The historic centre of Paramaribo is compact and entirely walkable — all the main sights are within 20 minutes on foot of each other. Walking is the best way to explore, and the heat is manageable in the morning and late afternoon.
Minibuses, locally just "bus", run fixed routes across the city, cost a few Surinamese dollars and stop wherever you raise a hand: cheap and frequent, and confusing for newcomers. Bicycles can be rented from a few places near the centre and are a practical way to see the wider city. Traffic is not aggressive by regional standards, though the roads are poorly marked.
Taxis
Two different things are called a taxi here, and the difference matters. A straattaxi is an unmarked private car you wave down: no meter, no company behind it, and the fare is whatever you agree before you get in. A bedrijfstaxi belongs to one of the centrals — 1690, 1688, 1661, 1680 — which you reach on those four digits from a Surinamese phone, or through the central's own app. Those are what a visitor should use. How the fare is set varies between them and is worth asking when you book — Hertog 1688 runs a meter, which is not the norm here. There is no ride-hailing app worth relying on.
The local habit, once you have found a driver you like, is to take his mobile number and call him directly from then on. That is normal rather than presumptuous, and it is how most residents actually get around.
From the airport
Johan Adolf Pengel is 45 km out, 50 to 60 minutes, and most long-haul flights land in the middle of the night — which is not when you want to be negotiating in the arrivals hall. Every serious operator therefore sells the transfer as a fixed-price product rather than a fare, and the published figures cluster tightly around 50 euro one way, or 89 prepaid before you fly. Zorg en Hoop, which handles domestic flights, is inside the city and an ordinary short ride.
Longer runs
Beyond the city everything is priced by the vehicle rather than the seat, so it divides well between four or five people and badly alone. Roughly 100 to 150 euro to Albina for the French Guiana crossing, 165 to 200 to Nieuw Nickerie for the Guyana ferry, and about 130 to Atjoni, the road head for the Upper Suriname River.
For Brownsberg, Commewijne or the interior, arrange transport with the destination or a reputable operator. Ordinary public transport rarely connects the full visitor itinerary.