Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- All international and national flights arrive at the new José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (tel. 04/2169-209; airport code: GYE), which is located about 10 minutes north of downtown Guayaquil, just next door to the now-defunct Simón Bolívar International Airport. Many international flights to Quito first touch down in Guayaquil, and outgoing international flights often similarly stop in Guayaquil to pick up and discharge passengers.

Tame (tel. 02/2909-900 central reservation number in Quito, or 04/2310-305 in Guayaquil; www.tame.com.ec), Icaro (tel. 1800/883-567 toll-free; www.icaro.com.ec), and Aerogal (tel. 1800/2376-425 toll-free; www.aerogal.com.ec) all offer daily flights between Guayaquil and both Quito and Cuenca. One-way tickets range from $55 to $66 (£30-£36) to or from Quito, and from $45 to $52 (£25-£29) to or from Cuenca.

If your hotel doesn't provide a shuttle service from the airport, it's incredibly easy to catch a taxi. As you exit the Customs area in the international arrivals area, there is a desk with friendly staff who will arrange a taxi for you. You pay at the desk and receive a voucher, which you then present to a driver, who will be waiting for you once you exit the terminal. A taxi to the downtown area should cost no more than $8 (£4.40).

Tip: Feel free to break out your laptop or PDA -- the new airport provides free wireless connections throughout the terminal.

By Bus -- Guayaquil is connected to the rest of the country by extensive and frequent bus service. From Quito, buses leave the main terminal (Terminal Terrestre) at least every half-hour for Guayaquil; the 8-hour ride costs $10 (£5.50). Buses from Cuenca leave on a very frequent schedule as well; the 5-hour bus ride costs $8 (£4.40). Flota Imbabura (tel. 02/2572-657 in Quito, or 04/2140-649 in Guayaquil) and Panamericana (tel. 02/2570-425 in Quito, or 04/2296-171 in Guayaquil) are the two main companies making the Quito-Guayaquil run.

The new Guayaquil bus station, Terminal Terrestre (tel. 04/2140-166), is a few minutes north of the airport. All buses to and from Guayaquil leave from this terminal.

Note: If possible, it's best to travel through the Guayas province during daylight hours. While night buses are now generally considered safe, in recent years some bus hijackings have occurred after dark.

By Car -- To reach Guayaquil by car from Quito, you will need to start off heading south on the Pan-American Highway (E35) until the intersection at Aloag. From here, you will head west on E30 towards Santo Domingo de los Colorados. In Santo Domingo, take the well-marked exit for E25 south to Quevedo. This road continues on to Guayaquil via Babahoyo.

If you're going to make this drive, I strongly recommend you do so during the daytime -- road and weather conditions can make this route treacherous and hair-raising after dark.

Getting Around

Guayaquil is a compact city, and it's easy to walk most places around the downtown and Malecón 2000. However, a fair amount of the hotels, shopping centers, and restaurants are located outside of the downtown area. In Guayaquil, taxis are the cheapest and most efficient way to get around. It's easy to find them on any street corner. If you can't flag one down, call Cooperativa de Taxis Bucaram (tel. 04/2403-592), Cooperativa de Taxis Centro Cívico (tel. 04/2450-145), or Cooperativa de Taxis Paraíso (tel. 04/2201-877). Rides within the center of the city cost only $2 to $4 (£1.10-£2.20).

Most of the major rental-car agencies have offices in Guayaquil: Avis (tel. 04/2285-498; www.avis.com) on Avenida Kennedy and Avenida de las Américas; Budget (tel. 04/2284-559; www.budget-ec.com) at the airport and on Av. de las Américas 900; Hertz (tel. 04/2293-011; www.hertz.com) at the airport; and Localiza (tel. 04/2395-236; www.localiza.com.ec) on Av. Franciso Boloña 713.

Visitor Information

The Ministry of Tourism runs a tourist information office (tel. 04/2568-764) on Pedro Icaza 203, between Pedro Carbo and Panamá, on the sixth floor. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm, and provides a city map as well as other useful information on tours and attractions. The city itself maintains an excellent website crammed with information at www.visitaguayaquil.com.

Orientation

Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River. Avenida 9 de Octubre is the main street, running west to east through the center of the city and dead-ending at the Malecón 2000, the large pedestrian mall on the river. Avenida Malecón runs along the river as well as the Malecón 2000 development. The central downtown area and most of the museums are located within a block or two of the Malecón. The airport and bus terminal, as well as several major malls and popular hotels, restaurants, and bars, are located north of downtown in the neighborhoods of Urdesa and Nueva Kennedy.

Fast Facts

In an emergency, dial tel. 911. To dial the police call tel. 101, and for the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) tel. 131.

Most banks in Guayaquil are clustered around the intersection of Pedro Icaza and General Córdova; you'll find branches of Banco del Pichincha and Banco de Guayaquil here. You'll also find ATMs all over the city and in all the modern malls and shopping centers. The local American Express office is run by Global Tours (tel. 04/2680-450) in the Edificio Las Cámaras, on Avenida Francisco de Orellana and Alcivar. The main post office is located on Clemente Ballén and Pedro Carbo.

The best hospital in Guayaquil is the Hospital Clínica Kennedy (tel. 04/2286-963), located north of the city in the Mall Policentro on Avenida del Periodista; the hospital runs a 24-hour pharmacy. There are scores of other pharmacies around town. The chain Pharmacy's (tel. 1800/9090-909) has various outlets, is open 24 hours, and offers delivery.

There are scores of Internet cafes in Guayaquil. Rates run around 50¢ to $1.50 (30p-85p) per hour. Many city hotels also provide reasonably priced or complimentary Internet connections.