Some tips on how to navigate São Paulo. (For more on Brazil’s biggest city, see the BrazilMax São Paulo Travel Guide.)
Getting There
Airports - Virtually all international flights land at Governador André Franco Montoro Airport in the industrial suburb of Guarulhos about 30 kilometers northeast of downtown São Paulo. Locals – including cab drivers - refer to the airport either by its old name, Cumbica, or simply as Guarulhos. The Congonhas Airport in town is almost exclusively for domestic flights. In recent years, the two airports have ranked one-two as Brazil’s busiest. Both are blanketed with wi-fi access points.
Join BrazilMax founding editor Bill Hinchberger and many of his frequent flyer friends and get airport VIP lounge access at the São Paulo international airport in Guarulhos and in hundreds of airports around the world.
Neither airport is served by rail. Cooperatives hold monopolies on taxi services at both. At Guarulhos, fares are prepaid at a kiosk just outside the arrival area; usually upwards of US$50, they vary depending on the neighborhood destination. At Congonhas, a queue forms outside the arrival area and fares are determined by the normal meter system. Most common destinations in town can be reached for less than US$25. A shuttle bus service runs between the Guarulhos airport and six points in São Paulo, including Congonhas. For most destinations, the fare is 27 reals. Tickets for the shuttle, called the Airport Bus Service, can be purchased just outside the arrival area. Travel time to and from Guarulhos varies according to the traffic, but one hour is a good estimate for most destinations at most times of the day.
Both of São Paulo’s busy airports have been caught up in the whirlwind of Brazil’s air transportation crisis. The country’s major airports and air traffic control system were already overtaxed in September 2006 when a mid-air collision over the Amazon rainforest between an executive jet and a commercial airliner brought down the larger plane, killing everyone aboard. That incident sparked an administrative and political crisis that has led to long lines and even longer delays – including periodic “blackouts,” usually during holidays, when nearly all flights are delayed or cancelled. The nightmare got worse in July 2007 when another commercial jet tried to land in the rain at Congonhas and went sliding off the runway into an adjacent building, killing 199 and making it Brazil’s worst ever air disaster. Many flights have since been transferred from more convenient Congonhas to relatively distant Guarulhos.
As delays and cancellations mounted, many local business executives began to use Brazil’s excellent bus companies for short haul trips. (Interurban train service is virtually non-existent.) The busy bus station, called the Terminal Rodoviário Tietê, may seem chaotic, with people scampering hither and thither, but it is actually well organized and well-run. Buses run frequently to most major Brazilian cities. The bus station is served by the Metrô rail system and a shuttle bus run by the Airport Bus Service from the Guarulhos airport.
Airlines – US carriers American, Continental, Delta and United all operate out of Guarulhos as do the Brazilian carriers TAM and Varig. Many European and South American carriers also serve São Paulo.
Flight Times – The two main gateway cities from the United States are New York (9.5 hours) and Miami (8 hours). São Paulo-Zurich takes about 11 hours.
Getting Around São Paulo
São Paulo’s subway system, the Metrô, is integrated with a metropolitan rail network (SPTM), but the system, while safe, is limited and more useful for commuters than visitors. São Paulo’s surface bus network is more extensive, including several express lanes, but it can be confusing for newbies – even if they’re fluent in Portuguese – and pickpocketing, though hardly at epidemic levels, is not unheard of. Cars can be rented at the airport or in town, but the chaotic traffic and sprawling city can be exasperating.
That leaves taxis. Most cabbies are reliable and honest, but few will speak anything other than Portuguese. Cabs can be hailed on the street almost anywhere, but it is often safer and more convenient to ask a secretary or business associate to call a cab or to walk to one of the numerous “pontos de taxi” (taxi points) where only registered drivers can park and take passengers. All cabs use tamper-proof electronic meters. Fares to and from the most common business destinations usually run between 20-50 reals. There is a 20% surcharge (called “bandeira 2”) after 8 p.m. and on weekends. When the driver goes into “bandeira 2” mode, a bright number 2 will appear on the meter just to the side of the fare.
Long-term visitors should note that Sao Paulo has launched an integrated transfer system – one trip, one fee (whether by bus, train or metro). Passes must be purchased prepaid at the federal lottery offices that can be found all over town.
