With just two weeks to go until the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, ticket holders will soon be planning their journey from the airports and bus station to their hotels and the Games venues.

Rio2016.com has prepared a quick guide to getting around town safely and efficiently. There have been major investments in transport infrastructure in the run-up to the Games and travelling between the venues and the airports can be straightforward by public transport.

Foreign visitors will probably arrive in Rio at one of the city's two airports. The domestic airport Santos Dumont, built partly on reclaimed land in Guanabara Bay, is within walking distance of the city centre. The airport will be open 24 hours a day from 3 to 23 August.

The larger international airport Galeão (also known as Tom Jobim) is the main gateway into the city. It is located in northern Rio and never closes.

The city's busy interstate bus station, Novo Rio, is located just to the north of the city centre.

A convenient new tram service, the VLT, connects Santos Dumont domestic airport and the bus station, running through the city centre and stopping at metro stations along the route. During the Games the tram service will run from 6am to midnight.

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On arrival

For people arriving at either the domestic airport or the bus station, one of the simplest ways of getting straight to the venues is to jump on a VLT tram, get off at the Cinelândia or Carioca metro stops and then use the metro to get to the four Olympic zones of Copacabana, Maracanã, Deodoro (with a train transfer) and Barra da Tijuca (with a bus transfer). The same combination of VLT and metro will take you to most of the major hotel districts, including Ipanema.

For visitors arriving at the international airport Galeão, the best public transport option is the Transcarioca BRT bus line. This forms part of a network of exclusive Bus Rapid Transit corridors in Rio that cross the city. The Transcarioca BRT line runs from Galeão airport to Barra da Tijuca, home to the largest cluster of Games venues. The line connects with metro stations and train stations, so it is aslo an option for getting to the other Olympic areas, the city centre and the beachside hotel districts.

To use public transport services in Rio during the Games, visitors are advised to buy the Olympic RioCard. The card is accepted for use on the BRT, metro and VLT networks and on ordinary city buses and is available in one-day, three-day and seven-day versions. The card can be bought on arrival at the airports and the bus station.

From 5 August to 18 September, only people with a RioCard and ticket to the Games will be able to travel on the new metro Line 4. Due to open on 1 August, this line will connect the popular tourist neighbourhood of Ipanema in southern Rio to Barra da Tijuca. From Jardim Oceânico station in Barra, a BRT service will run to the Olympic venues.

Only people with a RioCard will be able to use the new TransOlímpica BRT service between the two Olympic areas of Barra and Deodoro.

Buses and taxis

As well as plentiful public transport options, comfortable executive buses in Rio connect the two airports and the bus station to various locations in the city, including the beachside tourist districts of Copacabana and Ipanema. The fare for these buses is under 20 reais.

There are two types of taxi in Rio: as well as the ordinary yellow taxis there are more expensive black taxis which accept credit card payments and come with WiFi service and drivers who speak foreign languages.

In ordinary taxis, from 6am to 9pm Monday to Satuday, the taximeter starts at 5.40 reais and goes up by 2.30 reais per kilometre. From 9pm to 6am, and all day Sunday, the fare is 2.76 reais per kilometre. A red '2' figure on the left of the taximeter will light up when the more expensive rate is being charged. In executive taxis, the fare starts at 7 reais and goes up by 4 reais per kilometre. Taxi drivers may charge 2.30 reais for each piece of luggage larger than 30x60 centimetres.

At Santos Dumont domestic airport, the line for conventional taxis begins at arrivals point D. Executive taxis can be taken right outside the main lobby.

At Galeão international airport, both types of taxi depart from arrival terminals 1 and 2.

On arrival at the airports and bus stations you will be confronted by many taxi drivers offering a fixed price to your destination. This can be a good deal, as long as the price matches the official rates set by local authorities; drivers will often try to charge more.

Click on the links for the official fixed fares for conventional taxis at Galeão, Santos Dumont and the Novo Rio bus station. From Galeão to Copacabana, expect to pay about 70 reais in an ordinary taxi on the standard rate. From Santos Dumont, the fare will be about 30 reais. From the bus station, about 40 reais.

Accessible options

There is a special taxi service for people with an impairment or reduced mobility. The STAE service may be contacted at (21) 99809-1192, (21) 99786-5591 and (21) 2585-5577 or at http://www.especialcoop.com.br.  Prices are the same as those for executive taxis. The STAE service runs to the two airports and the bus station.

Journey planner

Here are some suggested public transport routes from the airports and the bus station to Olympic areas.

FROM SANTOS DUMONT AIRPORT

to Barra Olympic Park
Get on the VLT tram at the airport station
Get off at Cinelândia station
Get on the metro, direction General Osório
Get off at General Osório station
Get on the metro, direction Jardim Oceânico*
Get off at Jardim Oceânico station
Get on the BRT Transoeste, direction Parque Olímpico*
Get off at Parque Olímpico station.
*from 1 August. Only for ticket holders with an Olympic RioCard.

to Deodoro
Get on the VLT tram at the airport station
Get off at Cinelândia station
Get on the metro, direction Pavuna or Uruguai
Get off at Central station
Get on a train on the Santa Cruz line
Get off at Vila Militar station

to the Centre (Largo da Carioca)
Get on the VLT tram at the airport station
Get off at Carioca station.

to Copacabana (Siqueira Campos metro station)
Get on the VLT tram at the airport station
Get off at Cinelândia station
Get on the metro, direction General Osório
Get off at Siqueira Campos station.

FROM GALEÃO (TOM JOBIM) INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

to Barra Olympic Park
Get on BRT Transcarioca, direction Alvorada
Get off at Vicente de Carvalho station
Get on BRT Transcarioca, direction Parque Olímpico*
Get off at Parque Olímpico station.
* Only for ticket holders with an Olympic RioCard.

to Deodoro
Get on BRT Transcarioca, direction Alvorada
Get off at Madureira/Manaceia station
Get on train on Santa Cruz line
Get off at Vila Militar train station.

to the Centre (Largo da Carioca)
Get on BRT Transcarioca, direction Alvorada
Get off at Vicente de Carvalho station
Get on metro, direction Botafogo
Get off at Carioca station.

to Copacabana (Siqueira Campos metro station)
Get on BRT Transcarioca, direction Alvorada
Get off at Vicente de Carvalho station
Get on metro, direction Botafogo
Get off at Botafogo station
Get on metro, direction General Osório
Get off at Siqueira Campos station.

FROM NOVO RIO BUS STATION

to Barra Olympic Park
Get on VLT tram at Rodoviária station
Get off at Cinelândia station
Get on metro, direction General Osório
Get off at General Osório station
Get on metro, direction Jardim Oceânico*
Get off at Jardim Oceânico station
Get on BRT Transoeste, direction Parque Olímpico
Get off at Parque Olímpico station.
*from 1 August. Only for ticket holders with an Olympic RioCard.

to Deodoro
Get on VLT tram at Rodoviária station
Get off at Carioca station
Get on metro, direction Pavuna or Uruguai
Get off at Central station
Get on train on Santa Cruz line
Get off at Vila Militar station.

to the Centre (Largo da Carioca)
Get on VLT tram at Rodoviária station Rodoviária
Get off at Carioca station.

to Copacabana (Siqueira Campos metro station)
Get on VLT tram at Rodoviária station
Get off at Cinelândia station
Get on metro at General Osório station
Get off at Siqueira Campos station.

Executive bus lines

These lines run to and from the airports of Santos Dumont and Galeão (Tom Jobim). First and last times of service are given.

2018 - Alvorada (Barra) -Tom Jobim (along the beachfront): R$16, 05:40/22:30
2101 - Santos Dumont-Tom Jobim*: R$14, 05:40/18:00
2145 - Santos Dumont-Tom Jobim*: R$14, 05:30/21:30
2918 - Alvorada (Barra)-Tom Jobim: R$16, 05:30/23:00
*Also stops at the bus station.