Rio de Janeiro international airport (GIG) does not offer plenty of transportation options to get you to your hotel in Copacabana or Ipanema Beach. In fact, you have only three transport choices to go to your hotel by yourself: by yellow taxi, by special taxi or by bus. There are no subway or trains stations that connect Rio de Janeiro airport to the neighborhoods where most tourist stay. The airport location is 26 km (16 miles ) to Copacabana/Ipanema (covered in half hour without traffic).
Bus
There is basically one line of bus that operates every day from 5:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. (depart every half hour). Tourists who take that option usually are 1) those who are on a budget, and 2) those which hotel is right on the avenue where the bus drives by, requiring then minimum walking to the hotel.
Yellow Taxi
Yellow taxis are probably the best transportation option from Rio de Janeiro airport to your hotel. There usually are plenty of yellow taxis at the airport. Some of them belong to the companies Aerocoop and Aerotaxi (either one is your best choice).
Other taxis may belong to other companies or be completely independent. These are not necessarily a bad option, but some of them charge a flat rate instead of running on the meter (which would be generally much cheaper). Some independent taxi drivers even don’t have a license to be a taxi.
Special Taxi
The special taxi drivers are officially allowed to charge a flat rate, which is almost double of the fare metered in the yellow taxis. You should take these if there are no yellow taxi available from the companies Aerocoop or Aerotaxi (mentioned in the paragraph above).
For further information on airport transportation in Rio de Janeiro as well as shopping, restaurants, activities and more, get a copy of My Rio Travel Guide – The Essential How-To Visitor’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro.