Brazil

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Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

The Metro is an efficient means of transport in large cities. Taxi drivers speak very little English, Spanish or French but it is enough to state the place where you want to go. Late at night and for a woman alone, it may be useful to ask for the taxi's official number. In the daytime, outside the shanty towns, buses present no danger; you should just have your destination confirmed by the "cobrador", the ticket inspector, or another passenger. A bus journey costs 2 BRL, as opposed to 12 on average for a 10 to 15 minute taxi ride.

Maps of urban networks

Plan of the São Paulo metro
Plan of the Rio network
Plan of the Brasilia network

Transportation from Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car rental
São Paulo - Guarulhos Intl (GRU)	28 km / 18 miles	REAL 85 / 35-60 min	REAL 30 / 45-60 min		Available
Rio de Janeiro - Galeão Intl (GIG)	18 km / 11 miles	USD 15 / 20 min	USD 2.50		Available

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

The safest and fastest is the airplane. Prices are within European standards. If you have time and a more limited budget, there is an excellent bus network all over the country. The train is almost nonexistent. There is an airport tax for travelers leaving Brazil by plane, which has to be paid in local currency at the day's rate, in dollars or in euros for a foreign company. Unless this is paid, the boarding card is not issued.

Rail companies

SuperVia

Airlines

You can consult the list of airlines banned within the EU. Look also the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

An extensive road network over 1.5 million km, but only 10% is asphalted. Expressways are rare, the roads are in bad condition and there are practically no road signs outside towns. Be careful and avoid driving at night.

Road maps

Road maps by State

Find an itinerary

Addresses and itineraries

Different forms of tourism

Historical

Brazil has a very rich historical heritage, dating from colonial times, especially in the Nordeste (Salvador, Recife, Olinda, São Luis).

Cultural

A more contemporary artistic dynamism can be found in São Paulo, where the country's main museums are located. Modern art is also expressed in architecture, on the scale of a capital like Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer's Brasilia. Musical wealth is expressed everywhere.
The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro.

Nature

There are many natural parks, in particular the "Chapada Diamantina" in Bahia, the "Chapada dos Viadeiros" around the Federal District and the magnificent Pantanal region in the west of the country, not forgetting all the Amazon basin.

Religious

There is a strong Catholic tradition: churches dating from colonial times in all the historic towns of the Nordeste. It is also worth noting the Cathedral and the San Francisco Church by Niemeyer in Brasilia.

Thermal

There are several hot springs such as Caldas Novas, Rio Quente, Águas Mornas, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz.

Beach

There are thousands of kilometers of beach in the country. Some urban beaches, with crowds of people; others are more for families, or there are developing seaside resorts where people are banking on a pleasant, simple life style such as Pipa (Rio Grande do Norte) or Jericoacoara (Ceara).

Outdoor activities

Sport is widespread (jogging, body building, football, volleyball), as well as seaside activities (surfing, fishing, sailing) or walking in the natural parks.

Shopping

Beautiful craftsmanship in the north and Nordeste essentially. Foreigners generally buy wooden decorative items, stone jewelery, musical instruments, cloth, hammocks, off-the-rack beachwear.

Tourism organizations

Brazilian Tourism portal
Ministry of Tourism
Rio Convention Camp & Visitors Bureau

Health and safety

Health precautions

There is no major health risk if you are traveling in large Brazilian cities. If you go to the interior, particularly in the Amazon region, you must be vaccinated against yellow fever and protected against malaria. For further information, consult the World Health Organization's dossier: International Travel and Health.

International hospitals

The American Hospital in São Paulo. It is not advisable to go to a public hospital in Brazil. Apart from the language barrier, the quality of healthcare is only average, and there are endless waiting times. It is better to go to a doctor for slight problems or to a private clinic if the problem is more serious.

For further information on sanitary conditions

Ministry of Health
World Health Organization

For further information on safety conditions

The advice of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The US State Department

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference

It is %T:%M %A in Recife, Brasilia, Rio, Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre (GMT-3 in winter, GMT-2 in summer)
It is %T:%M %A in Salvador, Fortaleza (GMT-3)
It is %T:%M %A in Manaus (GMT-4)

Summer time period

Summer time from October to February.