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Driving Tips

• Your home-country’s licence is valid in Brazil but given that local authorities will not recognise it, it is advisable to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). • Gasoline costs around US$1 a litre but unleaded fuel is not sold in Brazil so check when you rent a car that it can take ordinary gasoline. Also check that you can get spare parts for your vehicle if it has the misfortune to break down. • Roads are poorly-kept can be very dangerous in Brazil, especially the Rio-Sao Paulo corridor. • At night motorists don’t stop at red lights, they merely slow down. This is because of the fear of robbery at stops. So in the big cities keep an eye out a stop signs and lights and keep your doors locked and windows up. • Speed bumps are everywhere, always slow down as you enter the city. • Poor signposting is as common as is impossible one-way systems • Flat tires are common but there are borracheiros – tyre repair shops – stationed at regular intervals along the roads.

City guideTransportation

Overview

Driving Tips

• Your home-country’s licence is valid in Brazil but given that local authorities will not recognise it, it is advisable to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). • Gasoline costs around US$1 a litre but unleaded fuel is not sold in Brazil so check when you rent a car that it can take ordinary gasoline. Also check that you can get spare parts for your vehicle if it has the misfortune to break down. • Roads are poorly-kept can be very dangerous in Brazil, especially the Rio-Sao Paulo corridor. • At night motorists don’t stop at red lights, they merely slow down. This is because of the fear of robbery at stops. So in the big cities keep an eye out a stop signs and lights and keep your doors locked and windows up. • Speed bumps are everywhere, always slow down as you enter the city. • Poor signposting is as common as is impossible one-way systems • Flat tires are common but there are borracheiros – tyre repair shops – stationed at regular intervals along the roads.

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Metro

Rio has a two line system which is one of the fastest ways to get around the city. The metro is open from 6am to 11pm, Monday to Saturday. The main line, with the first stop Copacabana to the last stop Saens Pena, has 17 stops in between. The first 14, from Copacabana to Estacio are shared with the second line which then deviates northward from Estacio to Sao Cristovao, Maracana and beyond. A ride costs US$0.70 and there are single, returns and 10-ride tickets available. Subway maps are available at most stations and they are for free.

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Buses

Fast, frequent and cheap, buses in Rio are a good way to get around as long as you are vigilant (see Health and Safety). Given Rio is long and narrow, it’s easy to find the right bus and it’s not a problem if you get the wrong one as most buses going south will pass through Copacabana and vice versa. Bus conductors sit at the back requiring you to get on from the back and exit from the front. The money collectors sit at a turnstile in the back, where the fare will be displayed.

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Car for hire

A small four-seat car usually costs around US$40 a day with unlimited kilometres; if you take the car for five days you may get sixth or seventh day at no extra cost. Requirements include being 25 years or older (21 with some firms including Avis), have a valid credit card in your name and driver’s licence (not just your IDP one). There is not much in the way of good deals though some of the more established companies like Avis have promotional rates – they are also less likely to keep charging your account, long after you’ve returned the car! It is also advised that you take out as much insurance as you can!

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