After Landing
Getting From the Airport to Your Accommodation
Trains, metros, airport buses, taxis, ride-hailing and private transfers compared, with advice on avoiding overcharging.
The transfer into the city is where tired travellers make expensive decisions. The arrivals hall is designed to catch you at exactly that moment.
Decide before you land
Work out your route before the trip, not in the arrivals hall. You need three facts: which options exist, roughly what each costs, and how late they run.
If your flight arrives after midnight, half the options usually disappear. A rail link that runs every ten minutes at noon may not run at all at 1am, and that changes the plan entirely.
Rail and metro
Where an airport has a rail or metro link, it is usually the best combination of price and predictability. Fixed fares, no traffic, and a clear timetable.
Check two things: whether the airport station uses a special fare separate from the normal city ticket, and whether your accommodation is near a stop on that line. A cheap train followed by an expensive taxi across the city is not a cheap transfer.
Airport buses
Dedicated airport coaches sit between rail and taxi on cost and convenience. They usually run to a handful of city centre points, take longer than rail, and often run through the night when rail does not.
Local city buses are cheaper again and sometimes genuinely fine, though they can be awkward with large luggage at rush hour.
Taxis
Use the official rank. This is the single most important rule in any arrivals hall. Drivers who approach you inside the terminal offering a ride are, in most cities, either unlicensed or charging several times the meter.
Before getting in:
- Know whether your city uses meters or fixed airport zone fares
- Ask for an estimate and confirm the currency
- Confirm card payment is accepted, if that is how you plan to pay
- Have the address written down, ideally in the local language
Fixed-fare systems are common at major airports and protect you from the scenic route.
Ride-hailing
Often cheaper than a taxi and priced up front, which removes the argument. The catch is the pickup point: airports frequently restrict app pickups to a specific level or a car park, and finding it while tired with no data connection is a familiar frustration.
Sort your connectivity before you leave the terminal. Our SIM and eSIM guide covers the fastest ways to do that.
Private transfers
A pre-booked driver meeting you at arrivals costs more and removes every decision. It is worth it in three cases: arriving very late, travelling with children and a lot of luggage, or arriving somewhere where the taxi situation has a bad reputation.
Book through your accommodation or a known operator rather than a link in a search result.
Small things that save money
- Buy the transfer ticket at the machine, not from the person standing next to the machine
- Withdraw local currency from a bank ATM in arrivals, not a currency exchange desk
- Check whether your ticket includes onward city travel, as some airport fares do
- Ignore anyone offering a "special price" who found you rather than the reverse
When something is wrong
If a driver refuses the meter, quotes a new price mid-journey, or takes an obviously wrong route, ask to stop somewhere public and get out. Note the vehicle number. Almost every city has a complaints route for licensed taxis, usually displayed inside the vehicle.
Once you are settled, our guide on using public transport on your first day takes over.
