Taxis are available outside the terminal. Visitors are advised to buy prepaid taxi vouchers at the Rio Tourism Authority desk; they are usually a little bit more expensive but give you peace of mind. It is advisable to ignore the RDE taxi desk and go to the Rio de Janeiro State Tourism Authority desk instead and buy prepaid taxi vouchers there. If you hail a taxi outside the terminal make sure the metre is cleared of the last fare.

A multi-storey carpark is available.

Car rental companies, including Avis and Hertz can be found in Terminal 1.

The easiest and fastest transport from the airport is by taxi. Taxi vouchers should be bought from the Rio de Janeiro State Tourism Authority desk in the arrivals terminal to avoid any hassle and should cost about US$25. Public buses are available and passengers can connect to Rio's Novo Rio Rodoviaria bus station in the city centre. Fares are roughly US$3. More expensive airport shuttles are available to downtown hotels and popular destinations but can have an English speaking guide.

Tel: +55 21 3398 4106, 3398 4208 or 3398 5050.

US$12 to US$36 depending on category

The airport is well equipped with facilities including ATMs, banks and bureaux de change, shops, restaurants and bars, duty-free shopping, luggage lockers and a tourist help desk. Facilities for the disabled are good.

The spoken language in Brazil is Portuguese, however Spanish and English are also used in the cities.

The Brazilian monetary unit is the real (BRL), plural reais. There are 100 centavos to the real. The US dollar is also welcome in most tourist establishments. In the main cities foreign currencies and travellers cheques can be exchanged at banks or cambios. There is an extensive network of ATMs in the country and most major international credit cards are accepted.

A moving walkway connects the two terminals.

Brazil spans four time zones: Rio and Sao Paulo: GMT -2 (GMT -3 April to October); Brasilia and Belm: GMT -3 (GMT -2 October to March); GMT -4 in the West.