Overview
Rio de Janeiro's rapid transit network is the Metrô do Rio de Janeiro, usually just called the Metrô. It opened on 5 March 1979 with five stations on a single line and has grown into a system covering 58 kilometres (36 mi) and 41 stations, making it the second-busiest metro in Brazil after São Paulo's. The state government owns the network and is responsible for its expansion through Rio Trilhos, while day-to-day operation and maintenance are contracted to Metrô Rio.
For a visitor, riding end to end is straightforward. You enter a station, buy or tap a fare, pass through the turnstiles, and follow signage to your platform. The system is nominally divided into three lines, but because Lines 1 and 4 run as a single operation, it effectively works as two: Line 1/4 and Line 2. Trains run Monday to Saturday from 5:00 AM to midnight, and on Sundays and public holidays from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM, with extended service during major events such as Carnaval and Réveillon. The metro is monitored, well lit and generally considered among the safest ways to get around the city.
Two things are worth knowing before you travel. First, the metro does not reach everything: it serves the South Zone and Downtown well, but there is no metro station at Santa Teresa, Jardim Botânico, Lagoa or Barra da Tijuca's beachfront beyond the Jardim Oceânico area, and neither airport has a metro station. Second, mobile connectivity varies underground, so save your route and station details before you descend.
The network
Rio's public transport is a patchwork of modes, each with its own lines, fares and payment quirks. Visitors typically find the metro and the light rail easiest to use, because both have fixed lines, clear maps, station names and signage; city buses reach far more of the city, but routes are numbered rather than destination-named, stops are poorly marked, and navigating them usually takes local knowledge.
Metro (Metrô do Rio de Janeiro)
- Line 1/4 — 32 kilometres (20 mi), running from Uruguai / Tijuca station in Tijuca to Jardim Oceânico / Barra da Tijuca station. It is a semicircular line, almost fully underground, serving Tijuca, the city centre, the South Zone and the eastern tip of Barra da Tijuca. Lines 1 and 4 operate as one connected route, so you do not need to change trains at the boundary.
- Line 2 — 30.2 kilometres (18.8 mi), running from Pavuna station in Pavuna to Botafogo station. It serves working-class residential neighbourhoods in the North Zone, the city centre and part of the South Zone. The non-shared portion is almost completely above ground, mostly at-grade and partly elevated, while the section that interlines with Line 1/4 is entirely underground.
Line 1/4 shares track with Line 2 between Central and Botafogo — a stretch of about 5 km (3.1 mi) with 10 stations. Since 2023, Line 2 has run from Pavuna to Botafogo every day, with trains continuing to General Osório during special events. Because the shared section can differ on weekends and holidays, check the platform displays before boarding.
Suburban rail (SuperVia)
Commuter trains operated by SuperVia serve the metropolitan region and are unlikely to feature in a short city visit, but they are useful if you are heading far into the suburbs. Five of Rio's eight suburban lines depart from Central do Brasil station in the centre: the Deodoro line (23 km, about 40 minutes), the Santa Cruz line (55 km, about 75 minutes), the Japeri line (62 km, about 83 minutes), the Belford Roxo line (28 km, about 53 minutes) and the Gramacho/Saracuruna line (34 km, about 62 minutes).
Light rail (VLT)
The VLT is a light-rail tram network serving Downtown and the port zone, including the Olympic Boulevard, museums and the historic centre. It connects with the metro at Central do Brasil, Carioca and Cinelândia. Note that the VLT has no turnstiles: you validate your ticket after boarding using the onboard validators, and inspectors make occasional checks.
Santa Teresa tram (bondinho)
The historic Santa Teresa tram is separate from the integrated system. Tickets are bought at the Carioca station ticket office and can be paid for by cash, credit or debit card; Jaé and Riocard are not accepted on it.
Buses and BRT
City buses cover roughly 1,000 different routes run by multiple companies, with the fare paid in cash to the driver or a fare collector and turnstiles on board. The BRT (Bus Rapid Transport) system runs on dedicated corridors, connecting to the metro at Vicente de Carvalho and Jardim Oceânico, and linking onward to the Alvorada Bus Terminal, Terminal Jardim Oceânico, Santa Cruz and Campo Grande in the west, as well as to the commuter rail system at Madureira.
Ferries (barcas)
Ferries operated by Barcas Rio connect Rio with neighbouring Niterói and other points around Guanabara Bay, departing from Praça XV in the city centre. Four routes operate: two crossing routes and two running north up the bay. You can reach the Praça XV terminal from Carioca metro station.
Tickets & fares
Fares in Rio are per trip — there are no day passes or weekly passes, so you pay each time you board. Prices below are approximate and change, so confirm the current fare when you arrive.
- Metro single fare: R$7.90 per journey.
- City buses, BRT and VLT single ride: R$5.00, though bus prices vary by route.
- MetrôRio Card: a single multi-modal trip covering the metro plus the Subway Bus, including one transfer between them, with a total time limit of two hours from entry.
- GIRO Card: a reloadable card bought or topped up at MetrôRio ticket offices, automated vending machines or via the GIRO app. It starts at R$11.90 — a R$7.90 minimum fare load plus a R$4.00 refundable security deposit — and can hold up to R$500. It works across the metro system, MetrôRio buses (Metrô na Superfície) and Bike Rio rentals, but it is not a general bus, VLT or BRT card. Registering it on the MetrôRio website is recommended so your balance is protected if it is lost or stolen.
- Jaé: the city government's payment system, available as an app or a physical card, accepted on the VLT, city buses, BRT (including from Galeão airport) and the metro. The physical card costs R$5 plus a credit top-up, and is available via the app or at selected metro and VLT stations and transport kiosks.
- Riocard Mais: the most universal card, accepted on the metro, VLT, buses, BRT, trains and barcas. The card fee is about R$4 plus a minimum load of about R$4, sold at metro and VLT stations, select bus terminals, RioCard kiosks and online, with top-ups at station machines, kiosks, the app or the website.
- Contactless bank cards (metro only): you can tap a Visa, Mastercard or Elo credit or debit card, or an NFC-enabled phone or watch, directly at the turnstile. The fare is charged immediately; you tap only on entry, with no exit validation. The VLT does not accept contactless bank cards.
- Unitário single ticket: available at stations, with QR code tickets also offered via RecargaPay.
Integrated fares exist but change with the scheme: a published metro–BRT integrated fare is R$9.70 with a Jaé card, and an integrated subway-plus-ferry fare with Riocard is R$9.40. Check the current transfer rules before relying on either. For ferries bought at the terminal alone, fares are R$5.00 from Praça XV to Square Arariboia in Niterói, R$5.00 to Paquetá and R$5.00 to Cocotá, and R$7.70 to Charitas.
There is no tourist pass as such. The closest thing to a visitor-friendly product is the MetrôRio Card's two-hour metro-plus-bus trip, and for New Year's Eve the metro sells dedicated tickets in advance for specific time slots through its official app, which controls crowd flow at the barriers.
From the airport
Rio's main international gateway is Galeão – Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (GIG), about 20 km (12 mi) north of the city centre and main hotels on Ilha do Governador. There is no direct metro link from Galeão; you have to combine modes.
- Air-conditioned buses: two lines operated by Real depart from right outside the arrivals section, running roughly every 30 minutes from 5:30 AM to 10 PM. Bus 2018 (Aeroporto Internacional do RJ/Alvorada, via Orla da Zona Sul) runs between both airports, the main bus terminal and along the beachfront at Botafogo, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, terminating at the Alvorada terminal near Barra Shopping in Barra da Tijuca; the full run takes at least 60 minutes and often double that. Bus 2918 (via Linha Amarela) runs to the Alvorada bus terminal via Jacarepaguá in as little as 35 minutes, traffic allowing. Tickets were R$16 as of December 2016.
- BRT plus metro: a cheaper option is to take the BRT to Vicente de Carvalho and transfer to the metro. The BRT does not go into the centre but loops north around Rio towards the Alvorada Bus Terminal and Terminal Jardim Oceânico. To head back to the airport, take BRT bus #30 semi direto to Galeão from Vicente de Carvalho; it leaves every 30 minutes or so from the middle doors of the 100 m long bus stop. Allow about 1.5 hours between the centre and the airport, especially the first time. Between the metro and BRT at Vicente de Carvalho, follow the white footpath. At the airport you get off at Terminal 2.
Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), east of the centre by Guanabara Bay, handles flights only from São Paulo and some of Brazil's largest cities such as Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Salvador and Brasília. It has no metro station either, but it is linked by the VLT, which connects to Carioca station, a major metro hub.
Taxis are the other main option. Booths inside the arrivals hall offer pre-set, pre-paid fares with better cars, often around double the price of the standard yellow taxis waiting at the rank about 100 metres from the arrivals exit. Yellow taxis are cheaper but usually run on meters, so heavy traffic can push the final fare up, and many drivers prefer cash over card.
Etiquette & customs
- Women-only cars: pink-marked "carro exclusivo para mulheres" carriages operate on the main lines every day throughout service. Their positions are marked on platforms and doors and vary by direction, so check before you position yourself.
- Rush hour: peak hours are roughly 7–9 AM and 5–7 PM, when trains are crowded. Keep your phone, wallet and bag secure in crowds and near the doors, and keep luggage out of the aisles.
- Alcohol: you may be refused boarding if you are consuming alcohol.
- VLT validation: because the light rail has no turnstiles, remember to validate after boarding using the onboard machines — there are separate Riocard and Jaé validators, so tap the correct one.
- Boarding and transfers: on the metro, transfer between Lines 1/4 and 2 via the shared section from Central do Brasil/Centro to Botafogo, and be on the transfer platform before the network closes.
- Planning ahead: save your route and station details before entering a station, since mobile connectivity varies underground.
Official links
Survival terms
- Metrô (met-ROH) — subway/metro
- Bilhete (bee-LYEH-chee) — ticket
- Linha (LEEN-yah) — line
- Entrada (en-TRAH-dah) — entrance
- Saída (sah-EE-dah) — exit
- Baldeação (bal-deh-ah-SOWN) — transfer
- Tarifa (tah-REE-fah) — single fare
- Passaporte diário (pah-sah-POR-chee dee-AH-ree-oh) — day pass
Load a Riocard Mais or Jaé card early in your trip, since a single card covers the metro, VLT, buses, BRT, trains and ferries and saves you from hunting for cash at every turnstile.