Rio de Janeiro Transportation Tips by HispanicYob

Looking for a cheap ride to the airport? Bus in Rio Review

Look no further then the "Real Bus"! For R$6,50 you can take a Real bus and save you some reais if you were to travel in a taxi. If you've been to Rio before, you know the airport is WAY out in the boonies so your taxi fare may be anywhere from R$45 to R$70 depending (I never used taxis in Rio so that's just a flat estimate more or less). But for less you can ride the "Real" buses. They're air-conditioned and can be spotted pretty easily (look for the word "Real" in big letters, it'll be a blue/silver bus). The buses go to and from the airport and you can catch them in some neighborhoods. If you're in the Botafogo neighborhood, you can catch the Real bus near the front of Rio Sul Shopping Mall. It sure beats walking miles to the airport that's for sure!

Mode: AROUND

Type: Bus

Rio's Taxis Get a Taxi Review

You know, my original aim in Rio was to use the taxis. A lot of people here seemed to recommened them. But as time went on, I think the bus is your best bet to go for cheaper fares. You can take taxis from almost anywhere around town. Make sure it's the ones with the red liscence plate as those are the "official" taxis here in Rio. From what I've gathered, taxis are more expensive then the buses so unless you got money to burn try to use the bus instead. See if you can bargain with the taxi driver if your Portuguese is good enough, maybe you'll get a better deal!

Mode: AROUND

Type: Car/Motor Home

The buses are crazy in Rio! Bus in Rio Review

And I mean that! They haul like nobody's business! They're good in getting to where you need to go quick! Some buses have air-conditioning and others don't. A little tip, make sure you ask the driver if the bus is going where you need it to. I.E. if you're going to Ipanema, and the bus has that on their list of destinations posted on the windshield then you need to ask the driver if it makes a stop there. I took a bus that had Ipanema on it's destination schedule and it ended up stopping in Cosme Velho. Needless to say I got pissed. Make sure you ask the driver if he plans to stop there.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Bus

Rio's Metro Metro system Review

A lot of the old neighborhoods should have close access to Rio's Metro stations. The metro is clean although in the stations themselves get stuffy and hot. Caution on that if you don't like stuffy heat. Rio's Metro is marked with pillars and signs so they're easy to find. Mind you, they don't go everywhere, unlike the Tube in London. Some places you shouldn't go anyway but they do have major stops in a lot of the tourist spots like Copacabana and Centro. Tickets for a duplo (2 trips) are apx. R$4.00. A 10-trip ticket is R$24.00.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Subway/Metro

Website: http://www.metrorio.com