Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
city centre. The museum is dedicated to the evolution of the planet, with displays
on geology, indigenous cultures and the wildlife and flora of the
cerrado
. here are
also botanical gardens, a plant nursery with both common and endangered
cerrado
plant species and a fascinating model of a nineteenth-century
cerrado
village,
including everything from the village shop and church to the bordello - an
important public service in most
cerrado
settlements, which were after all just
remote cowboy pit stops.
6
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
GOIÂNIA
By plane
Santa Genoveva airport (
T
62 3265 1500) is
8km northeast of the centre, served by bus #258 and #913.
Destinations
Belo Horizonte (8 daily; 1hr 10min); Brasília
(4 daily; 40min); Rio (1 daily; 1hr 45min); São Paulo
(roughly hourly; 1hr 45min).
By bus
The rodoviária (
T
62 3240 0000) is 2km north
of the centre, or around 15min on foot from Setor
Central along Avenida Goiás. A taxi to the centre will cost
around R$25.
Destinations
Alto Paraíso (1 daily; 6hr); Brasília (roughly
hourly; 2hr 30min); Caldas Novas (5 daily; 3hr); Goiás Velho
(hourly; 3hr); Palmas (3 daily; 12hr); Rio (1 daily, 20hr); São
Paulo (8 daily; 16hr).
By car
There are several places to rent a car in town:
Achei, Av Portugal 445, Setor Oeste (
T
62 3945 0007);
Localiza, Av Anhanguera 3530, Setor Oeste (
T
62 2765
6465); and Unidas, Praça Capitão Frazão, Santa Genoveva
(
T
62 3264 8226).
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information
There are tourist information
booths at the airport (daily 7am-11pm) and the
rodoviária (daily 10am-10pm), both of which give out
maps of the city.
Travel and tour companies
SINGTUR (Sindicato dos
Guias de Turismo), Av Tocantins 885, Q.73, Lote 1
(
T
62 3217 2049,
E
sindegturgoias@hotmail.com), is the
regional tour-guide syndicate, and can provide lists of
accredited guides for the Parque Nacional das Emas
(see p.430). Turisplan Turismo, Rua 9, no. 199, Centro
(
T
62 3224 1941), speak good English and run a range of
local tours. NatureTur, Av República do Líbano 2417, Setor
Oeste (
T
62 3215 2000,
W
natureturgo.com.br), are
especially good for visits to Caldas Novas (see p.431).
ACCOMMODATION
Araguaia
Av Araguaia 664, Centro
T
62 3212 9800,
W
araguaiahotel.com.br.
Overlooking the little Praça
Antônio Lisita, this hotel has an impressive lobby, which
the rooms conspicuously fail to live up to. Good value
noneth
eless, especially if you can negotiate a discount.
R$163
Augustus
Av Araguaia 702, Centro
T
62 3216 6600,
W
plazainn.com.br.
Located on the Praça Antônio Lisita,
and now taken over by its very similar neighbour the
Plaza
Inn
just across the square, this is an
e
cient
business hotel
with good rooms, a pool and sauna.
R$234
Castro's Park
Av República do Líbano 1520, Setor
Oeste
T
62 3096 2000,
W
castrospark.com.br.
Luxurious
hotel with immaculate service, as well as swimming pools
and a superb restaurant. Outside of holiday times it's a
good place to try for discount
s, whic
h can be as much as
two-thirds off the off
cial rate.
R$568
★
are usually available.
R$165
Lord Palace
Av Anhanguera 4999, Centro
T
62 3224
9666,
W
lordpalacehotel.com.br.
This is a slightly quirky
kind of place, with keep-fit machines in the corridors and
mirrors to give some illusion of size in the lobby, but it's
good value,
especia
lly if you can get a discount (which you
usually can).
R$149
Papillon
Av República do Líbano 1825, Setor Oeste
T
62 3508 1500,
W
papillonhotel.com.br.
A luxury
modern hotel with rooftop pool, sauna and bar, as well as
exceptionally com
fortabl
e rooms and great breakfasts, and
usually discounts.
R$375
Pousada Ginza
Av Professor Alfredo de Castro 179,
Setor Oeste
T
62 3941 5112.
A bland and fairly
basic place, but it's friendly, clean and located close to
the ce
ntre, n
ot far from Praça Tamandaré. Excellent
value.
R$100
Virginia Flat
Av Goiás 1290, Centro
T
62 3087 2858.
Halfway between the centre and the bus station, this is
certainly not the most salubrious address in town, with
rather erratic water supplies, but it's handy if you want a
cheap bed for the night, e
special
ly a cheap single room
(half the price of a double).
R$100
Goiânia Palace
Av Anhanguera 195, Centro
T
62 3224 4874,
W
goianiapalace.com.br.
The
magenta-and-white Art Deco facade makes a bit of a
splash, but the rooms are more soberly done out in
brick and terracotta, and although they aren't huge,
they're as neat as can be, with TV, fridge and wi-fi, and
the hotel in general is as friendly as it's stylish. Discounts
