Getting around

For US travelers

Taxis and ride-hailing, country by country.

Written for travelers leaving the US, this is the calm version of a question every trip raises: is the taxi a rip-off, which app should I install, and how do I get from the airport into town without overpaying. The answer changes by country, so we write one up wherever the meter, the app, or the airport rank has a specific trick worth knowing. We name the official or cheapest safe route first, and we take nothing from any taxi or app company.

Taxi questions, country by country

Where a place has a specific taxi or ride-hailing wrinkle worth walking through, we have written it up. Each one lives in that country's guide.

Getting around Aruba: taxis, buses and carsShort answer: taxis run on fixed government rates rather than meters, there is no Uber, and a rental car or the cheap public bus fills the gaps. Here is how each works and what it costs.A catch or two Taxis in Brazil, and the apps to useIn Brazil, the ride apps are not just cheaper than street taxis, they are the safer choice, which is why locals lean on them. Install Uber and 99, and here is how to use them and leave the airport smoothly.A catch or two Taxis, Uber and Lyft in Canada.Rideshare works in Canada's major cities much as it does at home, so getting around town is easy. The money question is the airport run, where a train or a fixed taxi fare often beats a surging Uber. Here is what to use where.Straightforward Getting around China: Didi and the metroShort answer: Didi for taxis, a QR pass for the metro, and the train between cities. Here is how each works, and the one or two things to watch.A catch or two Taxi apps in Colombia, and the one rule that mattersIn Colombia the how-you-get-a-taxi matters more than which app. Here is the single rule to follow, the apps locals actually use, and how to leave Bogota's airport without the roadside gamble.A catch or two Prague taxis, the apps, and the airport scam to skipPrague's taxis had a bad name for years, but apps have quietly fixed most of it. Here is which one to install, the airport trick that still catches people, and how to get into the city cheaply.A catch or two Taxis and ride apps in Ecuador, done safelyGetting around Ecuador is cheap, but hailing a taxi off the street carries a real safety risk in the big cities. Here is which apps to use, how to handle the airport, and the habits that keep it simple.Take extra care Uber or Careem in Egypt, and the Cairo airport taxi trapEgypt is one of the places where an app quietly solves the problem. Here is which one to install, why the old street cabs are best skipped, and how to get out of Cairo airport without the invented fees.A catch or two Paris taxis and Uber, and the CDG fixed fareParis gives you real choice, a hailable licensed taxi or a proper Uber, but the airport is where money is won or lost. Here is how the two compare, the fixed fare that protects you, and the tout trick to skip.Straightforward Taxis and ride apps in GeorgiaGetting around Georgia's cities is cheap and easy once you have the right app. Here is what to install, how to handle a street taxi, and the way locals travel between towns.A catch or two Taxis in Germany, and the FreeNow appGerman taxis are metered, regulated and honest, so there are no games to watch for. Install FreeNow, know that the S-Bahn usually beats a taxi from the airport, and round up to tip. Here is how it works.Straightforward Taxis in Greece, and the Athens airport flat fareGreek taxis are cheap and useful, but a few meter games target visitors, especially at the port and on the islands. Here is which app to install, the airport fare fixed by law, and how to keep the meter honest.A catch or two Taxi apps in India, and the airport touts to skipIndia's taxis are cheap, but the first hour at the airport is where the tricks cluster. Here is the app to install, how to tell the real prepaid taxi from the touts, and the small scams to know once you are moving.A catch or two Taxi apps in Bali, and the pickup zones to knowBali has no trains and barely any public transport, so the apps matter, but a local taxi mafia complicates them in a few tourist spots. Here is which app to install, how to spot a fake Bluebird, and where the apps quietly stop working.A catch or two Taxis in Italy, and the airport fixed fareTaxis in Italy do not work the way most visitors expect: you cannot really flag one down, and Uber is not the cheap option it is at home. Here is how to get a cab, and the airport rule that saves you money.A catch or two Taxis in Jamaica, and the red-plate ruleJamaica has no Uber, and the taxis are not reliably metered, so a couple of simple habits keep you safe and fairly priced. Here is the plate to look for, how to handle the fare, and the airport desk to use.Take extra care Taxis in Japan, and the GO appJapanese taxis are spotless, honest and metered, with doors that open for you and no tipping ever. They are also pricey, so from the airport the train usually wins. Here is how it works.Straightforward Uber and DiDi in Mexico, and the Cancun airport catchIn most of Mexico an app makes the whole thing easy, but the airports are where it gets complicated, and Cancun is its own world. Here is which app to install, what the Mexico City airport rules actually are, and how to leave Cancun airport without getting stung.A catch or two Taxis in Morocco, and the app that actually worksMorocco runs on two kinds of taxi and a set of ride apps that sit in a legal gray area, which is not what most visitors expect. Here is how the petit and grand taxis work, how to handle the meter, and which app to actually install.A catch or two Taxis and getting around NamibiaNamibia is a self-drive country first and foremost. If you are not renting a car, ride-hailing exists only in the main towns, and it is not the apps you know from home. Here is how it really works.A catch or two Taxis in the Netherlands, and the Schiphol trainIn the Netherlands the train and the bike do most of the work, and when you do need a taxi, an app is the safe bet. Amsterdam street taxis have a reputation for overcharging, so here is how to avoid it.A catch or two Taxis in Portugal, and the Bolt appPortuguese taxis are cheap and mostly honest, and ride apps are even cheaper, with Bolt the local favorite. The main thing to watch is the odd airport driver, so here is how to keep it simple.Straightforward Taxis in South Africa, and the airport e-hailing baysUber and Bolt make getting around South Africa's cities easy, but the airports have a pickup quirk and there is some turf tension worth understanding. Here is the app to use, where it collects you, and what to avoid.A catch or two Taxis and apps in Spain.How you get a ride in Spain depends on the city. In Madrid the apps work like home; in Barcelona a new law has effectively pushed visitors back to the black-and-yellow taxi. Here is what works where, and the two airport fares to know.Straightforward Taxis and tuk-tuks in Sri LankaThe tuk-tuk is how you will get around Sri Lankan towns, and the easy way to avoid overpaying is to let an app set the fare. Here is how, plus the airport and the traps.A catch or two Bangkok taxi meters, and the airport rank done rightThai taxis are cheap and mostly honest, but a few habits around tourists cost money, and the airport has a specific trap. Here is how the meter works, which app to keep as a backup, and the exact way to use the official taxi rank.A catch or two Istanbul taxis, the meter, and the airport done rightIstanbul taxis are metered and mostly fine, but a handful of tricks target visitors, and the airport is a long way out. Here is which app to install, how the meter really works, and the calm way to get into town.A catch or two London taxis, Uber, and the Heathrow transfer.London gives you real choice: a hailable black cab or a pre-booked Uber. But the money is made or lost on the airport run, where the train quietly beats a cab by fifty pounds or more. Here is how it all compares.Straightforward Which taxi app to use in Vietnam, and the airport scam to skipThe honest answer is that installing one app before you land makes most of the risk disappear. Here is the app to use, the fake-taxi trick to know, and how to get from the airport into town without the tourist markup.Straightforward

These are our own reads from experience and each country's guide, not official figures, and they are checked when we check the guide. Ride-hailing apps have no travel booking to sell, so we earn nothing here. For the fees behind a trip, see tourist taxes and entry fees, and for how each place pays, see cash or card. More on how we work is on our methodology page.