Rio de Janeiro lies on Brazil’s Atlantic coast, facing south. Founded around Guanabara bay, the entrance to which is the iconic Sugar Loaf peak, the city’s coastline now stretches east and west of the bay, with the major tourist destinations of Copacabana and Ipanema located in the Zona Sul.
Both getting to and around Rio de Janeiro is quite easy. Most international flights to Brazil arrive either in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo. Rio has two airports, Aeroporto Galeão serving international flights and Aeroporto Santos Dumont serving domestic flights. If arriving at Galeão, the cheapest and most efficient way to get into the city is catch the Real bus to Santos Dumont, from where you can catch a cab into the city or to connect to a bus for only a few reais.
The Rodoviária Novo Rio, Rio’s main bus terminal, is located about 2km northwest of Centro, in a very seedy area. If you’re arriving or departing Rio by bus, take a taxi to/from the bus station. Fares to Copacabana or Ipanema are approximately R$30.
http://www.novorio.com.br
The bus system in Rio is excellent, cheap, and frequent. It’s really easy to figure out which bus to take since Rio is long and narrow so buses run primarily in two directions, and the main destinations are all written on the front of the buses. Fares range from R$2.20 for no air conditioning, to R$2.50 for air conditioning, to R$5 for air conditioning and plush coach seats. Although the buses in Rio are generally quite safe, it’s advisable to watch your belongings during peak times when the buses can get quite crowded.
Rio’s Metro system is also excellent, clean, safe and air conditioned! It operates Monday to Saturday, 5am to midnight, and Sundays and holidays 7am to 11pm. The only downside is that it’s not extensive, so you may have to connect to a bus, depending on where you’re headed. The upside though is that you can request an Integracão ticket that connects to Metro buses, free of charge. Fare is R$2.30.
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