Mérida: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Mérida is a city of 300,000 people in Venezuela, 1,389 m (4,557 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso Airport (VIG), 56 km (35 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Daylight in Mérida runs from about 11 h 40 min a day in late December to 12 h 40 min in late June (computed for 8.58° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Mérida is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso Airport (VIG), 56 km (35 mi) from the centre, whose 10,645-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Mérida: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Mérida · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Maracaibo, 234 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Valencia, 390 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Barquisimeto, 259 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Cúcuta, 165 km (Colombia) — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Bucaramanga, 269 km (Colombia) — flights · tours
- Valledupar, 310 km (Colombia)
- Barinas, 103 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Cabimas, 205 km — buses · car rental · tours
- San Cristóbal, 148 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Alto Barinas, 104 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Klaipėda, La Paz, Mérida, Mérida, Mérida Municipality, Oaxaca de Juárez, Coro.
Common questions
Which airport serves Mérida?
Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso Airport (VIG), 56 km (35 mi) from the centre.
How big is Mérida?
About 300,000 people live in Mérida, across 25 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Mérida in?
America/Caracas, currently UTC-4.
What currency is used in Mérida?
The Bolivar Soberano (VES). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Mérida?
Maracaibo (234 km), Valencia (390 km), Barquisimeto (259 km), Cúcuta (165 km), Bucaramanga (269 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.