During our 10-day exploration of Rio we relied heavily on our feet and the local subway system for all our transportation needs. We found, Rio to be an easy city to navigate on foot when in the busy beach areas including Copacabana Beach and Ipanema Beach. We also walked in the area of our hotel near Flamingo Beach and felt comfortable, safe and generally knew where we were.
However, any further distance we did utilize the efficient, safe and clean subway system.
It is an efficient method of transportation mainly due to its simplicity. There are only two subway lines and a significant part of these two lines run parallel so you can choose either line (Green or Orange) to use depending upon your timing. As with any subway or train system, you identify the train you want to board by locating your destination on a subway map either on an app (MetroRio is one option) or the maps found in any subway station in multiple locations. Then you identify your current location/subway station, follow the line toward your destination and the final stop on that line in that direction. This is the train you want to find on overhead signage in the subway station.
https://www.metrorio.com.br/vademetro/mapas
Paying for your trip
We found it quite easy to use the rechargeable cards purchased in kiosks located in train stations.
They only accept cash so be prepared. Although there always seemed to be ATM machines located near these ticket machines, my advice is to avoid these ATM’s. We chose to only use ATM’s located within bank lobbies. You can find more information on ATM use in Brazil in this blog post! https://traveladdict101.com/caution-using-atms-in-brazil/
When beginning the process to purchase your ticket, look for the British flag, this will give you the instructions in English instead of trying out your Portuguese. Unless you are confident, then go for it!!!
Basically, you decide how much money you wish to load onto this card. You pay a nominal fee (R$1 or $.30US?) to purchase a card and then load it with R$10, R$20, etc.! I recommend underestimating and reloading the card as needed, it is easy to reload and kiosks are readily found in any station. The remaining balance is always displayed after you swipe the card to go through the turnstile for the train platform or on the bus. A typical ride is R$4,10 (about US$1.20). I believe you can reload the card on the bus, although we never needed to use this method. I wasn’t comfortable as you may need to use your vast knowledge of Portuguese when discussing your purchase with the attendant and will likely hold up a line trying to board the bus. More on riding the bus below……….
Once you have decided which platform you need to enter to head to your destination, you swipe the card over the circle prior to pushing the turnstile, it beeps, and you proceed through the turnstile. There are different types of turnstiles, so just look for the ones in the row with the picture that matches your card.
We found the trains to be clean and easy to use. Most of the train cars are new and have excellent navigation tools to ensure you know where you are at any stop. The same map of the subway system noted in the station is also located above the door. There is a blinking light to identify which station is up next or a solid light to show the current station when stopped. There are is also digital text identifying the next stop and whether to exit to the right or left of the car. This information is also announced in Portuguese and English although the English is sometimes difficult to hear or understand depending upon the surrounding noise. Of course if you have counted the number of stops you planned to travel you can keep track of when you should disembark or see the station names on the tile walls when stopped at each station.
Some trains were easy to board and disembark as there are a minimal to moderate number of riders and others boarding, etc. However, there are specific locations and times of day which become extremely busy with the train cars stuffed beyond what should be their capacity. During rush hour times of day, there are specific Women Exclusive cars. You can identify these cars at the platform as the trains will line up in the same position at each station. However, if your traveling companion is a man, as mine is, you would need to separate to be on this car. The risk of not finding each other or missing a stop and being separated is too much for me to take this car. I would recommend during these busy times you find a space near a wall if at all possible and watch out for each other, pickpockets are everywhere. If you are women traveling together, I think these Woman Exclusive cars could be a safe method of traveling but note the times they are exclusive.
MetroRio is the app we found to be most useful for navigating the trains throughout the city. It is fully operational offline in the Android version. As you can see it will help you to plan a trip or route, provide length of trip details, services available at the different stations, maps in 3 versions and give you Must See, Rio by Subway ideas. We found it very helpful and appreciated the fact we did not have to use it on a network or wifi signal.
Rio has many different versions of buses throughout the city. Some are “executive” buses, they have minimal stops, are more expensive and along the coach bus style. Some are city buses, which we tried to use once as we didn’t realize the difference between a Rio bus and a Metro bus. If you want to use the rechargeable Metro card, you must find the Metro bus which is blue and easily identified with the large words METRO BUS which is obvious when you know there are different systems!!!
When boarding a Metro Bus, the front door is for entry only. There are 4-5 rows and then a large red turnstile with an attendant. This attendant will show you where to swipe your card, take cash or reload your card. The last 15 rows of the bus are past this turnstile with an exit door near the back. Even if you sit in the first 4-5 rows, you will need to proceed through the turnstile at some point to exit the bus.
Traveling via public transportation in any city is more economical although requires some patience. You are able to see the locals as they live each day commuting to work or other events. I find it much easier than attempting to navigate, drive, fit into local driving customs and traffic and locate parking!