Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- There are more than a dozen commuter flights daily to Mérida from Caracas's Simón Bolívar International Airport. The principal airlines serving this route are Avior (tel. 0501/284-67737; www.aviorairlines.com), Conviasa (tel. 0500/266-84272; www.conviasa.aero), and Santa Bárbara (tel. 0800/865-2636 or 0274/262-0381 in Mérida; www.santabarbaraairlines.com). Fares range from BsF140 to BsF260 ($65-$121/£32-£59) each way, depending on season and demand. Flight time is 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Mérida's Alberto Carnevalli Airport (tel. 0274/263-0722; airport code MRD) is about 5 minutes southwest of downtown. There are frequent por puesto minibuses that pass right in front of the airport and will take you into downtown for BsF1 (45¢/25p). A taxi to the center or will cost around BsF3 ($1.40/70p).

By Bus -- Several bus lines (Expresos Occidente, Expresos Mérida, and Expresos Flamingo) have daily service between Caracas and Mérida. Many depart between 6:30 and 10pm and drive through the night. The trip takes 10 to 12 hours and costs around BsF45 to BsF55 ($21-$26/£10-£13). Most buses leave from La Bandera Terminal, near La Bandera Metro stop, although Expresos Flamingo has its own terminal near the Parque del Este. The bus station in Mérida is located about 3km (2 miles) southwest of downtown on the Avenida Las Américas and is connected to downtown by regular por puestos and inexpensive taxis.

By Car -- The fastest route to Mérida from Caracas is via Barinas. It's mostly flat to Barinas, after which you rise quickly and dramatically into the Andes, passing through Santo Domingo, Apartaderos, and Mucuchies. This route takes between 9 and 11 hours. For a more scenic tour through the Andes, you can turn off at Guanare and head up to Trujillo. From Trujillo, the Trans-Andean highway passes through Valera, Timotes, and Paseo El Aguila (Eagle Pass), before heading into Mérida. If you come this way, you can drive to the summit of Pico Aguila; at 4,007m (13,143 feet), it's the highest point in Venezuela you can reach in a car.

Getting Around

Mérida is a town of many parks and plazas. The two most important are the Plaza Bolívar, which is the de facto center of town, and the Plaza Las Heroínas (located about 5 blocks south of Plaza Bolívar), which is the town's tourism hub and site of the tramway's first station.

You can easily walk to most destinations and attractions in downtown Mérida. Taxis are relatively plentiful and inexpensive. Most rides in town will run you BsF3 to BsF6 ($1.40-$2.80/70p-£1.35). There's also a good system of local buses and buses to nearby towns, which is a good way to get around for next to nothing. In 2007, Merida inaugurated a Trolebus, fixed-route electric-bus units that are more akin to an urban train or trolley than a bus. The only current route runs on the outskirts of downtown, from a point near the southwestern corner of the airport to Ejido further southwest of the city center. However, a downtown route is scheduled to open sometime in 2008.

Both Budget (tel. 0274/263-1768; www.budget.com.ve) and Dávila Tours (tel. 0274/266-1711) have offices at the airport and rent cars for BsF95 to BsF250 ($44-$117/£22-£57) per day.

Visitor Information

Cormetur, the Mérida Tourism Corporation (tel. 0274/263-4701), has a half-dozen information booths around town, including locations at the airport, bus terminal, and on the Plaza Las Heroínas. Office hours vary slightly according to location, but most are open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 6pm. Their main office is beside the airport on Avenida Urdaneta and Calle 45, but you can get a copy of the map they distribute and their list of hotels and tour operators at any of their branches.

Before coming to Mérida you could check out www.andesholidays.com, which is the English-language sister to the more up-to-date and extensive www.andes.net.

Fast Facts

There's an Italcambio branch at the airport, and several currency-exchange houses and a host of banks around town, although you are best off asking at your hotel or one of the tour operators around town to find someone who will exchange your dollars or euros at a more favorable rate.

If you need medical attention, ask at your hotel, or head to Centro Clínico on Avenida Urdaneta, opposite the airport (tel. 0274/262-9111). It has an emergency room and a variety of doctors on staff with offices nearby. Or you can contact the bilingual doctor Aldo Olivieri (tel. 0274/244-0805).

There are scores of Internet cafes all over town. Rates run between BsF1 and BsF3 (45¢-$1.40/25p-70p). The main Ipostel office is on Calle 21 between avenidas 4 and 5; there's also a branch office at the main bus terminal.

Mérida is a great place to brush up on your high school Spanish or take a crash course in the language. The Iowa Institute, Avenida 4 and Calle 18 (tel. 0274/252-6404; www.iowainstitute.com), runs programs of between 1 week and 6 months. Class sizes are small, and home stays can be arranged. Costs run around BsF290 ($135/£66) per week for classes, BsF323 ($150/£74) per week for room and board with a local family. Alternately, you can try CEVAM (tel. 0274/263-1362; www.cevam.org), which is tied to the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela and specializes in private lessons.