Find out how easy it is to get around Rio by public transportation systems!

It is not possible to compare Rio de Janeiro's public transportation system to the ones of the european capitals, but knowing well how it works, it is possible to get easily everywhere, including the turistical spots. This post presents a list of alternatives and respective descriptions that can be really usefull to the ones who pretend to know Rio without spending a lot of cash.

SUBWAY

The Subway has only two lines, the first one conecting the North Side (starting at Pavuna station) until the South Side (ending at Botafogo Station) and the other one leaving also from the North Side (Tijuca), heading to the South Side (Ipanema). This is the safest and fastest way to get around, but sometimes it's not very confortable. During the peaks (monday to friday between 6:00 and 8:30 heading to the South Side, and between 16:00 to 19:00 heading to the North Side).There are some integration buses that complete the routes, you can find all the details on the Rio Subway official website also available in english.

BRT

BRT Stands for Bus Rapid Transit. This system counts on exclusive lanes, offering a faster way to travel from Santa Cruz to Campo Grande, and all the stops between them like Barra da Tijuca for example. You can also chek more details of it's complete path on the website.

You can also check the BRT's map, that includes all the connections with other transportation systems. The only problem about the BRT is that it is recent and still need some development.

FRESCÃO
Frescão is such a good tip that it has a post for itself. It is a very economic and confortable way to get from the airports and bus terminal to your destination. Check this link!

REGULAR CITY BUSES
Connects the whole city through many buses. You can find the main stops written on a pannel placed on the windshield of each bus. It is always a good idea to ask the driver if the bus is heading to where you want to go before getting up, altough they don't speak english, they will probably understand the name of the place you are trying to reach.

FUTURE PROJECTS THAT MAY START WORKING SOON:

VLT
The VLT is a light rail vehicle that will help to divide the city traffic. It's construction already began and is expected to be done in 2016.

SANTA TERESA'S TRAMWAY

The Santa Teresa tramways used to be a very popular transportation way for the cariocas. After being disactivated in the past years, it will be activated again, most likely on 2015.
Besides the charm of the neighborhood, also named Santa Teresa, you can find great restaurants, bars, a great view of the city and parks, forming a nice mix between new and classic Rio de Janeiro.

If you have any doubts or suggestions, please leave comments or questions, and stay tunned for more tips!

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Your wallet will thank you for reading this post! Tips to avoid hustles and robberies in Rio.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous brazilian cities, and it attracts many tourists from all arround the globe. Our visitors are frequently victims of hustlers and robbers, and unfortunately some of those will become rich during the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. If you are willing to visit Brasil and don't feel like acting a fool, here are some usefull tips for you:



1 - Nothing is for free and no one you just met is a friend! You will avoid most of the hustle just by keeping this principle in mind, so that's the rule number one. If someone you don't know offers you something, or promisses some extremely cheap deal, it's better to turn it down instead of being fooled. (Don't mix up turning some crazy offer down with being rude.)


2 - Avoid calling attention. It is really easy for a hustler to identify the foreign visitors (or as they call, "gringos") and possible targets, but some of those make their jobs even easier. Speaking loudly in a different language, wearing lots of jewlery, hanging huge cameras on the neck and stuff like that...
No one is telling you to change the wardrobe or spend the whole vacation whithout saying a single word, but to be aware that you call atention, and acting like that will make you look like an easy and worthy target.

3 - TAXIS! Most of the taxi drivers are honest workers, but many hustles take place in taxis. Always check your change, because dropping a passenger is one of the most favorable situations for passing fake money forward. Before taking a taxi, check on the internet the distance you are about to travel, taxi drivers sometimes make your way a little bit longer, if you know what i mean...
Always take the company taxis, some kidnappers work using fake taxis.
Some taxis charge real expensive prices to take you to your hotel from the airports. If you want an alternative, check this post.

4 - Avoid Clandestine Vans. Most of the clandestine vans are just an ilegal and cheaper way to get where you want. But sometimes they are used by kidnappers as well, so watch out, it doesn't worth to take that risk!

5 - Be carefull with GPS systems. Many tourists think they can just rent a car and trust entirely on the navigation system. The problem is that it is not able to recognize the dangerous parts of the city and it will most likely send you to one of them. In Rio, the favelas are mixed up with the other neighborhoods, and some of them are ruled by drugdealers. Now here is a crazy emergency tip that can save your life in case you get your car stuck in a favela or something: Ask them to buy drugs. I know it sounds crazy, but it is way better to be seen as a customer instead of a threat, keep that in mind.


6- Some common sense won't hurt. Rio is not one of the most calm cities in the World, but it is also victim of the exagerated media. Avoiding walking alone in the dawn, in dangerous areas will keep you away from most of the trouble.

7 - This tip will also sound pretty crazy, but finish reading it and you will understand what it means. Most places will advise you to avoid walking on the streets with cash. That is not a good idea, because if you are approached in the street by an armed robber, he will go away as soon as you handle him a satisfactory amount of cash, instead of going to a bank with you and making you sack all your money from the ATM machine. Im talking about (R$200 to R$400), don't walk arround with all your money as well. It is never a good idea to disagree with some crazy robber, so just handle him what he wants.

8- Always ask for the prices BEFORE you buy something, specially foods and beverages. Once you've already ate or drunk, the seller can charge you any value they want, and that happens a lot, specially on the famous beaches.

9 - Keep your most valuable items always on the front pockets. This tip may seem stupid, but I would hate to say I told you so...

10 - Last but not least the classic Christ the Redeemer van hustle. As soon as you get to Cosme Velho (The Street were is located the train station that takes you all the way up untill the Christ), some men you approach you, telling that there are no trains available. Some times if you arrive there late this will be true, and you will have to take the vans (which are always more expensive, remember rule number one), but it always worths to ask directely on the station itself.

For the supper smart people this post may seem a little unnecessary or exagerated, but remember, it was written by someone who lives and sees this kind of stuff happen every day, so don't underestimate it. If you have any doubts or questions, please leave comments and suggestions. Hope you enjoyed the post, your wallet sure did!

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Italian Trains

Here are some tips for buying passages, search schedules, companies and what to do to properly board the train.

1 - The first tip is to always research prices and passages on the group's website, Trenitalia or Italo Treno, because if we look directly on Google the main option takes an extra fee for each passage purchased.
2 - When you're searching for tickets is better to know the name of the city in Italian, here are some examples in English and Italian respectively;

• Rome - Rome
• Florence - Firenze
• Assisi - Assisi
• Pisa - Pisa
• Venice - Venezia
• Naples - Napoli

3 - The passages on both sites can be purchased with up to 4 months of antecedence, which increases the possibility of buying first class passages equivalent to the price of a lower class, check below a simulation performed using Trenitalia site's:

•  Value of passages for upcoming dates

• Value of passages purchased 4 months of antecedence 

Repair that there are two types of train, ESAV (Frecciabianca) and Intercity or IC, the difference between them will be available in the next post.

4 - If one of your choices is to visit the southern Italy, near the Vesuvius volcano, you will have to opt for E.A.V. company, which does not sell passages but there is the possibility of consulting the train schedules, trains are not as new and often a little late, but it is the only company that circulates around Vesuvius region. You can access through the link www.eavcampania.it

Máquina para validação de bilhetes de trem

5 - After you purchase your ticket, it is extremely important to validate your ticket before boarding, if it is not a tax deed can fine you, depending on the train until 200 €.

6 - Stay tuned to the panel! The destination that will appear is the final destination of the train.

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