Rio de Janeiro Travel Hacks

Greer Ransom
Feb 28, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Jun 8

Traveling Information:

Passport

You are required to have a valid passport the does not expire within 6 months of entering the country

Visa Requirements:

You will need a VISA to enter Brazil from most countries. And it will only be valid for the specified days your give in your application
- As of April 10 2024 a new e-visa has been approved for U.S, Mexico, and Australian citizens; apply here: https://brazil.vfsevisa.com.
  - You need a Photo ID, White background Passport picture, Bank statement with $2,000 in it, and a travel itinerary.
  - I’m a U.S citizen and my partner is an Australian citizen. It took his 5 days to get approved, but mine kept getting rejected because of the passport white background picture wasn’t ‘correct’
  - So hopefully they fix their system but when applying make sure you allow at least 10 days for approval in case you have to resubmit.
  - Check your visa requirements Passport Index

Transportation from the airport

The easiest, safest and cheapest way is to call an uber
if you get a taxi from the airport show the driver the address and ask how much it will cost first.

Transportation:

Rental car

By far best place to find good affordable rental cars in Rio is Discover Cars Rio

Public transportation

Easiest way is to plan ahead and pre book tickets
Rio has a few metros but are limited to certain nighborhoods the best way is to look up your destination on goolgle maps, select the train/bus options and purchase tickets for those through Rail Ninja or at the station.

Care share:

Ubers and taxis are the cheapest easiest options
With the taxi they take card, just show them the address and ask how much and they have a meter in their car.

Currency/Money Exchange:

The currency is Brazilian Reals, most all places take card (not amex)
I have been to brazil when the cash exchange rate is better than card and other times it is not.

Currency exchange rate
Options for cash exchange:
- To exchange currencies, most people use cambios, which can be found in shopping centers as well as downtown. The rates can sometimes vary from one place to another. ATMs that use the Cirrus system are really your best bet for exchange.

Culture/General Living

They speak Portuguese
This city is a massive malting pot and most people working in a customer facing role speak Spanish and english very well.
Brazilians in general have a huge sense of nationalism and are very proud of their country (which is amazingly refreshing) but even though they can speak Spanish and english and will understand you, they will still speak Portuguese to you. So it is always good to try and make an effort on your end to communicate.
Google translate always makes it very easy to make the effort for them

Some places don't allow you to flush toilet paper (I carry baby wipes incase there is no toilet paper)
Rio is a city that doesn't sleep; there will be partying until 4am

Climate/Weather

It is important to plan when you want to travel based on what you want to do. This is a great resource in understanding what weather is right for you!

Average weather by day

Safety Information

Do not let people take your phone to take a picture especially at tourist attractions. This happens more often than not in Rio.
Do not leave your phone out on the table when dining and try not to take it out too much when walking around the streets.
Don't have expensive things on you or showing when walking the streets.
Try not to speak English loudly when walking on the streets.
There is a very present homeless population if someone is selling anything out of hand do not take your wallet out to buy anything.

Rio is a beautiful and lively city, full of food, life and truly amazing people. It's not about being afraid of people just being aware. When traveling here it is just smart to make sure you are aware of what's going on around you and to not stick out as a target. Meaning you should follow certain precautions no matter where you are in the world, these are just some tips from locals and personal experiences that I’ve had while traveling here among other places in the world.