dollars or Bolívares Fuertes only, no credit cards.
Exit Tax: Bs.F.46/US$21.
Airport tax: Bs.F.115/US$54.
Domestic flights: Bs.F.23/US$11.

Main ports: La Guaira (website: www.plcsa.gov.ve/), Puerto Cabello, and Maracaibo.
The only international ferry link is between the ports of Güiria and Chaguaramas, Trinidad. The weekly crossing is operated by Acosta y Asociados (tel: (294) 982 1556).
More than 100 Caribbean cruise ships call at the port of El Guamache on Isla de Margarita each year (website: www.puertoelguamache.com).

There are no international rail links with neighbouring countries.

There are two principal overland routes from Colombia: from Cartagena to Maracaibo via Paraguachón/Maicao by Expreso Brasilia (Caracas tel: (212) 243 7400; website: www.expresobrasilia.com), and from Bogotá to Caracas via Cúcuta/San Antonio del Táchira. It is also possible to travel from the Amazon territory of Brazil (Manaus) to Caracas via Santa Elena de Uairén.