As Brazil’s second largest metropolis, Rio de Janeiro is huge and sophisticated, its fundamental concrete arteries an often-intimidating cacophony of revving engines and impatient horns.
Nevertheless, a clear and environment friendly metro system and pleasingly low-cost Uber taxis make Rio fairly easy to navigate. Throughout sunlight hours, exploring Rio’s fundamental streets on foot is mostly secure, however greatest averted at night time the place potential. If you end up on foot at night time, persist with the busiest streets. Right here’s how you can get round Rio de Janeiro.
Discover the lengths of town by way of the metro
Rio’s metro system is a wonderful strategy to get round. Its three traces are air-conditioned, clear and environment friendly. Line 1 goes from Ipanema-Common Osório to Uruguai within the north zone. Line 2, which partly overlaps line 1, travels from Botafogo to Pavuna (passing Maracanã soccer stadium en route). Line 3 travels between Ipanema-Common Osório and the jap finish of Barra da Tijuca at Jardim Oceânico.
You should buy a cartão pré-pago (pay as you go card) from a kiosk in any metro station utilizing money (no change given) with a minimal of R$5. You possibly can then recharge the cardboard at any kiosk. Free subway maps can be found from most ticket cubicles.
Throughout Carnaval the metro operates nonstop from 5am Saturday morning till no less than 11pm on Tuesday.
Stretch your finances by taking the bus
Rio’s new BRS (Bus Speedy System) options devoted public-transportation corridors in Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and Barra. Fares on most buses are round R$3.50.
Each bus has its key vacation spot displayed on the illuminated signboard in entrance. Should you see the bus you need, hail it by sticking your arm straight out (drivers gained’t cease until flagged down).
Skirt the seashores on an orange bicycle
Rio has many kilometers of motorcycle paths alongside the seaside, round Lagoa and alongside Parque do Flamengo. Town’s public bike-sharing scheme, Bike Rio, options bright-orange bikes discovered at greater than 250 stations. After registering on the web site or the app (Bike Itaú), you should buy a month-to-month move (R$10) or a day move (R$5). The bikes are launched by way of cell phone or app, and directions can be found in English on the stations.
Many (however not all) stations even have a pay-on-the-spot possibility for a day move. After you swipe your bank card, you may be given a code to make use of to launch any bike. The primary 60 minutes will not value additional; after that it is R$5 per hour, although you will have a limiteless variety of checkouts with a 24-hour day move (or month-to-month move).
Glide overground on the light-rail
Rio’s new light-rail – the VLT – is a part of a large urban-renewal mission serving to to revitalize Centro. Launched in 2016, the VLT has 26 stations in Rio, operating on two completely different routes by means of downtown. For guests, helpful entry is at Cinelândia (exterior the metro) to Praça Mauá (to the cease labelled Parada dos Museus).
To succeed in Praça XV (Quinze) de Novembro or Praça Tiradentes, take the Praia Formosa line, which you’ll be able to entry on Rua Sete de Setembro, simply west of Rio Branco. The VLT additionally goes to Aeroporto Santos Dumont and Rodoviária Novo Rio bus station. For maps, schedules and different data, obtain the free VLT Carioca app.
Go browsing to discover a taxi
Rio’s yellow taxis are plentiful and simple to hail, significantly by way of free apps like 99Taxis or Simple Taxi. They’re usually a speedy strategy to zip round and are often secure. The flat fee is round R$5.50, plus about R$2.50 per kilometer (R$3 per kilometer at night time and on Sunday). Radio taxis, which may be ordered upfront, are 30% costlier than common taxis. Nobody suggestions taxi drivers, however it’s frequent to spherical up the fare.
Ubers are standard and simple to accumulate – and Europeans will discover fares considerably decrease than they’re used to. A gaggle touring any distance throughout town will usually discover it cheaper to separate an Uber fare than pay for the metro individually.
Swerve the moto-taxi
In Rocinha and another favelas (slums, casual communities), you might properly discover moto-taxis (mainly a raise on the again of a bike) providing brief rides (often from the underside of the favela to the highest or vice versa) costing R$3.
Nevertheless, until you are embarking on an especially unwise quest for medication (the place you’ll possible be taken to a desk laden with potential purchases and surrounded by menacing fellas brandishing machine weapons), there appears little level – or sense – in randomly venturing right into a favela only for a gander. It isn’t a zoo.
Rent a automobile as a final resort
Driving in Rio could be a irritating expertise even when you understand your means round – visitors snarls and parking issues don’t make for an pleasant vacation. Nonetheless, car-rental businesses may be discovered at each airports and scattered alongside Av Princesa Isabel in Copacabana. On the worldwide airport, Hertz, Finances and Unidas present leases. In Copacabana, among the many many are Hertz and Unidas.
Accessible transportation in Rio de Janerio
Rio’s penchant for haphazard paving, plus a definite lack of lifts at many metro stops, make town considerably difficult to navigate by wheelchair or for these with diminished mobility.
Especial Coop Taxi has autos with lifts for wheelchair customers. It additionally has its personal app, Especial Coop. Should you favor to order a automobile, a number of dependable radio-taxi operators embrace Transcoopass, Coopertramo and Transcootour.
For extra data on accessible journey in Rio de Janeiro, go to Lonely Planet’s accessible travel resource page.
