Rio de Janeiro Getting There & Away

Getting There & Away

By plane International and most domestic flights land at Tom Jobim International Airport (better known as Galeão). Tel. 3398-5050 (fax 3393-2288). This airport is 20 km away from the city center and main hotels. Santos Dumont airport Tel. 3814-7070 (fax. 2533-2218). Gets flights only from Sao Paulo and a few other domestic destinations. Located right in the city center, by the Guanabara bay. Airlines that service Santos Dumont are: GOL, Varig, TAM, OceanAir, and Team. Air-conditioned bus service operated by Real{2} departs every 30 minutes and runs between both airports and further to Zona Sul (along the beachfront in Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon) and Barra da Tijuca. A single ticket costs R$ 6. Taxis, though considerably more expensive, are also a convenient way to reach the tourist areas. Flying to Rio de Janeiro from the USA and in general from anywhere in the world is getting expensive. Airlines are charging customers fuel surcharges between 25 and 85 dollar each way. Still we want to go to Rio de Janeiro and it is worth the visit and every cent we spend to get there. From the US there are non stop flights to Rio de Janeiro only from Miami with American Airlines and from Atlanta with Delta Airlines. From New York, Dallas, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and most of the USA, you have to make a stop in Miami or in Sao Paulo to get to Rio. The best seasons to travel to Rio de Janeiro with low airfares are from February (after Carnaval) to May and from August to November. Tickets from New York, for instance, can cost as low as U$699.00 including taxes. Buy your flights far in advance, do not wait till the last minute hoping to get a US$300 round trip ticket. By train Rio's glorious Central Station, or Central do Brasil, made famous by a movie of the same name, serves mostly local commuter lines (SuperVia {3}), so it's unlikely that you'll arrive through here. It's worth a visit just to see it, though. By bus The long-distance bus depot, Rodoviária Novo Rio, is located in the North Zone's São Cristovão neighborhood. Taxis and coach buses can get you to the South Zone in about fifteen minutes; local buses take a bit longer. Frescão air-conditioned coaches can be caught just off the bus station. The coaches connect the station to the city center and main hotel areas of Copacabana and Ipanema. Bus companies include : Itapemirim{4} Penha{5} Cometa{6} 1001{7} Expresso Brasileiro{8} By car Rio is connected by many roads to neighboring cities and states, but access can be confusing as there are insufficient traffic signs or indications of how to get downtown. The main interstate highways passing through Rio are: BR-116, which connects the city to the southern region of Brazil. BR-101, which leads to the north and northwest, and BR-040, which will take you in the central and western areas. By boat Ferries (barcas) connect neighboring Niteroi to Rio de Janeiro and arrive at Praça XV, in the city center.