Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Transportation in Recife

Plane

Recife's modern Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) is efficient, user-friendly and close to the city. There are direct scheduled flights to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Salvador, Fortaleza, Maceió, Natal, João Pessoa, Aracaju, Petrolina, Campina Grande, Juazeiro do Norte, as well as to Atlanta (Delta), Buenos Aires, Lisbon (TAP), Madrid, Miami, Milan, Oporto and Paris. There are also regular charter flights from other European cities, such as Helsinki and Amsterdam.
Domestic airlines operating regular scheduled flights to Recife: GOL, OCEANAIR, TAF, TAM, TRIP, VARIG and WebJet.

Car
Some distances by road: Olinda (7 Km), Cabo de Santo Agostinho (33 Km), Igarassu (39 Km), Itamaracá (49 Km), Porto de Galinhas (64 Km), Tamandaré (99 Km), Caruaru (135 Km), Garanhuns (245 Km), Triunfo (450 Km), Serrita (544 Km), Araripina (690 Km) and Petrolina (740 Km).
Three state capitals are less than four hours away: João Pessoa (120 Km), Maceió (285 Km) and Natal (297 Km). A twelve-hour drive separates Recife from either Fortaleza (800 Km due north) or Salvador (839 Km due south).
It is also possible to drive from/to other regions of Brazil, but distances are significantly longer: Belo Horizonte (2,061 Km), Belém (2,074 Km), Brasília (2,220 Km), Rio de Janeiro (2,338 Km), São Paulo (2,660 Km), Curitiba (3,078 Km) and Rio Branco (5,243 Km).
Highway BR-101, also known as the Translitoranean, connects Recife with beaches along Pernambuco's coast, other coastal cities in the Northeast (Natal, João Pessoa, Maceió, Aracaju, Salvador), as well as Vitória and Rio de Janeiro.
Highway BR-232 connects Recife with Gravatá and Caruaru.
Highway BR-408 connects Recife with Campina Grande.

Bus
Recife's long-distance bus terminal, Terminal Integrado de Passageiros (TIP), is way out in the suburbs. For information, call TIP at +55 81 3452-1999. TIP is connected to the city by MetroRec train (around 15 minutes). Bus companies have booths at the Central MetroRec station in town, so at least you do not have to trek out just to buy advance bus tickets.
Bus companies serving Recife's TIP Bus Station:
Boa Esperança, tel.: +55 81 3452-1618 (to/from Belém)
Bonfim, tel.: +55 81 3452-1155/2066 (to/from João Pessoa),
Borborema, tel.: +55 81 3452-2859 (to/from Vitória de Santo Antao),
Caruaruense, tel.: +55 81 3452-2500 (to/from Caruaru, Gravatá)
Cruzeiro, tel.: +55 81 3452-2025 (to/from Porto de Galinhas, Tamandaré)
Expreso 1002, tel.: +55 81 3452-2796 (to/from Aliança, Carpina, Limoeiro, Paudalho, Salgadinho, Surubim, Timbaúba, Taquaritinga do Norte)
Expresso Guanabara, tel.: +55 81 3452-2100 (to/from Fortaleza, Mossoró, Imperatriz, Marabá)
Gontijo, ), tel.: 0800-311-312 (to/from Belo Horizonte, Montes Claros, Sao José do Rio Preto, Uberaba, Uberlândia, Vitória da Conquista)
Itamaracá, tel.: +55 81 3542-1011 and 3424-8331 (to/from Abreu e Lima, Igarassu, Itamaracá Island, Paulista)
Itapemirim, tel.: +55 81 3452-2111 (to/from Barra do Garças, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Campos, Curitiba, Feira de Santana, Foz do Iguaçu, Goiânia, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Paulo, Vitória, Vitória da Conquista)
Jotude, tel.: +55 81 3452-1741 (to/from Garanhunhs, Gravatá)
Leão do Norte, tel.: +55 81 2121-9111 (to/from Arcoverde, Campina Grande, Paulo Afonso)
Penha, tel.: 0800-723-2122 (to/from Feira de Santana, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador)
Princesa do Agreste, tel.: +55 81 3452-1371 (to/from Araripina, Crato, Juazeiro do Norte, Salgueiro, Serra Talhada, Teresina)
Progresso, (to/from Aracaju, Araripina, Arcoverde, Campina Grande, Garanhuns, João Pessoa, Juazeiro, Monteiro, Natal, Paulo Afonso, Pesqueira, São Luís, Serra Talhada, Teresina, Triunfo). Tickets can be bought in Boa Viagem, tel.: +55 81 3465-4640; Boa Vista, +55 81 3231-1860; MetroRec Central Station, +55 81 3424-5648
Real Alagoas, tel.: +55 81 3452-1511 (to/from Aracaju, Ipojuca, Maceió, Maragogi, Sao José da Coroa Grande, Sirinhaém)
São Domingos, tel.: +55 81 3452-2462
São Geraldo, tel.: +55 81 3452-2733 (to/from Caruaru, Curitiba, Foz do Iguaçu, Garanhuns, Palmas, Petrolina, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)
Transacreana, tel.: +55 11 6698-7399 and +55 61 8402-8418 (to/from Cacoal, Cuiabá, Feira de Santana, Ji-Paraná, Porto Velho, Rio Branco, Rondonópolis, Vitória da Conquista)

By sea
You can arrive in cruise ships at the Port of Recife.
Cruises may come from other Brazilian states, from other countries in South America and the Caribbean, or from Europe. Transatlantic cruise liners include Holland America Line ms Rotterdam, Holland America Line ms Prisendam, Oceania Cruises Insignia, SeaDream Yacht Club, Royal Caribbean International Splendour of the Sea, P&O Cruises Artemis, Cunard Line Queen Elizabeth II, among others.
Cruises from Recife to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago are also available.

Taxi
Taxi is the best bet. Look for registered taxi companies which charge standard rates. Ask for a car with air conditioning (especially in the summer).
TeleTáxi
Tel: +55 81 2121-4242
Ligue Táxi
Tel: +55 81 3228-6830
Coopetáxi
Tel: +55 81 3224-8441
Disk Táxi
Tel: +55 81 3224-5410
RádioTáxi Recife
Tel: +55 81 3222-6580
Recife Táxi
Tel: +55 81 3424-3020

Rent a car:
Avis
Tel: +55 81 3341-2542
Clean Car
Tel: +55 81 3326-4236
Fleet Car
Tel: +55 81 3465-4777
Hertz
Tel: +55 81 3461-1222
Interlocadora
Tel: +55 81 3341-5364
Localiza
Tel: +55 81 3341-2082
Locarauto
Tel: +55 81 3341-6544
Nobre
Tel: +55 81 3326-5673
Rede Brasil
Tel: +55 81 3341-5549
Unidas
Tel: +55 81 3325-5949

Buses are the best form of public transportation. They are all over the city.
MetroRec, Recife's subway system. Although it is the third largest in Brazil, it only covers limited areas of the city. It provides a useful link between the city center and the TIP Bus Station in the outskirts. Otherwise, the metro does not serve any major tourist areas. The Southern Line, which is under construction, will provide direct access to the airport and Shopping Center Recife.
Recife Highlights are based on work by Wikitravel users and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license.

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