Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
How to Get to Ribeirão Preto
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The most convenient way to get to Ribeirão Preto from outside Brazil is to fly from your country to São Paulo. Then, depending on your budget and/or willingness to be exposed to the local culture you can travel to Ribeirão Preto either by plane or road (bus or car). There is no railway service for passengers between São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto.
By Plane
a) From your country to São Paulo:
All international flights to São Paulo arrive at the Guarulhos International Airport (GRU), also known as "Cumbica" airport. Guarulhos (pronounced "gwarooleews") is the largest airport of South America and receives daily flights from several countries.
From Europe: Flight time from Europe to São Paulo is just over eleven hours depending on your starting point. Most flights leave Europe in the evening and arrive in São Paulo in the early morning. The return flights depart in the late afternoon or early evening and arrive in Europe the following day around lunchtime or earlier. Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS, Spanair, Swiss, TAP and the Brazilian carriers VARIG (a member of Star Alliance) and TAM (which has mileage partnership programs with American Airlines and Air France) all run regular services between Europe and São Paulo.
From North America: Flight time from North America to São Paulo varies in the range from eight and a half hours from Miami to just over twelve hours from Los Angeles. Most flights are overnight flights that arrive in Brazil early in the morning. The same is true for the return legs. Flights are operated by Air Canada, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, TAM, United and VARIG.
From Asia: São Paulo receives daily flights from many Asian cities. Usually the flights are either via the US (e.g. Los Angeles or Chicago) or Europe (e.g. Frankfurt, London or Paris). Flight times depend on your starting point. From Japan and Korea the flight time is about twenty-four hours. Besides North American and European companies which fly to Brazil and can be used to reach São Paulo from Asia, there are regular flights operated by JAL, Korean Air and VARIG.
From Latin America: São Paulo receives daily flights from most Latin American capitals and major cities and is served by Aerolineas Argentinas, AeroMexico, Aero Peru, Avianca, Cubana, Ladeco, Lan Chile, LAB, Pluna, TAM, VARIG and Viasa.
From Africa: Both VARIG and South African Airways operate regular flights between Johannesburg and São Paulo. Flight time is about nine hours. There are no direct flights to Brazil from other African countries.
Oceania: There are no direct flights from Oceania to Brazil. The best options are to fly to Buenos Aires in Argentina and then to São Paulo or to fly to South Africa and then to São Paulo.
b) From São Paulo to Ribeirão Preto:
There are no direct flights from Guarulhos Airport (GRU) to Ribeirão Preto (airport code RAO). In order to go from São Paulo to Ribeirão Preto by plane one has to go to São Paulo´s domestic airport, Congonhas (CGH), and take a flight from there. Congonhas (pronounced "Congonyas") is the busiest airport in Brazil and has several daily flights to Ribeirão Preto operated by TAM and GOL. Notice: as of May 2005, VARIG no longer operates flights between São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto.
There is a shuttle bus service linking Guarulhos and Congonhas, called "Airport Service". Buses (painted blue and red) depart daily about every thirty minutes from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm, and then hourly overnight. Cost is R$ 21 (about US$ 7). Under good traffic conditions the journey takes about one hour. Notice: São Paulo is plagued for very heavy traffic jams, especially on weekdays, so the shuttle bus journey from GRU to CGH can be very frustrating (there were cases in which it took longer than the bus trip from São Paulo to Ribeirão Preto). So, always allow plenty of time between your arrival in GRU and your departure from CGH.
An alternative for those who want to fly to Ribeirão Preto but do not need or want to spend time in São Paulo is to take the international flight to Rio de Janeiro instead of São Paulo. International flights to Rio arrive at the Tom Jobim International Airport (GIG), formerly called Galeão (pronounced "Gahleaum"). There are no flights from Tom Jobim to Ribeirão Preto but if you can afford spending some days in Rio before coming to Ribeirão Preto you might consider flying to Ribeirão Preto from Rio's domestic airport, Santos Dumont (SDU), which is located downtown. In this case, you still need to go to São Paulo because all flights from Santos Dumont to Ribeirão Preto make a stopover in Congonhas for a change of airplane but now you would be getting to Congonhas by air.
The airport of Ribeirão Preto is called "Leite Lopes". It is a small airport and after your arrival you should take a taxi to your hotel.
By Bus
Transport within Brazil is overwhelmingly road based, accounting for about 95% of travel. Because of this the Brazilian bus service is fairly good with high quality buses connecting most major cities.
To go from Guarulhos to Ribeirão Preto by bus you first need to get to the São Paulo Bus Station, known as "Terminal Rodoviário Tietê" (pronounced "Tee eh teh") or simply as "Rodoviária", which means bus station in Portuguese, (pronounced "Hodohveeahrea"). To do so you can take a blue and red shuttle bus operated by the company "Airport Service" (the same one which runs buses to Congonhas). Be sure to ask for a bus to the "Terminal Rodoviário Tietê" when buying your ticket because this company also runs buses to other destinations within São Paulo. There is approximately one bus per hour and the price is R$ 25. You can also go to Tietê Station by taxi. If you want to go by taxi you should avoid getting ordinary taxis and take a blue and white ("azul e branco") or red and white ("vermelho e branco") radio taxis. The taxi ride should cost between R$ 50-60 (US$ 17-20). Under good traffic conditions the bus or taxi ride from Guarulhos to Tietê Station takes about 45 minutes.
Tietê Bus Station is the largest and busiest bus station in Brazil. There are hundreds of buses serving virtualy every corner of Brazil and some South American countries. The bus station is also connected with a subway (metro) station, also called Tietê Station, so you will see a lot of commuters walking around. There are two bus companies which run buses to Ribeirão Preto: Rápido Ribeirão Preto and Viação Cometa. The buses run from 5:30 am to 1:00 pm approximately every half an hour. The one-way ticket costs R$ 38 (USS 17). To buy your ticket you would be better off going to the Information Desk ("Balcão de Informações") located in the upper floor and ask them where are the ticket desks of the two companies. After buying your ticket be sure to know the number and location of the platform from which your bus will depart (they are located downstairs). Notice: Since Tietê Station is a crowded area you should always watch your personal belongings carefully.
The bus ride from São Paulo to Ribeirão Preto is a non-stop journey of about four hours (the buses are equipped with air-conditioning and toilets). Once in Ribeirão Preto the bus makes two stops. The first is at the so-called "Mini-Rodoviária de Ribeirão Preto" and the second is at the main bus station in downtown Ribeirão Preto, which is also the end of the trip. It is better to drop off the bus at the main station. If there is nobody waiting for you at the station it is better to leave the arrival platform and go downstairs straight to the front of the station where there are taxis you can take to your hotel.
By Car
If you are courageous enough to drive in São Paulo (it is not dangerous but it requires a lot of patience) you can hire a car at Guarulhos. There you can find several car rental companies including Avis, Budget, Hertz, Localiza and Unidas. Since you will drive to Ribeirão Preto it is advisable to hire a car with air-conditioning. The State of São Paulo boasts the best highways in Brazil and many of them are as good as their counterparts in Europe, North America or Japan. To drive in the State of São Paulo you should know that highways are referred to by their names instead of by numerical codes. Every highway has a numerical code for sure but nobody uses it and even the official road signals refer to the highways by their names. So, to go from São Paulo to Ribeirão Preto you should take either "Anhanguera" (pronounced "Anyangwerah") or "Bandeirantes" (pronounced "Bahndeh eerantehs") highway. Just for completeness, the codes of the "Anhanguera" and "Bandeirantes" highways are "SP 330" and "SP 348" respectively.
After leaving the airport you should follow the directions to São Paulo and then to "Marginal Tietê". "Marginal Tietê" is a beltway that goes along Tietê River crossing São Paulo from east to west. It is relatively easy to get to "Marginal Tietê" from Guarulhos and once there you should drive for about thirty minutes (if the traffic is flowing) until you see directions to access "Bandeirantes" highway. There will be a sign at the right-hand side indicating "Bandeirantes Saída Exclusiva", which means "exclusive exit to Bandeirantes", and you should take it. If you miss it you will have another opportunity to leave "Marginal Tietê" by taking the "Anhanguera" highway exit some kilometers ahead.
Whatever highway you take (it is preferable to take Bandeirantes), once you have taken it you are on your way to Ribeirão Preto. Both highways are private which means they are tolled. There are seven tolls ("pedágios" in Brazilian Portuguese) between São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto and the total amount they charge is about R$ 50 (US$ 17). On your way back, only the first three tolls from Ribeirão Preto are operative so you will spend about R$ 20 (US$ 7).
Bandeirantes is a modern highway with three or four lanes each way and its speed limit is 120 km/h (74 mi/h). However, it does not go all the way to Ribeirão Preto because it merges with Anhanguera highway at km 173 (around a city called "Cordeirópolis" just after a Nestlé factory at the left-hand side of the road for those who are driving from São Paulo). Anhanguera is a somewhat older highway with two or three lanes each way. Its speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mi/h) until Bandeirantes merges with it and then it becomes 110 km/h (68 mi/h).
On your return ride you should leave Ribeirão Preto by Anhanguera and take Bandeirantes to reach São Paulo by the fastest route. When Bandeirantes arrives in São Paulo it bifurcates into two roads, one to the right and the other to the left. You should take the left one (the signs will indicate "Marginal Tietê - Zonas Norte e Leste"). Then you will be at Marginal Tietê and you should continue along it until you will see the indications to Guarulhos International Airport).
If you are a nature lover and wants to stretch your legs with a walk of about one hour in the middle of your drive to or from Ribeirão Preto there is an excellent option at the Vassununga State Park just beside Anhanguera highway at km 243 (74 km from Ribeirão Preto). You will find in this park one of the oldest living beings on Earth, a "Jequitibá Rosa" tree (Cariniana legalis) about 3,000 years old. The "forrest patriarch" as it is called is a magnificent tree about 40 m (131.2 ft) high with a 11.3 m (37 ft) circumference trunk.
For more details about the Brazilian air pass, please see:
TAM
http://www.tam.com.br
VARIG:
http://www.varig.com
For more details about the City of São Paulo, please see:
São Paulo City Official Website:
http://anhembi.terra.com.br/turismo/eng/default.asp
São Paulo:
http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/
São Paulo Tourism
http://www.cidadedesaopaulo.com/ingles/index_eng.asp
For more details about Ribeirão Preto, please see:
Ribeirão Preto Official Website (Portuguese only):
http://ribeiraopreto.sp.gov.br/
For more details about Brazil, please see:
Official Brazilian Tourism Website:
http://www.braziltourism.org/
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