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Arrival
You're most likely to fly in to Rio or arrive by bus; the
city's train station is now only used for commuter services.
Be warned that opportunistic thieves are active at all
points of arrival, so don't leave baggage unattended or
valuables exposed; be especially careful of dangling cameras
and wallets stuffed into back pockets.
By air
Rio de Janeiro is served by two airports. The one at
Santos Dumont (tel 021/3814-7070) deals mainly with the
shuttle services to and from São Paulo, Brasília and Belo
Horizonte, and is at the north end of the Parque de Flamengo,
immediately east of Centro. From here, every 40 minutes an
air-conditioned executivo bus ($7) will take you
through the Zona Sul, stopping wherever passengers want to
get off along the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and
São Conrado. Ordinary taxis (yellow with a blue
stripe) are readily available from outside the terminal but
you're likely to be overcharged by drivers not willing to
activate the meter if you're obviously new to town - the
fare should amount to around $12 to Copacabana. If it's your
first visit to Rio or if your Portuguese is poor, a less
stressful option is to purchase a voucher from one of the
many radio-taxi stands within the terminal. You'll be
directed to your cab and will be charged a flat rate of
around $20 to Copacabana. Alternatively, cross the road and
catch an ordinary bus from Avenida Marechal Câmara, which
you can reach by crossing the pedestrian walkway in front of
the airport terminal: #438 to Ipanema and Leblon via
Botafogo; #442 to Urca; #472 to Leme. For Copacabana, #484
goes from Avenida General Justo, over which the walkway
crosses.
The international airport at Galeão (tel
021/3398-4526), which also serves most Brazilian
destinations, lies on the Ilha do Governador in Guanabara
Bay, 14km north of the city. On arrival make sure that your
passport is stamped and that you retain your immigration
form, as failure to do so can cause problems come departure.
In the arrivals hall, consult one of the official tourist
information desks - Riotur, TurisRio or EMBRATUR. Avoid
those which represent private concerns, trying to pass
themselves off as official agencies. The official desks will
check hotels for vacancies for you, but not at the very
cheapest places. Changing money is not a problem, as
the airport has a casa de câmbio, as well as a branch
of the Banco do Brasil.
To reach your hotel, catch one of the air-conditioned
executivo buses ($5), which run every half-hour between
5.20am and 11pm, either via Centro to Santos Dumont, or
along the coast, via Centro, to Copacabana and on to São
Conrado. Outside these hours, a taxi ride is the only
alternative. Buy a ticket at either the Cootramo,
Coopertramo or Transcoopass desks, near the arrivals gate,
and give it to the driver at the taxi rank; to Flamengo
costs about $22, Copacabana $30. It's best not to take the
ordinary taxis - you're likely to end up being overcharged -
and don't accept a lift from one of the unofficial drivers
hanging about in the airport. The drive takes about fifteen
minutes into the centre or around half an hour to Zona Sul,
unless you meet the rush hour.
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By bus
All major inter-city bus services arrive at the Novo Rio
Rodoviária (tel 021/291-5151), 3km north of Centro in
the São Cristovão bairro, close to the city's
dockside at the corner of Avenida Rodrigues Alves and
Avenida Francisco Bicalho. International buses from
Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Asunción, among
others, use this terminus, too. The Rodoviária has two
sides, one for departures, the other for arrivals: once
through the gate at arrivals, either grab a taxi ($7 to
Centro, $15-25 to the Zona Sul), catch an executivo
air-conditioned bus along the coast towards Copacabana and
Leblon (every half-hour from directly outside the arrivals
side of the station), or cross the road to the ordinary bus
terminal in Praça Hermes. Alternatively, head first for the
tourist office desk (daily 8am-8pm) at the bottom of
the stairs, in the middle of the foyer in front of the main
exit - they'll help with hotels, and advise which buses to
catch.
A more central terminal, the Menezes Cortes Rodoviária
in Rua São José (tel 021/224-7577), handles services from
some in-state towns such as Petrópolis and Teresópolis, but
mainly operates buses to and from the suburbs and Zona Sul.
Heading out
to the international airport, ask your hotel to arrange for
a fixed-fare taxi to pick you up, or take the
air-conditioned bus which follows the Zona Sul coastline and
can be picked up on Avenida Delfim Moreira (Leblon), Avenida
Vieira Souto (Ipanema), Avenida Atlântica (Copacabana),
Avenida Beira Mar (Flamengo), or on the Avenida Rio Branco
in Centro - allow at least an hour from the beaches. Inside
Galeão, departure desks are split into three sections:
internal Brazilian flights from Sector A; Sectors B and C
for international flights. And remember that there's a
departure tax of $5 for internal flights or $36 for
international flights, payable in either US or Brazilian
currency (but not a mix of the two). Duty-free shops only
accept US currency or credit cards - not Brazilian reaís.
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Rio de Janeiro
guide
Brazil guide
Leaving Rio
by bus and traveling out of the state, it's best to book two
days in advance. The same goes for services to popular
in-state destinations, like Búzios or Paratí, which fill up
at weekends; or for traveling anywhere immediately before or
after Carnaval. Most tickets can be bought
from travel agents all over the city, while inside the main
Rodoviária, on both sides, upstairs and down, you'll find
the ticket offices of the various bus companies. You can
reach the Rodoviária on bus #104 from Centro, #127 or #128
from Copacabana, and #456, #171 or #172 from Flamengo.
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