Airport Name: Heriberto Jara Corona International
Airport;
code VER.
Location: Just 6 km. southwest of the city
center.
Facilities: An older airport, the facility
is functional
and well-maintained. In case you forget
to pick-up a bag of Veracruz coffee or a
bottle of coffee liquor, there's shopping
in the airport, along with several car rental
agencies and a small restaurant/bar.
From the airport, frequent van transfers
are available, and reasonably priced ($5-6
US per person to downtown).
Around town, taxis are plentiful and very
inexpensive. There are also old wooden
trolley cars on wheels (known as tranvias)
that operate around town as part of
the city's public transit system. Fun and
inexpensive.
In addition to the festive tropical atmosphere,
Veracruz is one of the world's great
seaports. Sailors from every corner of the
globe wander the city's palm-lined downtown
streets. Marimba music, outdoor
cafes, street dancing and souvenir vendors
all compete for attention. Nightlife and
seafood dining is good and quite affordable,
especially around the lovely Plaza de
Armas.
Veracruz hotels affordable, although somewhat
limited as there are really only a half dozen
tourist class properties. However, you'll
find some excellent deluxe chains including
Fiesta Americana, Continental Plaza,
and Howard Johnson.
The state is one of Mexico's best for adventure
travel (mountain climbing on two of
North America's tallest peaks, river rafting
on four mighty rivers) and ecotourism
excursions. You'll encounter zones ideal
for outdoor recreation. Deserted beaches,
estuaries, jungle rivers, and majestic volcano
peaks attract foreign and domestic
adventurers.
Veracruz is, however, best suited to more
experienced travelers. For travel outside
the port of Veracruz, a working knowledge
of Spanish is helpful. Visitors should also
understand that accommodations, roads
and communications (with a few exceptions)
are generally not up to international
standards. The best weather is from January
through March, with Carnival time
being of particular appeal (usually in
February).
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