We spent a fantastic Carnival week in Rio. Now, it was time to head to São Paulo before continuing our journey south through Brazil.
Many buses, operated by various companies, run the route between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. All depart from Rio’s central bus terminal (Rodoviária) located here. The day before our intended departure, we stopped by the station in person, hoping to get cheaper tickets at the companies’ booths. But it turned out they were more expensive than online. So we booked through this website—the only one we found that didn’t require a bloody CPF to complete the reservation. With prices exceptionally high due to Carnival, the trip cost us 250 reais per person on a bus operated by Penha.
As usual, we chose to take a night bus to save on accommodation. Since we had to check out of our budget homestay in Rio’s Méier district in the afternoon, we whiled away several hours at the bus station before our midnight departure. The terminal was huge and crowded, with an excessive number of shops and restaurants. It differed from an airport in that it didn’t have free toilets, instead charging a rather high 3 reais per use.
The bus was super comfortable, and we slept straight through the six-hour trip. Arriving in São Paulo at dawn, we killed a few more hours at the local terminal until check-in time, then took a taxi to our hotel.
As we found out, the hotel was an absolute bargain because it was situated right in the middle of Cracolândia—São Paulo’s notorious crack district. Although I wouldn’t recommend it to the faint-hearted, it offers a unique mix of low-budget, upscale accommodation and an opportunity to experience a distinct—though sad—side of São Paulo.
Anyway, we settled in and spent three days exploring the city before heading to Florianópolis.
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Photos
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Accommodation & Activities in São Paulo
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