International and most domestic flights land at Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (better known as Galeão International Airport)

This airport is 20 km away from the city center and main hotels. While you can sometimes zoom through Immigration and Customs, be prepared for a long wait. Brazilians travel with lots of baggage and long queues can form at Customs, which are usually hopelessly understaffed.

Santos Dumont Airport gets flights only from São Paulo and a few other domestic destinations. Located right next to the city center, by the Guanabara bay. Don't rush off without taking a look at the inside of the original terminal building, which is considered a fine example of Brazilian modernist architecture. 

An air-conditioned bus service operated by Real departs every 20-30 minutes from 5:30AM to 10PM and runs between both airports, the main bus terminal and further along the beachfront in Botafogo, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon, and has its terminus at the Alvorada terminal near Barra Shopping in Barra da Tijuca.

The full run takes at least 60 minutes, often double that. The bus has plenty of luggage space and is comfy. A smaller bus, also by Real, runs every 30 minutes directly from Alvorada to Galeão airport along the Linha Amarela in as little as 35 minutes, traffic allowing.

There are two types of taxis. As you leave Customs you will see booths of different companies offering their services. These are more expensive than the standard yellow taxis that are to be found outside the terminal building but the quality of the cars is generally better. These taxis often charge double the price of those ordinary taxis from the rank located around one hundred metres from the arrivals exit.

Money change facilities are limited and high commissions are charged. Slightly better rates can be obtained, illegally, at the taxi booths but they may want you to use their cabs before changing money for you. In any event, don´t change more than you have to as much better rates are available downtown.

From the US, there are non-stop flights to Rio de Janeiro only from Washington, D.C. with United Airlines, Houston with Continental Airlines, Charlotte with US Airways, Miami with American Airlines, and Atlanta with Delta Airlines. From New York, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and most of the rest of the USA, you have to make a stop in the aforementioned U.S. cities or in São Paulo to get to Rio.

TACA connects Rio de Janeiro with Lima, with onward connections to Central America or other South American cities.

From Europe, Air France flies twice a day from Paris, British Airways three times a week from London, TAP twice a day from Lisbon and Porto, and Iberia daily from Madrid and Barcelona.