Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
night. A less stressful option is to purchase a voucher from
one of the radio-taxi stands within the terminal. You'll be
directed to your cab and will be charged a flat rate of R$23
to Centro, R$51 to Copacabana or R$63 to Ipanema.
By bus
to the city centre
You can take a premium bus from
the north end of the forecourt (to your right as you exit the
arrivals hall) or cross Avenida General Justo on the pedestrian
walkway at the north end of the forecourt and catch an
ordinary bus from the stop on the other side: #438 to Ipanema
and Leblon via Botafogo; #413, #455 or #484 to Copacabana.
Destinations
São Paulo (approximately every 15min,
6am-10.30pm; 1hr); plus a few flights to destinations in
the states of Rio and Minas Gerais.
international and popular interstate routes, or for any
journeys immediately before or after Carnaval. The bus
companies' ticket o
ces are inside the terminal. You can
reach the rodoviária on bus #127, #128 or #170 from
Centro, #126, #127 or #128 from Copacabana, and #128,
#474 or #486 from Ipanema.
By bus
to the city centre
On arrival either purchase a
voucher for a taxi (R$21 to Centro, R$29.50 to Copacabana or
R$27.50 to Ipanema), or catch premium bus #2017 along the
coast towards Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon (5.50am-
9.30pm; R$7). You can also cross the road to the ordinary bus
terminal in Praça Hermes, where you can pick up several lines
including #127 and #128 to Centro and Copacabana.
International destinations
Asunción (9 weekly; 28hr);
Buenos Aires (10 weekly; 40-45hr); Santiago de Chile (fewer
than one weekly; 72hr). For Montevideo, change at São Paulo.
Domestic destinations
Angra dos Reis (approximately
hourly; 3hr); Belém (1 daily; 50hr); Belo Horizonte (25
daily, most overnight; 6hr 30min); Brasília (5 daily; 17hr);
Búzios (8 daily; 3hr); Cabo Frio (every 30min; 2hr 30min);
Campo Grande (3 daily; 24hr); Florianópolis (1 daily; 18hr);
Fortaleza (1 daily; 46hr); Foz do Iguaçu (2 daily; 23hr); Ouro
Preto (2 daily; 7hr); Paraty (13 daily; 4hr 30min); Petrópolis
(every 40min; 1hr 30min); Porto Seguro (1 daily; 19hr);
Recife (1 daily; 36hr); Salvador (1 daily; 25hr); São Luis
(1 daily; 51hr); São Paulo (approximately every 15min;
6hr); Teresópolis (hourly; 2hr); Vitória (5 daily; 7hr 30min).
BY BUS
All major inter-city bus services arrive at the Rodoviária
Novo Rio (
T
21 2263 4857), 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.
The tourist o
ce desk (daily 24hr;
T
21 2263 4857) is
located in the arrivals hall - they'll give you a map and
advise which buses to catch. There are spotlessly clean
showers at the rodoviária
(R$5, soap and towel included),
and a
guarda volumes
(left luggage o
ce).
Booking tickets
Leaving Rio by bus, it's best to book a
couple of days in advance for popular in-state destinations
such as Búzios or Paraty if travelling at weekends, and for
GETTING AROUND
BY METRÔ
Rio's
metrô
(
W
www.metrorio.com.br), inaugurated in
1979, has two lines, which run Monday to Saturday 5am-
midnight, Sunday and public holidays 7am-11pm: Linha 1
runs from Ipanema and Copacabana through Botafogo and
Centro, and then out to Uruguai station in the
bairro
of
Maracanã; Linha 2 comes in from Pavuna, north of the city,
via the Maracanã stadium, and merges with Linha 1 at
Central, continuing with it to Botafogo, except on Sundays
when it runs to Estácio instead. The system is very e
cient
and the trains air-conditioned, which is a relief if you've
just descended from the scorching world above. During
rush hours (Mon-Fri 6-9am & 5-8pm) one carriage is
reserved for women only. Tickets are R$3.20, or you can buy
a combined bus/
metrô
ticket (
integrado
) to Alvorada
terminal in Barra da Tijuca for R$4.15. Linha 1 is due to be
extended from Ipanema to Gávea, with a new Linha 4,
heading west from there, scheduled to open in 2016.
Numbers and destinations are clearly marked on the front of
buses, and there are also plaques at the front and by the
entrance detailing the route. Fares are usually R$2.50.
Practicalities
You get on at the front, pay the seated
conductor (the price is on a card behind his head) and then
push through the turnstile and find yourself a seat. Buses
are jam-packed at rush hour
(around 7-9am and 5-7pm),
so if your journey is short, start working your way to the
back of the bus as soon as you're through the turnstile; you
alight at the back. If the bus reaches the stop before you
reach the back, haul on the bell and the driver will wait. In
the beach areas of the Zona Sul, especially along the coast,
bus stops are not always marked. Stick your arm out to flag
the bus down, or look for groups of people by the roadside
facing the oncoming tra
c, as this indicates a bus stop.
Safety
As a precaution against being robbed on the bus,
don't leave wallets or money in easily accessible pockets
and don't flash cameras around. Have your fare ready so
that you can pass through the turnstile immediately -
pickpockets often work the entrance - and make sure that
you carry any items in front of you as you pass through the
turnstile. Special care should be taken on buses known to
carry mostly tourists (such as those to Sugar Loaf
Mountain) and that are consequently considered easy
targets by thieves.
BY BUS
While some people avoid using the city buses because they're
badly driven and prone to petty theft, it's worth mastering
the system: with hundreds of routes and thousands of buses,
you never have to wait more than a few moments for one,
they run till midnight and it's not that easy to get lost.
