Getting Around, Brasilia Travel, Transport and Car Rental
(Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil)
Although the imaginative plane-shaped layout of Brasilia sounds impressive and well-thought out, in reality it can be a little confusing when trying to travel around. Bus transport is to hand, although if you choose to travel in Brasilia using your own set of wheels, then do make sure that you have a map with you, since there are numerous elevated interchanges.
When trying to understand the transport infrastructure of Brasilia, it is also important to get the grips with the address system. The Eixo Monumental (Monumental Axis) separates the city into two main sectors (setores) - north and south. When an address acronym ends in 'N' or 'S', it simply means that it is based within that sector.
Examples of this include the hotel sectors (setores hoteleiro) - SHN / SHS, the commercial sectors (setores comercial) - SCN / SCS, and the residential sectors (superquadras) - SQN / SQS. However, don't plan on travelling around by foot - Brasilia was designed with public transport in mind and in most cases this runs extremely smoothly. There are very few crossings, so if you need to cross a busy road, do proceed with caution.
Brasilia-Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport (BSB) / Arriving by Air
Address: Estrada Parque Aeroporto, Lago Sul, Brasilia, CEP 71608-800, Planalto Central, Brazil
Tel: +55 061 364 9000
Brasilia International Airport is located approximately 12 km / 7 miles to the south of the city centre, close to the Jardim Botanico. This is one of the biggest, busiest and most modern of all the airports in
Brazil and each year serves more than 15 million passengers, with over 180,000 aircraft movements. Domestic flights connect all major Brazilian destinations, such as
Belem,
Belo Horizonte,
Curitiba,
Florianopolis,
Fortaleza,
Manaus,
Natal,
Porto Alegre,
Recife,
Rio de Janeiro and
Sao Paulo. International destinations include
Atlanta (American Airlines) and
Miami (Delta) in the
USA, along with
Buenos Aires (TAM Airlines) in
Argentina, and
Lisbon (TAP Airlines) in
Portugal.
Car Rental
Driving is a popular way to travel outside of Brasilia, although do bear in mind that this is a busy city and the centre can become congested during peak hours. The city was designed with vehicles in mind and there are car parks located close to most of the main attractions.
The best selection of rental cars is to be found at the airport, with the city centre being around a 20-minute drive away, via the Estrada Parque Dom Bosco (DF-025), the Estrada Parque Aeroporto (DF-047), the Estrada Parque do Guará (DF-051) and the Estrada Parque Industrial E Abastecimento - EPIA (DF-003). Those driving to Brasilia from southern and western Brazil will arrive via the city's 'Saida Sul' entrance, while from the north, most will arrive at the Saida Norte entrance. Once you are inside the Federal District area, simply follow the signs to Brasilia, and for the hotel sector, 'Zona Central'.
Buses and Coaches
Tel: +55 061 3363 4045
Since Brasilia enjoys a central location in Brazil, its bus network is very well developed and links this capital city with the rest of the country. The long-distance bus station (Rodoferroviaria) lies on the western side of the city and provides bus transport between Belem (35 hours), Belo Horizonte (ten hours), Cuiaba (20 hours), Goiania (three hours), Pirenopolis (three hours), Porto Velho (40 hours), Rio de Janeiro (18 hours),
Salvador (22 hours) and Sao Paulo (15 hours). Buses also regularly travel to Alto Paraiso (three hours and 30 minutes), which serves as a gateway to the Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros.
Most city buses tend to travel along the 'wings' of its plane-shaped layout, down the Monumental Axis (Eixo Monumental) and throughout the main residential zones. Zebrinha and Transporte de Vizinhanca both operate buses in the city and travel to destinations such as the Setor Comercial, the Setor de Diversoes and the Esplanada dos Ministérios, as well as Brasilia International Airport. Of note, bus tickets cannot be purchased in advance - you simply pay as you step aboard.
Trains
The Metro de Brasilia is a popular underground train service and currently comprises 24 stations. Metro transport consists of two lines (Green and Orange) and covers the majority of the metropolitan area. Both of these lines originate at the Central Station on the Monumental Axis and link a number of outlying satellite cities, such as Aguas Claras, Ceilandia, Guará, Samambaia and Taguatinga. Subway trains operate Monday to Friday, between the hours of 06:00 and 23:30, and also provide travel at the weekend, from 07:00 to 19:00.
Taxis
Metered taxis in the city are fairly pricey and can't generally be hailed when driving by. Therefore, many prominent taxi ranks have emerged around the city, being conveniently sited alongside attractions and bus stations. If you are in need of taxi transport and are unable to locate a cab, most hotels will be happy to arrange this.
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