Rio de Janeiro-RJ

Rio de Janeiro

Cristo Redentor (Statue of Christ) will receive you with opened arms! With these receptiveness, which is typical for "cariocas" (the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro), you will be received in the "cidade maravilhosa" (beautiful city) with all its charm.

Rio de Janeiro has been a very important part of the Brazilian history. First, it was the capital of the colony, later it became the capital of the Portuguese Empire and during a while it was also named the capital of the Federal Republic (later Brasilia became the capital of the Federal Republic).

Year in and year out, millions of tourists visit Rio de Janeiro by bus. The city is worldwide known for its beautiful landscape, tropical climate and its outstanding opportunities for leisure.

The city is surrounded by mountains, beautiful beaches and forests. There are big events, which are held every year in Rio de Janeiro. At New Year’s Eve, fireworks illuminate the sky of Copacabana. During Carnival, the streets of Rio de Janeiro are full with people celebrating this outstanding and typical event. The famous Sambadrome is the place where the samba school parades take place.

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Map of buses to Rio de Janeiro

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Information

Arriving in Rio de Janeiro

By bus: You will arrive at Novo Rio Bus Station, which is located close to the port and next to the principal points of the city. There are numerous buses, arriving daily at Novo Rio Bus Station and leaving to other cities of the country.

By plane: There are two airports, offering daily flights to different cities in and outside Brazil: On the one hand, you will find Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport. The airport, which is usually just called Galeão, is located on the “Ilha do Governador” and offers national and international flights. On the other side, you can find Santos Dumont Airport, which only offers national flights.

At Galeão Airport, you will find the Urban Bus Service of the bus line Real Auto Ônibus, which connects the Santos Dumont Airport with Galeão Airport and with Novo Rio Bus Station. The working hours are from 5:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. The Bus Line 2018 connects Galeão Airport with the city of Alvorada.

You can also catch a taxi to get from the airport to other places of the city. The taxis are located at the external departure area of the airport. Alternatively, you could rent a car at the airport. For additional information, please access the official website of Galeão Airport.

If you arrive at Santos Dumont Airport, you will find the same bus services you can find at Galeão Airport. The same bus lines, which go to Galeão Airport, also go to Santos Dumont Airport. Alternatively, you can also catch a taxi and there is also a car rental service at the airport. For further information, please access the official website of Santos Dumont Airport

Where to stay

You have to take in consideration, that Rio de Janeiro is a very big city. So, you should choose the hotel/hostel depending on the places you want to visit during your stay. There are few options of hotels for the very big demand of tourists, who visit Rio de Janeiro year in and year out. Therefore, you should make a hotel reservation before you come to Rio de Janeiro. Especially, if you plan to go to Rio during the Carnival or for New Year's Eve, you should make the hotel reservation in advance.

If you plan to stay in Rio de Janeiro in one of the southern parts (Zona Sul) of the city, you have several options in terms of hotels, apartments, guest houses or hostels:

The quarters of Ipanema and Leblon are the most exclusive and one of the best located quarters of Rio de Janeiro, but at the same time they are the most expansive one’s.

Compared to the quarters of Ipanema and Leblon, the districts of Copacabana and Botafogo are a bit cheaper. Botafogo is located close to the beaches and the lakes and at the same time it is not very far away from the center of the city.

In the quarter of Santa Teresa you will find a lot of very special small hotels/hostels with a lot of charm. Santa Teresa is famous due to its narrow streets and it can be considered as one of the favourite spots for artists and tourists. Santa Teresa is an outstanding location, if you want to stay close to the center and want to go out at night in Lapa.

If you want to stay close to the beach and prefer to stay outside the center of Rio de Janeiro to be in contact with the nature, you can stay in one of the hotels in Barra de Tijuca. The quarter of Barra de Tijuca can be considered as one of the most exclusive districts of Rio de Janeiro and it is known for its beautiful beaches, lakes and rivers as well as for its Americanized lifestyle. However, you should take in consideration, that there is no subway transportation system in the quarter of Barra de Tijuca. So, you have to use other urban transportation system.

Where to go

There are a lot of different things you can do in Rio de Janeiro during the day as well as at night. In Rio de Janeiro, you can find one of the new seven world wonders: The state of Cristo Redentor, which is located on the top of the mountain Corcovado (in a height of about 710 meters). It is one of the most famous and most visited monuments of the city.

You have different options to get to Cristo Redentor: From the quarter Copacabana (Praça do Lido) or the quarter Largo do Machado you can go to Cristo Redentor by van. The shuttle service works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Another option to get to Corcovado is Corcovado Train. Before you can take the train, you have to go by bus from Largo do Machado to the district Cosme Velho.

For additional information, please access the website of Corcovado Train.

From the top of the mountain, you have a fantastic panoramic view: From the northern region of Rio de Janeiro (the quarters of Tijuca, Maracanã, Penha) to the southern region of the city (the quarters of Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Jardim Botânico and Lagoa).

You should also visit Pão de Açúcar, another highlight in the city of Rio de Janeiro. At Pão de Açúcar, you have an outstanding panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro as well.

You will find a boardwalk of 30 kilometers in Rio de Janeiro. During the day, the boardwalk is crowded with people walking, going by bike, running or just observing the movement of the worldwide famous beaches such as Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Prainha and Praia da Macumba.

In the center of Rio de Janeiro, you should visit some of its museums as well as the municipal theater.

Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, which is better known as Maracanã, is one of the most famous football stadiums in the world and one of the most visited places in Rio de Janeiro.

During the night, Rio de Janeiro is as interesting as during the day. At night, the place to be is Lapa. That`s the place where you will find the samba rhythms of Carioca da Gema and the raves of Fundição Progresso. There are a lot of different options to go out at night in Lapa.

Pier Mauá is the place, where tourists arrive by boat in Rio de Janeiro. It is located in a distance of 2 km from Santos Dumont Airport. At Pier Mauá you can find several facilities such as banco 24 horas, restaurants and internet services.

There are some beautiful cities close to Rio de Janeiro, which are definitely worth a visit. In the northern region, also known as Região dos Lagos, you can find Búzios as well as Cabo Frio, which stands out for its beautiful beaches and its crystal clear water. You can also visit Arraial do Cabo, worldwide known as the city of diving.

In the south of Rio de Janeiro, also known as Costa Verde, you can find a beautiful mix of ocean and mountains. Angra dos Reis, consisting of 365 islands, is a beautiful place, you should not miss. In Itacuruçá, you can do different trails and Paraty has become a popular tourist attraction.

The region of Serrana has a beautiful charme. Due to its nice climate in the middle of the mountains, the cities of Petrópolis, Teresópolis and Itaipava provide a special flair.

Where to eat

Rio de Janeiro has a wide gastronomic diversity, where you can find food for everybody's taste. On the one hand, you can find juice bars and typical food in one of the numerous bars of the city; On the other hand, you can find some outstanding restaurants and some of them provide you a beautiful view all over the city of Rio de Janeiro.

In the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro - in quarters such as Botafogo, Gávea and Leblon - you can find areas which are called Baixo (Baixo Botafogo, Baixo Gávea, etc.). Here you can find different restaurants, cinemas and theaters. In the quarters Botafogo and Leblon you can find markets to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and other products. At the same time you will find bars and restaurants, where you can eat or have a drink.

Around the lagoon Rodrigo de Freitas, there are several kiosks, where you can buy agua de coco (coconut water) or natural sandwiches and you will have a beautiful view of the lagoon.

In the northern area of Rio de Janeiro (Zona Norte), where the “samba carioca” was born, you can find a more substantial culinary. The most typical plates of Rio de Janeiro are: "Feijoada" (stew of beans), "sarapatel", "dobradinha" and "rabada com agrião" (all of them are different kinds of stews of meat). You should enjoy the food with a cold beer and a nice sound of samba music in the background.

Urban Mobility

Bus: There are a lot of different bus lines which circulate between the center of the city and the suburban areas of Rio de Janeiro.

Subway: The subway of Rio de Janeiro has two lines: Subway Line 1 connects the quarter of Tijuca with the quarter of Ipanema and has 19 subway stops (it is integrated with the quarters Barra, Gávea and Botafogo). Subway Line 2 goes from the quarter Pavuna to the district Cidade Nova (located in the center of the city). Subway line 2 has 16 stops and it is integrated with the quarters of Barra and Jacarepaguá.

Taxis: There are also a lot of taxis circulating in Rio de Janeiro. The yellow taxis are a good choice in terms of value for money. You should always look for taxis, which belong to a taxi company (you can see the name of the company on the side door of the taxi) to avoid any type of risks. The blue taxis (rádio táxis) are special taxis and are more expensive (they are more expansive than the other taxis).

Boat: If you want to get to know the city of Niterói or the island of Paquetá (Ilha de Paquetá) you can go by boat through the Baía de Guanabara. The boat station is located at Praça XV, in the center of Rio de Janeiro. This transportation system is used by thousands of people, who work in Rio de Janeiro and live in Niterói. Going by boat is a good choice in case you want to get to know the other side of the bridge.

Bike: In Rio de Janeiro there is a sustainable project of the prefecture called Bike Rio. It is a project to rent bikes in different parts of the city of Rio de Janeiro.