Padang is served by Minangkabau International Airport (BIM), located about 23 kilometres north of the city centre. Flights connect regularly to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and other Indonesian cities including Medan, Batam, and Pekanbaru. The airport is clean and modern, rebuilt after the 2009 earthquake. Airport taxis to the city centre take about 40 minutes and cost a set rate; negotiate or use the official taxi counter inside arrivals.
By land, Padang is connected by bus to Bukittinggi (about 2 hours), Pekanbaru (8–10 hours), and Medan (12+ hours). Long-distance buses operate from the Bingkuang bus terminal south of the city. For travel to the Mentawai Islands, fast ferries depart from the Muaro Harbour in central Padang; the crossing to Siberut takes around 10 hours on the overnight ferry, or 3–4 hours by fast boat.