Travel to Sao Paulo

Flying to Sao Paulo

British Airways and TAM Linhas Aéreas offer direct flights to São Paulo from the UK. Airlines operating direct flights from the USA include American Airlines, TAM Linhas Aéreas and United. You can find cheap flights to São Paulo in the low season from April to May and October to November.

Flight times

From London: 12 hours
From New York: 10 hours
From Los Angeles: 12 hours
From Toronto: 10 hours
From Sydney: 18 hours (including stopover)

City Airports: 
Telephone:+55 11 2445 2945
Website:https://www.gru.com.br/en
Location:

São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport is about 28km (17 miles) northeast of Catedral da Sé de São Paulo, a notable city landmark.


Money:

Currency exchange counters are in Terminal 2 (Departures and Arrivals), and Terminal 3 (Departures). ATMs are available in every terminal.


Luggage:

Malex provides luggage storage facilities in Terminal 2 (Arrivals West and Arrivals East), and Terminal 3 (Arrivals).

For items lost within São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, the Lost and Found is in Terminal 3 (Departures). Passengers can also email perdidoseachados@gru.com.br with a detailed description and wait for a response.

For lost baggage or items left on a plane, contact the airline directly.

Travel by road

Summary:

Driving into the city is a daunting prospect. Routes such as the freeway into São Paulo from Santos have high accident rates while car jacking can be an issue around the outskirts of the city. Traffic lights may be ignored, particularly at night if a driver fears for their safety.

The minimum driving age is 18 and foreigners require a valid national driving licence. Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road and speed limits are 120kph (74mph) on highways into São Paulo and vary from 30kph (19mph) to 90kph (55mph) within the city.

Emergency breakdown service:

Touring Club do Brasil (tel: +55 11 3858 2133).

Routes:

Major highways converging on the city include the SP-150 (Anchieta) and SP-160 (Imigrantes) from Santos on the coast. The BR-116 (Dutra) features tolls and is accessible from Rio but a more scenic coastal option is BR-101, then SP-55 from Rio, via Santos.

An alternative for drivers from Rio is the Senna highway (SP-070) - a faster toll road. The SP-330 (Via Anhangüera) connects the city from northern regions of the state and from Minas Gerais state.

Driving times:

From Rio: 5 hours 30 minutes
From Salvador: 26 hours
From Brasilia: 4 hours
From Foz do Iguaçu: 12 hours

Coaches:

With numerous bus companies serving destinations from all over Brazil, the three major coach stations resemble small cities. Terminal Rodoviário do Tietê (Avenida Cruzeiro do Sul, Santana) includes services to Rio and international departures. Terminal Rodoviário do Jabaquara (Rua Jequitibás, Jabaquara) has regular buses to Santos. Terminal Rodoviário da Barra Funda (Rua Mário de Andrade, Barra Funda) includes destinations in western Brazilian such as Foz do Iguaçu. For stations and operators, consult terminal operator Socicam (tel: +55 11 2223 7143; www.socicam.com.br).

Travel by rail

Services:

The city isn’t currently served by rail services beyond São Paulo state although plans exist by Agência Nacional de Transporte Terrestres (www.antt.gov.br) to create a high-speed rail link to Rio de Janeiro. This project has stalled time and time again however, and it's unlikely to be completed until the 2020s.

There is a substantial suburban rail network within the city serving destinations within São Paulo state. The city’s main rail stations include Barra Funda, Júlio Prestes, and da Luz.

Operators:

The main suburban rail operator is Companhia Paulista de Transporte Metropolitano (CPTM) (tel: 0800 055 0121, in Brazil only; www.cptm.sp.gov.br).




Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.