Rio de Janeiro airports: Galeão (GIG) and Santos Dumont (SDU)

At a glance

Which Rio de Janeiro airport you land at

If you fly in from abroad, you land at Galeão, code GIG, which the operator brands RIOgaleão. Santos Dumont, code SDU, takes domestic flights and sits on Guanabara Bay at the edge of the centre. Visitors arriving from São Paulo often land there; see São Paulo to Rio for that leg.

Arrivals services at Galeão, from the taxi counters to the Uber point, are listed by the airport under Terminal 2, so that is where you will spend your first minutes.

Taxi from Galeão

The taxi counters are in Terminal 2 on level 0, in the arrivals area near domestic arrivals.

The airport says fares follow the meter or a table set by the city, and it publishes both tables as PDFs. The airport also lets you book a regular or executive taxi online through its GaleOn platform. The UK Foreign Office advises against hailing taxis on the street and points travellers to the authorised booths found at most airports.

Uber and other ride apps

Uber has its own pickup point on the arrivals level: leave the arrivals area and turn left. It serves both domestic and international flights. For other apps, follow the pickup point shown in the app. The UK Foreign Office suggests waiting in the designated airport pickup area and checking that the plate and driver details match the app before you get in.

You need mobile data to order a car, so set up a SIM or eSIM before you fly.

Buses and BRT

The airport lists several bus lines. The ones a visitor might use:

• Galeão to Terminal Gentileza, from Terminal 2, run by Mobi-Rio. Terminal Gentileza is a transport hub where you can change to the VLT tram (lines 1 and 4) and city buses.
• BRT Transcarioca, daily from 04:00 to midnight, from the stations Galeão Tom Jobim 1 and Galeão Tom Jobim 2. It runs to Terminal Alvorada in Barra da Tijuca and to Madureira, and passes Vicente de Carvalho, where you change to metro line 2.
• Lines from Terminal 2 to Búzios and Macaé, run by Auto Viação 1001.

None of the lines on the airport’s list names Copacabana, Ipanema or Leblon, so getting to the beach districts by public transport means at least one change. Since 30 May 2026 city buses in Rio do not take cash on board: the city moved to the Jaé card, with PIX and bank cards added at the validators during 2026. With suitcases, after a long flight, we would take a car.

What you find in arrivals

The airport lists these services as open 24 hours:

• currency exchange (Global Exchange and Banco Safra);
• ATMs.

There is also a phone and SIM shop (Aerochip); the airport does not publish its hours.

Arriving at Santos Dumont

Santos Dumont has a VLT tram stop. Line 1 runs from the airport towards Terminal Gentileza and line 3 to Central. Change to the metro at Cinelândia or Carioca and ride line 1 to Copacabana or Ipanema.

• The VLT runs daily from 05:00 to 23:00. You pay with a Jaé card from the machines at the stops (not on board) or a QR code from the Jaé app, a new one for each trip.
• Large luggage is not allowed on the VLT, so with suitcases a car is the practical choice.
• On the metro you can tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or Elo card, or a phone, at the turnstile.

More on lines and hours: getting around Rio.

When a transfer makes sense

• You land late at night: the metro runs until midnight Monday to Saturday and until 23:00 on Sundays and holidays.
• You travel with children, older relatives or a lot of luggage.
• There are five or more of you and one regular taxi will not fit everyone.
• It is your first time in Brazil and you have no local SIM yet.

How we help

We book a driver who waits for you in arrivals, tracks your flight and takes you to the door of your hotel. For trips across the city or out of town we can keep the same car and driver for the day. See airport transfer in Rio and private driver in Rio. If you arrive by ship, read Rio cruise port.

What to tell us in your request

• airport and flight number, date and landing time
• number of adults and children (ages, for child seats)
• number of suitcases and any large items
• hotel or address in Rio
• return flight, if you want the drive back too
• language you want to be met in: the team answers in English, Spanish and Portuguese

Terms and payment are set out in the proposal; you pay nothing before you confirm. Check entry requirements on official websites before you travel. Write to us with your flight details.