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Practical information

Brazil: Practical information

Accommodation

Youth hostels: Basic comfort, but this varies from one hostel to another. Typically comprised of dormitories, sometimes includes smaller bedrooms.
HostelWorld
Pousadas: Tourist hotels in Brazil, all ranges and all prices.
AirBnB
Hotels: European standards, only in large cities.
Hoteis.com
Hotel Rules: The prices (taxes included) are usually given per night and per person, breakfast included. It is advisable to check with the hotel keeper. In the low season, you can negotiate 10 to 20% off the basic price in pousadas.

Price Indications

Economy Room	10-30 BRL
Medium Price Room	40-100 BRL
Good Quality Room	200 BRL and more

Source: Lonely Planet

Eating Out

Categories of Restaurant
Lunchonete: Small, basic establishment, found on every street corner, selling fruit juices, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, some snacks.
Restaurante: Various ranges at different prices, Brazilian and international cuisine.
Rodizio: "Eat as much as you like" formula, very popular in Brazil. It may be grilled meat (churrascaria), pizzas, sushi.
Rules For Eating Out: Restaurants are open all day, from noon to midnight.

Price Indications

Economy Meal	5-10 BRL
Medium Price Meal	10-30 BRL
Good Quality Meal	50 BRL and more

Food Specialties: Staples of the Brazilian diet include: arroz (white rice), feijão (black beans), farofa (cassava flour), carne (beef), peixe (fish) and galinha (chicken). Feijoada, Brazil’s national dish, is a stew of pork and black beans.

Brazil’s large size has allowed for a great culinary diversity. The food of the northern region is heavily influenced by the culture of the indigenous peoples who lived there before the arrival of the Portuguese and includes many root vetegables and fruits (such as the açaí berry). On the northeast coast, the cuisine has a more African flavour, including chilies, spices and dendê oil (palm oil). Moqueca, a sort of sea-food based sauce or stew, is a specialty of Bahia. Acarajé, composed of peeled red beans, fried in palm oil and stuffed with vatapa (dried shrimp, with chili and tomato), is sold by the Baianos on street corners. In Minas Gerais, they prepare ‘comida mineira’, which is pork and vegetable based. Two specialties include kuiabo (a sort of bean) and tutu (fried bean paste). In the south, ‘comida gaucha’ is prepared, with a heavy use of meat.
Drinks: Brazilians are very fond of beer. Cachaça, a sugar cane spirit, is a strong liqueur of which there are many varieties. As the cheapest and most common alcohol in Brazil, Cachaça is the basis of many delicious cocktails-including the famous caïpirinha. Wine is not as common and is generally only served in international restaurants.
Dietary Restrictions: There are no dietary restrictions in the country.
Table Manners: Continental. Tips are optional but strongly advised according to the quality of the service and the friendliness of the waiter; about 5 to 10% of the bill.

Getting Around

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation: The Metro is an efficient means of transport in large cities. Taxi drivers speak very little English, Spanish or French, but it is enough to state the place where you want to go. Women travelling alone or those traveling late at night should ask for the taxi's official number. In the daytime, outside the shanty towns, buses present no danger- you should just have your destination confirmed by the 'cobrador', the ticket inspector or another passenger. A bus journey costs 2 BRL, as opposed to 12 on average for a 10 to 15 minute taxi ride.
Maps of Urban Networks: Plan of the São Paulo metro
Plan of the Rio network
Urban Transport Agencies: Brasiliametro
Metros
Taxi Companies: Taxi agency in Rio

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
São Paulo - Guarulhos Intl (GRU)	28 km / 18 miles	BRL 85 / 35-60 min	BRL 30 / 45-60 min	-	Available
Rio de Janeiro - Galeão Intl (GIG)	18 km / 11 miles	USD 15 / 20 min	USD 2.50	-	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation: The safest and fastest method of transportation is the airplane. Prices are within European standards. There is an airport tax for travelers leaving Brazil by plane, which has to be paid in local currency at the day's rate. Unless this is paid, a boarding card is not issued. If you have time and a more limited budget, there is an excellent bus network all over the country. Train networks are almost nonexistent.
Rail Companies: SuperVia

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
TAM	Major company	Yes	Yes
GOL	Low cost company	Yes	No

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling By Yourself

Recommendation: Brazil has an extensive road network over 1.5 million kilometres, but only 10% is asphalted. Expressways are rare, with roads in bad condition and very few road signs outside towns. Be careful and avoid driving at night.
Driver's License: Foreign driver's licenses are accepted but it is preferable to have an international license.
Conditions For Renting a Vehicle: You have to be 21, or even 25 for certain companies, you must have a credit card in your name and a valid driver's license either from your own country or an international one.
Rental Agencies: Localiza
Tolls or Taxes: There are practically no tolls, just on the very large main roads in the States of Rio and São Paulo.
Find an Itinerary: Addresses and itineraries
Traffic Conditions Online: Traffic conditions in São Paulo
Parking Facilities: Rarely guarded by an officially designated agent. Free parking places in town and meeting places are often "guarded" by children who have no other source of income. It is highly recommended that you leave them some small change (from 25 centavos to 1 real) when you leave the spot. For a few reals more, some of them may wash your car.

Rules of the Road

Minimum Driving Age: 18
Side of the Road For Driving: Right
Speed Limits: 80km/h on most roads, from 45 to 80km/h in town.
Safety Belts: Obligatory and liable to a fine.
Permitted Amount of Alcohol in the Blood: 0.6 g/liter of blood.
National Roads Organizations: Brazilian roads

Time and Time Difference

Current Local Time: It is %T:%M %A In Recife, Brasilia, Rio, Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre
It is %T:%M %A In Salvador, Fortaleza
It is %T:%M %A In Manaus
Summer Time: Summer time from October to February.

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

Climate

Type of Climate: Brazil is largely tropical, but there are five different climatic regions. The climate is very mild in Sao Paulo and Brasilia, on average 19°C, but it is considerably warmer in Rio de Janeiro. It is best to visit the south of Brazil between September and November. The tropical climate in the north allows visiting all year, but be careful of the rainy season from December to March and the very high temperatures which go with it. The ideal time to visit Amazonia is the dry season, from June to September.

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems

System of Measurement Used: Metric system
Unit of Measurement of Temperature: Degrees Celsius (°C)

Use our service Measurement Converter.

Electricity
Voltage: 110-220 according to the region, with a two pin plug.
Frequency: 60 Hz
Type of Electric Socket: Type A&B, C
Type of Telephone Socket: US RJ-11, Brazilian
DVD Zoning: Zone 4

Paying

Domestic Currency: Brazilian Real
ISO Code: BRL
To Obtain Domestic Currency: Foreign currency is rarely accepted. There are ATMs which take foreign cards in towns throughout the country. You should plan to have cash on you when you go to more isolated places, such as seaside villages, parks or rural areas.
Possible Means of Payment: Credit cards are often taken in large cities, but usually not elsewhere. Only 27% of the country’s payments are made by credit card. Traveler's checks are accepted in banks and some large hotels in Rio and São Paulo. Cash is the easiest means of payment when traveling. Debit/credit cards are useful for those with bank accounts in Brazil.

To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator

Speaking

Official Language: Portuguese
Other Languages Spoken: English is the most commonly spoken foreign language in Brazil. Spanish is generally understood by the Brazilians and French is spoken by around 570,000 people across the country.
Business Language: Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Getting Some Knowledge: Use travlang.
Free Translation Tools: Lexilogos : Online dictionary
IATE : EU dictionary

Emergency Numbers

Police	190
Ambulance	192
Firemen	193

Communications

Quality of Communications: Good quality; telephone boxes in all urban areas, and the mobile telephone network covers all the inhabited areas of the country.
Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From Brazil, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in Brazil, Dial +55
Number of Digits of National Telephone Numbers: Use the operator code (021 or 023), then the State code (unless you are phoning inside the State), then the 8 digit number.
Mobile Telephone Standards: The network accepts bi-band telephones. You can buy a local chip without a subscription.
National Mobile Phone Operators: Tim, Claro, Vivo, Oi.

Availability of Internet

Internet Suffix: .br
National Internet Access Providers: Universo On Line, TERRA
Access in Public Places: Internet access points, free or chargeable, in Internet cafés in all urban areas.
Access in Hotels: In most hotels except those in the lowest price range.

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