Getting around Brazil: transport and apps

Use ride-hailing more than you would at home. In Brazilian cities door-to-door transport is both cheap and the standard safety recommendation after dark, and both apps take foreign cards.

• Uber operates in every major city and accepts foreign credit cards, Apple Pay and cash.
• 99 is the local competitor and often cheaper. 99Pop is private cars, 99Taxi puts you in a licensed metered taxi that may use bus lanes, and 99Moto is a motorbike pillion - fast, cheap and not for your first day.
• Metro and bus fares run BRL 4.40 to BRL 5.40. In Rio de Janeiro you can tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard straight on the turnstile; Jae and Giro MetroRio are the ticketing apps. In Sao Paulo the TOP app sells QR-code single rides for the Metro and CPTM.
• Moovit and Google Maps both handle transit routing well in Sao Paulo, Rio and Brasilia.

Between cities

There is almost no intercity passenger rail in Brazil. Long distance means a coach or a flight.

• Coaches leave from Terminal Rodoviario do Tiete in Sao Paulo and Rodoviaria Novo Rio in Rio. Ask for leito or semi-leito for the reclining overnight services.
• Operators: Viacao Cometa, Viacao 1001, Viacao Catarinense, Gontijo, Aguia Branca.
• Book through Busbud, ClickBus or QueroPassagem - all three take foreign cards and issue mobile tickets.
• Avoid driving highways at night between cities: poor lighting, road surface hazards and cargo theft.

Keep your phone out of sight on the street. Snatching from the hand by someone on a motorbike or bicycle is the single most common crime against visitors. Navigate before you set off, not while walking.

• WhatsApp - https://www.whatsapp.com/ - The default way Brazil communicates. Hotels, drivers, restaurants and guides all use it instead of phone calls or email. Set it up before you arrive.
• Uber - https://www.uber.com/br/ - Works everywhere, takes foreign cards.
• 99 - https://99app.com/ - The local rival, often cheaper, with taxi and motorbike tiers.
• iFood - https://www.ifood.com.br/ - Dominant food and grocery delivery. Some merchants ask for a CPF, which you will not have; most do not.
• TOP - https://www.viajemais.com/ - Digital tickets for the Sao Paulo Metro and CPTM.
• Jae - https://jae.com.br/ - Rio de Janeiro transit ticketing.
• Moovit - https://moovitapp.com/ - Bus and metro routing in the big cities.
• ClickBus - https://www.clickbus.com.br/ - Intercity coach tickets with foreign cards.
• Google Translate - Download the Portuguese pack for offline use; English proficiency drops sharply outside hotels and airports.