Arriving at Baghdad airport II
Once past customs, you emerge into the arrivals hall of Baghdad airport. This is likely to be fairly quiet, as those getting visas on arrival are amongst the last out.
Getting local currency
Entering the arrivals hall, there are several cashpoints on the right (the last time we tried, only one of these accepted our international bank cards) and a money changing booth. In December 2021, this offered an exchange rate of $100 = IQD140,000. You can get a slightly better rate (around $100 = IQD147,000, although the rate changes slightly by the day) at money changers in the city but, if you have no Iraqi dinars, it’s worth changing a bit at the airport, to have some ready cash and so you can pay for initial transport in local currency, which can be more economical.
Leaving Baghdad Airport
If you are being hosted or using a travel company, your guides or hosts may come to the airport to collect you. However, unless they have security clearance (usually reserved for senior military personnel or politicians and their drivers), they will not be able to reach the inner part of the airport. Instead, they will probably meet you at the Abbas ibn Firnas bus and taxi terminal, which is located at the outer perimeter of the security area surrounding Baghdad airport, near the Abu ibn Firnas roundabout.
If you are travelling independently, you will probably have already booked one or two night’s accommodation. It’s a good idea to know the name of the Baghdad district where your hotel is, to avoid a whole load of strangers knowing where exactly you are staying. You can give the driver the name of the hotel once inside the taxi.
Because of the airport’s security protocols, you won’t be able to get a normal taxi from right outside the airport. Instead, most people take an airport-approved minibus or taxi to the Abu ibn Firnas bus and taxi terminal on the outskirts of the airport.
In December 2021, a young man was offering minibus tickets just inside the door in the arrivals hall for IQD8,000. This was a new system. Previously, if you arrived at 2am, it all looked a bit desolate, but a booth outside on your left would try to offer you a taxi to your end designation (for IQD45,000) and then, when pushed, direct you to a minibus where you would pay the driver IQD10,000.
If you are arriving at a decent time, these minibuses should be fairly obvious, as this is how most Iraqis move in and out of the airport. The minibus drivers have recently acquired rather neat little matching chauffeur hats, which makes them easier to spot. They may speak some very basic English. Avoid overpaying, either by having IQD10,000 in exact change to pay the driver or by buying an IQD8,000 ticket inside the arrivals hall, if available.
The minibus leaves only when it is full (which can feel a little cosy, especially in the back seats) and the driver usually takes payment from everyone just before he drives off. It’s a fast, smooth drive out of the airport but it may be longer than you expect, as the security area surrounding the airport is pretty expansive.
When alighting from the bus, you will probably be mobbed by waiting taxi drivers, trying to extract your destination and whisk you away to their vehicle. This can seem intimidating but is completely normal in Iraq.
In general, we push through these taxi drivers without engaging or giving out any information and walk through the nearby bus/taxi taxi terminal to a car-park where one is freshly mobbed by a new set of taxi drivers. We often prefer to wait for the excitement to quieten down, and take a little time to select our taxi driver, not least because we don’t like a whole load of people knowing our destination. Taxi drivers will probably speak little or no English, but you should be able to get by with the name of the hotel area or the name of the hotel - they know most hotels in town - and should be able to negotiate the price. It’s worth negotiating, at least a bit, although you may just want to get on with it. Negotiations are often more effective with a smile. Make sure you agree a price before getting into the vehicle. If you are a woman travelling alone, it’s preferable (and within local norms), to sit in the back.
Careem (an Uber subsidiary) did not use to do pick-ups from the airport but a recent alert on our app suggests they do now. When we’ve had a chance to try it out, we’ll post about it.
Once in the taxi, you can sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s a nice, often fast, drive out from the airport on good roads, some of which are lined with palm trees towards the city centre. We love this journey, no matter how exhausted we are. If it’s 3am, it’s a breeze. If its 9am on Sunday morning, you’ll probably get snarled up in traffic but this is all part of the start of your Iraq adventures.
