The type of transportation you choose to use as a tourist when visiting Rio de Janeiro can enhance your experience or disappoint you. You may gain or lose (a lot of) time and/or money by learning in advance what is best for you to get around Rio’s main districts such as Copacabana, Ipanema, Leme, Leblon, Santa Teresa, Urca and Downtown.
Transportation in Rio de Janeiro: three main types
Public City Buses
This is the ideal option if you are on a budget, although city buses in Rio de Janeiro are not cheap — a one-way ride costs US$ 1.40. Buses are clean, new, modern, and reasonably safe (depending on the route and time of the day).
Metro (subway/underground)
This is a first world public transportation in Rio de Janeiro — clean and safe but also expensive — roughly US$ 1.60 for a single-ticket (return-ticket costs the double!). The drawback for a tourist is that there aren’t many stations (especially close to places of interest such as Corcovado, Sugar Loaf, Urca, Santa Teresa, etc). Wanna mix with locals in the course of their daily lives? The Rio de Janeiro Subway is the place to go!
Taxis (Rio’s yellow cabs)
Cab is by far your best transportation choice if you are visiting Rio de Janeiro for a few days and don’t have time or don’t want to figure out how the city bus system works (especially if you don’t speak Portuguese). Taxis are inexpensive for short rides — and most of the sites you will visit in Rio are maximum 20 minutes away without traffic.
There is plenty of taxis in Rio de Janeiro — safe, clean and reliable. Put a side a budget for taxis and save time while visiting Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro transportation is not limited to these three options. Get a copy of My Rio Travel Guide (e-book in PDF format) to have instant access to all the relevant, updated and practical information on how to get around in Rio.