taxis in Rio de Janeiro

I have read some of the posts about taxis but I just wanted to ask a couple more questions to hopefully clarify things in my mind.

We will be landing at GIG on the LAST day of Carnival...

With this in mind, and if we already have Brazilian reals with us,

should we expect any problems getting a reputable taxi to take us to our hotel in Ipanema? Is there a regular "taxi" line at the airport entrance, like there is at many airports in the U.S....where you just stand in line, the taxis drive up in a line and you are put on one when it is your turn...or must you flag them down or have to try to decide if they are reputable or not??

Also, seeing as this is a holiday date, should we expect delays/long wait due to a lack of available taxis secondary to a high demand for them??

Basically, we are suffering "sticker shock" looking at the price of shuttles to the hotel and, later from hotel to cruise ship, so we are trying to decide if we are safe to do a taxi...

We WOULD have gone with the hotel's shuttle, but in order to book it, we would have had to MAIL or FAX them our photo ids, and our credit card front and back, and that seemed a foolhardy thing to do...

Thanks for any wisdom you can provide

@goat rancher--

You have some options.

In general, there may be somewhat heavier traffic in certain areas, if a Carnaval bloco is going on, or at rush hours.

There is an inexpensive Real/frescao bus that passes along the oceanside road in Copacabana and Ipanema. It stops in front of the terminal. You would have to tell the driver the name of the cross street nearest your hotel and walk from there. It is safe to do so, if you can handle your own luggage.

There are regular yellow taxis waiting in front of the terminal, just like at most airports. Taxis in Rio are generally part of a cooperative whose name and contact information are painted on the back fender. I am personally acquainted with Rio cooperative taxi drivers who are family men trying to earn an honest living for their families by getting you to your destination comfortably and efficiently. Fare might be around R$60 to Copacabana, depending on conditions.

(And just because a certain so-called 'expert' on tee-ay, who btw gets more of his info from the internet than that based on very brief personal experience in Rio, repeats and repeats bs about 'peace of mind', or cleanliness, or whatever, does not mean there is any significant problems or scams with regular yellow taxis.)

There are also the option, for about 40% more, to get a pre-paid taxi. You will be solicited aggressively for them by a number of young ladies as you move through the terminal on your way to customs. The only advantage to my mind is that you can pay with a credit card if you have no cash in reais on arrival or no time to exchange a few dollars at the 'cambio' booth. (Do not use the ATMs at GIG. They all too often are reported as a cloning risk.)

For the slightly more adventurous and/or budget conscious, you can go to the departure area and try to get a regular yellow taxi which has just dropped off a departing passenger, and try to bargain a bit with the driver (whose cooperative area the airport is not) who might do so to not do the return trip empty.

Btw, for Brazil, the passing of the info you mention for the hotel shuttle is not unusual, esp. at Carnaval when those in tourism want confirmed bookings, and are not set up for secure internet sites.

Thanks for the extremely useful info.

thanks so much:)

Right now the regular yellow taxis seem like our best option....a reasonable price and in our "comfort zone"...

We want to just be able to walk out of the airport, get the taxi and get to our hotel..We don't want to "prepay" with credit card and risk i.d. theft issues ...We will have reals ready to pay with before we leave the U.S. so we won't be having to try to get exchange money in the airport or use an ATM there...

Thanks again!

George and Liz

BTW, no biggie, but the plural of Real (hey-all) is Reais (hey-ize). "R" is often pronounced as an "h" when starting a word. (e.g., hee-a-day-janeiro). If you book a flat rate "radio taxi" you can pay by credit card at the airport when you book it, but for regular metered taxis you should have cash, and preferably bills R$50 or smaller.

BTW, no biggie, but the plural of Real (hey-all) is Reais (hey-ize). "R" is often pronounced as an "h" when starting a word. (e.g., hee-a-day-janeiro). If you book a flat rate "radio taxi" you can pay by credit card at the airport when you book it, but for regular metered taxis you should have cash, and preferably bills R$50 or smaller.

Interesting, I did not realize that was how an R is pronounced.

Interesting, I did not realize that was how an R is pronounced.

At the beginning of words, an "R" in Brazilian Portuguese has more of an "H" sound, but a bit harder, further back in the mouth/throat.

There are a lot of audio language learning programs online where you can hear Brazilian Portuguese with a relatively neutral regional accent, and maybe even pick up a few words that might help you get around.

 

There is an inexpensive Real/frescao bus that passes along the oceanside road in Copacabana and Ipanema.

There are regular yellow taxis waiting in front of the terminal.

Hi VidaNaPraia

I'm always interested in the advice you give about Rio and appreciate that you give it as a local who lives there rather than visitors like us cruisers who have such a short time to enjoy it and so see so little.

We're arriving in Rio for 2 days at the end of January and we're hoping to DIY. On Day 1, we're hoping to pick up a taxi to take us to the Christ the Redeemer statue then ask it to wait to take us on to the centre to explore. Are there also reputable yellow taxis at the port? Where would you recommend we get dropped off in the city? We're hoping to end the day with watching the sun set from the top of Sugar Loaf. Again how feasible will it be to get a taxi from there?

On Day 2, we're starting with a visit to the Maracana then spending the rest of the day at the beach. Are there yellow taxis at the stadium?

Finally would any of these journeys be possible by bus? Sorry about all these questions!

Hi tartanexile81. Actually I live quite a ways to the north, in another very interesting city, but visit friends in Rio fairly frequently. It's always fascinating to try to help folks here like you who are enthusiastic about an upcoming visit.

Taxis are fairly inexpensive, and save the stress of looking for bus routes and stops and flagging a fast moving local bus. (The airport bus from the terminal is another type.) Maracana is reachable by metro/subway, that will take you back to Copacabana to the beach. Transport from/to the port is easiest by taxi.

You will look for yellow taxis with the name and phone number of their cooperative painted on the rear fender. They can be found at the cooperative's neighborhood taxi stand, or around town as they drop off passengers. The big attractions have taxis waiting, but if they are a bit aggressive in their solicitations, just walk a bit away to find others. If you take the train up to the Christ, you may not need to have a taxi wait, but if you choose to have it take you most of the way to the top to meet the shuttle van, certainly have the driver wait for you in the small parking lot up there where there are probably no other taxis. Pick a landmark in centro as a drop off point (Confeitaria Colombo if you are ready for a coffee or snack, the Teatro Municipal, etc).

Have a great visit. Post if you have more questions, and afterwards, let us know how it went. :-))

Hi tartanexile81. Actually I live quite a ways to the north, in another very interesting city, but visit friends in Rio fairly frequently. It's always fascinating to try to help folks here like you who are enthusiastic about an upcoming visit.

 

Taxis are fairly inexpensive, and save the stress of looking for bus routes and stops and flagging a fast moving local bus. (The airport bus from the terminal is another type.) Maracana is reachable by metro/subway, that will take you back to Copacabana to the beach. Transport from/to the port is easiest by taxi.

You will look for yellow taxis with the name and phone number of their cooperative painted on the rear fender. They can be found at the cooperative's neighborhood taxi stand, or around town as they drop off passengers. The big attractions have taxis waiting, but if they are a bit aggressive in their solicitations, just walk a bit away to find others. If you take the train up to the Christ, you may not need to have a taxi wait, but if you choose to have it take you most of the way to the top to meet the shuttle van, certainly have the driver wait for you in the small parking lot up there where there are probably no other taxis. Pick a landmark in centro as a drop off point (Confeitaria Colombo if you are ready for a coffee or snack, the Teatro Municipal, etc).

 

Have a great visit. Post if you have more questions, and afterwards, let us know how it went. :-))

Thanks for your helpful information. Salvadpo is the furthest North we get to as we have a transatlantic to get to Brazil.

We thought the mini-van was a better idea, to avoid the long queues for train tickets or do you know any way of avoiding the lines if we take the train?

Get to Cosme Velho first thing in the morning, even before the train is scheduled to start. I've done both the train (but in a season when the line was not long--we got on the next train to arrive) and by car up to the parking lot where the shuttle van to the top starts/stops. I much preferred the train. Better views, slower ride to appreciate them, and a fun samba band playing on board. The narrow twisty road up to the little parking lot, by car or taxi, goes through residential neighborhoods (whose points of interest, famous people's houses, etc, a non-English speaking taxi driver can't really explain) and then has forrest close on both sides, iirc. Alternative to taxi all the way up to the parking lot, there are vans from Copacabana and Largo de Marchado (by taxi from the port) to the parking lot, then change to the official van to the top.

I think these days you can buy a timed train ticket online. But you really don't want to get stuck for a day that might not be sunny and clear. There are many days when you can look up from the street and see that there are lots of clouds around the statue, or even days that it is not possible to see it at all from the street.

If you want to start to become familiar with Salvador, read as thoroughly as possible the informational site www dot salvadorcentral dot com first, and then I'd be happy to answer any questions. It's my favorite Brazilian city.

Thanks again VNP. I've had a quick look at the website and I'll have a better look through it later. Salvador certainly looks beautiful and by then there will be lots of sunshine for us to enjoy!

Thanks again VNP. I've had a quick look at the website and I'll have a better look through it later. Salvador certainly looks beautiful and by then there will be lots of sunshine for us to enjoy!

I wouldn't say "beautiful", but it does have its own crumbling charm. (The tarted up part of the historic district where the tourists go was achieved sadly by evicting a lot of locals.)

You should be there at a great time to hear a lot of music. Look at the daily schedule on http://www.aldeianago.com.br as the time gets closer. Salvador lives for its music.

The weather should be good for the beach there too. It rains at night, and sometimes there's a short downpour at lunchtime, but it is warm.