You can easily visit Sugar Loaf directly upon disembarking at Rio de Janeiro International Airport Antônio Carlos Jobim-Galeão (GIG). The distance between the Rio international airport and Sugar Loaf cable car ticketing is 25 kilometers (16 miles) — approximately 30 minutes without traffic.
During rush hour though, your time on a taxi can be twice as much (rush hour in Rio is Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-11:30 a.m. towards Sugar Loaf and 3:30-9 p.m. back towards the international airport).
A yellow taxi ride costs approximately R$53; US$21.50; €17 to cover the route. Sugar Loaf admission fee (including round-trip cable car ticket) costs coincidentally the same of the yellow taxi fare Rio International Airport-Sugar Loaf.
If you are landing at Aeroporto Santos Dumont (Santos Dumont Airport – SDU), the airport located in Centro (Rio de Janeiro downtown), then the taxi ride time and fare will be half, or less, since Santos Dummont and Sugar Loaf are just a few kilometers (or miles) apart from each other. Note that Santos Dumont is not an international airport.
The third airport in Rio de Janeiro is the Aeroporto de Jacarepaguá (Jacarepaguá Airport). This airport is located beyond Barra da Tijuca district, in the West of Rio. Very few tourists land on this airport. That area is far from the famous landmarks: Sugar Loaf, Christ the Redeemer statue, Copacabana, and others. It takes at least 45 minutes to get to theses sites; possibly the double during rush hour.
View photos and learn how to visit Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.