Getting Around Campo Grande
Campo Grande was planned in the middle of a vast green space, with wide streets and tree-lined avenues, and that layout shapes how visitors move around it. The city's public transit is built around a network of buses rather than rail, and the practical choices for a visitor come down to buses, taxis, and a good deal of walking in the central area.
Rail, Metro and Tram
Campo Grande has no metro or tram system for visitors to use. The city is served by a railway administered by the Novoeste company, which interconnects with other cities in the state along a line running from Bauru and São Paulo state through Campo Grande to Corumbá and on toward Bolivia. However, no passenger services are operated on this line — it carries freight only. For practical purposes, rail is not an option for getting around the city or reaching it.
Buses and Public Transport
Public transit in Campo Grande is composed of a network of buses. Integration between routes is possible at the terminals, where you can change buses free of charge. Terminals vary in size: some are as large as a bus station, while others are more like a simple bus stop — including the one serving the main shopping mall.
Paying your fare takes a little planning. Most buses only accept payment made with the city transit card. If you don't have a card, you have two practical options:
- Ask someone to pass their card for you, and have change ready to pay that person back.
- If you're heading to a terminal, ask the bus driver to drop you at the terminal entrance, where you can pay in cash.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis in Campo Grande are metered. As a rough guide to cost, a ride between the center and the airport runs around R$ 25 on work days and around R$ 35 on Sundays or at night. Taxis are also one of the options for reaching the city from the airport and for getting to the interstate bus terminal.
Walking
The city's planning — wide streets and tree-lined avenues laid out within a large green space — makes the central area reasonably suited to walking. Visitors staying downtown will find that many central destinations can be reached on foot, with buses and taxis filling in for longer trips.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Campo Grande International Airport (CGR), informally known as Antônio João Airport, sits close to the downtown area and is served by Latam, Gol and Azul. The airport's operation is shared with Campo Grande Air Force Base, and while operations are mostly domestic, there are also a few flights to Bolivia and Paraguay.
There is no shuttle bus service from the airport, but you still have two straightforward options:
- Bus: A bus stop is located about 50 m to the right of the main avenue, right in front of the airport as you go from the airport toward the avenue. From there you can catch a bus into town.
- Taxi: Taxis are available at the airport and will take you directly into the city; expect a metered fare in the range noted above.
Arriving by Interstate Bus
If you're coming to Campo Grande by long-distance bus, you'll arrive at the city's bus station, from which interstate services depart to destinations including Corumbá on the Bolivian border, Bonito, Iguaçu Falls, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The bus terminal is reachable from the city by bus — local lines going downtown depart from the bus stop in front of the new terminal — or by taxi.