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[grahamcito]

Hi, all you Brazil experts!

Imagine you�re visiting Brazil for the first time (though you speak good Portuguese), you�re arriving (by plane) late evening in Sao Paulo, and need to take a bus to Rio.

- What�s the cheapest/safest means of transport out from the airport into Sao Paulo?

- Where�s the cheapest/safest place to stay overnight in Sao Paulo?

- What�s the best bus line to take from Sao Paulo to Rio?

- How often do buses go?

- Would it be better to take an overnight bus?

- Any tips for Sao Paulo bus station? (is there more than one?)

- Is there any way to buy a bus ticket in advance? or is it better to just get one on the spot?

Thanks in advance for any help - it�s really appreciated!

[gavinoz]

Lets go through all the questions one by one.

1. Cheapest is the local bus to the nearest metro station and then train to Tiete. Late at night, with luggage, unfamiliar city makes this a rather unrealistic option.

Best option is the airport bus servive. www.airportbusserive.com.br (bottom right of screen for English version). $R24. See the timetables for when they go to Tiete. Almost a 24hr service and they go to Tiete regularly. Taix would probably be $R60 at a guess but forget this option in peak hour.

2. Cheapest place to stay in Sao Paulo would be at one of the youth hostels. There are a couple around the centro area (not the greatest area at night), one at Praca da Avores and Sampa Hostel (near Avenida Paulista and a airport bus stop) is reasonable too from memory.

3. Doesn't matter which bus line you take. They are all essentially the same. Choice is usually over which one leaves next. Otherwise it comes down to comfort. The more you pay the more you can move your legs. Convencional is the cheapest, leito (bed) is the most expensive.

4. Buses leave so frequently it is not worth looking up a timetable. Every 15 minutes during peak times, probably every 30 min outside of this. About $R50 for convencional.

5. Journey to Rio is about 6 1/2 hours. If you arrive in Rio in the early morning take a taxi. The surrounds of Rio novo bus station aren't exactly the most secure in the world.

6. Yes there are several bus stations in Sao Paulo. Tiete, Barra Funda & Jabaquara are the biggest. You're going to Tiete, second biggest in the world.

Tiete whilst huge is relatively secure. Feels safer than any Greyhound station in the States. If it is crowded use your common sense - chances of getting pickpocketed here are about the same as any metro/bus station in the world (maybe not as great as Barcelona though!)

First night in a new country which doesn't have a good reputation for safety, in a huge bus station - don't be overwhelmed by it. 99% of the people there are just like you or I. Working or waiting to get on a bus.

Guarda Volumes is where you can store your bags if you need to. You're unlikely to use this service since you won't be waiting long for a bus.

Buses are quite secure. You will get a form to fill out so have a pen with you for boarding. Name, passport, address etc needs to be recorded. When you put your bags on the bus they will give you a ticket. Don't lose this to save hassles at the other end.

7. Technically you could buy a ticket in advance but it is much much easier to buy one when you turn up.

[grahamcito]

That�s a great, great help - thanks for the advice!

[gavinoz]

No problem at all. Very easy questions for me to answer.

I've been working on a brazil travel website with exactly this sort of information. Not ready yet but it is close to a year now in the making. Will eventually be called backpackingbrazil.com but don't expect to see it for another 2-3 months.