Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Zoológico de São Paulo
Parque do Estado • Tues-Sun 9am-5pm • R$18 •
T
11 5073-0811,
W
zoologico.com.br •
M
Jardim
By far the Parque do Estado's biggest draw is the
Zoológico de São Paulo
; one of the
largest zoos in the world, it houses an estimated 3200 animals from around the globe -
predominantly Brazilian and African species. The reptile and monkey houses have
especially important collections of the latter, while the natural habitat of the park draws
several thousand migratory birds annually.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SÃO PAULO CITY
With trains being limited to the CPTM system of metropolitan suburban services, virtually all visitors arrive in São Paulo by
plane
or
bus
, and the city has two airports and three bus stations. Always remember that
thieves
thrive in the confusion
of airports and transport terminals - watch your belongings at all times, and beware of phoney distractions.
R$4.55; occasionally supplemented by bus #299).
By taxi to the city centre
Taxis are readily available at
both airports; the fare to the centre is around R$120 from
Guarulhos and R$60 from Congonhas. At both airports
there are taxi desks in the arrivals halls and you pay a fixed
price depending on the distance of your destination.
BY PLANE
São Paulo is served by two airports. Most domestic flights
and all international flights use the modern Guarulhos
airport (
T
11 2445 2945,
W
gru.com.br), 25km northeast
of the city. Just south of the centre, Congonhas (
T
11 5090
9000,
W
aeroportocongonhas.net) handles services within
the state of São Paulo, and the shuttle (Ponte Aérea) to Rio,
plus some flights to other relatively local destinations such
as Curitiba and Belo Horizonte.
Facilities
On arrival at either airport, you will find
ATMs and money-changing facilities. The city tourist
information department has desks at terminals 1 and 2 in
Guarulhos, which can provide maps and transport details
(daily 6am-10pm).
By metrô to the city centre
CPTM (metropolitan
overground) line 13, due for completion in 2015, will
connect Guarulhos airport with Engenheiro Goulart station
on line 12.
By bus to the city centre
Travelling alone, it's most
economical (R$36/person) to use the 24hr a/c express
airport bus service (
T
0800 770 7995,
W
www
.airportbusservice.com.br). This connects Congonhas and
Guarulhos at roughly half-hourly intervals, less frequently
at night. The buses also link Guarulhos with the western
side of Praça da República and the Rodoviária Tietê, leaving
at least once an hour during the day, less frequently at
night. From the Praça da República to Guarulhos, there are
no buses between 11.40pm and 5.40am. During the day
(6am-11pm) there's a service from Guarulhos to the top
hotels around Avenida Paulista and another service to
hotels in Itaim Bibi, southwest of Jardins. Far cheaper than
either of these options if travelling to or from Guarulhos is
to take bus #257, which connects Guarulhos airport with
Tatuapé
metrô
station (daily 5am-midnight, half-hourly;
BY BUS
Inter-city bus services arrive at one of three rodoviárias, all
connected to the
metrô
system. Serving all state capitals
as well as destinations in neighbouring countries, the
major terminal is Tietê in the north of the city, the second-
largest bus terminal in the world. Don't be daunted - the
exits, ticket o
ces, etc, are well signposted and there's a
helpful information desk (
Informações
).
To the south of
the centre, Jabaquara is for buses to and from the Santos
region and São Paulo's southern shore as far as Peruíbe,
while Barra Funda, to the northwest of the centre serves
destinations in southern São Paulo state. For times and
fares, there is a central information line (
T
11 3235 0322),
while
W
socicam.com.br has the phone numbers and
destinations of the individual bus companies.
Destinations from Tietê
Belo Horizonte (29 daily, mostly
overnight; 8hr); Brasília (16 daily; 14hr); Campinas (6-8
hourly; 1hr 30min); Campo Grande (18 daily; 16hr);
Corumbá (18 daily; 16hr); Curitiba (1-2 hourly; 6hr 15min);
Florianópolis (15 daily, mostly overnight; 12hr); Recife (2
daily; 40hr); Rio (4-8 hourly; 6hr); Salvador (3 daily; 32hr);
Santa Bárbara d'Oeste (hourly; 2hr 10min); São Sebastião
(15 daily; 3hr 35min); Ubatuba (12 daily; 4hr 05min).
Destinations from Barra Funda
Cananéia (2 daily; 4hr
30min); Iguape (4 daily; 4hr).
Destinations from Jabaquara
Guarujá (every 30min; 1hr
20min); Santos (every 15min; 1hr 15min).
8
INFORMATION
Tourist information
São Paulo Turismo (
T
11 2226
0400,
W
cidadedesaopaulo.com) maintains information
booths, located in Praça República (daily 9am-6pm), at
Av Paulista 1853 (daily 9am-6pm), in Galería Olido at Av
São João 465 (daily 9am-6pm), in the Mercado Municipal
(Mon-Sat 8am-5pm & Sun 7am-4pm), as well as in the
arrival areas of Gaarulhos airport (terminals 1 & 2; daily
6am-10pm) and Tietê bus station (daily 6am-10pm).
The state tourist of
ce, based on the 8th floor of Rua
Bandeira Paulista 716 in Itaim Bibi (
T
11 3709 1654,
