Travel · Getting around
Getting around Rio: the metro, the VLT, the ferry and the tram
Rio’s metro, light rail and ferries take you from the beaches to Centro and across the bay. Here is how to use them, checked against the operators’ own websites on 28 October 2026.
Updated October 2026
Along the beaches by metro
MetrôRio’s Line 4 runs from Jardim Oceânico in Barra da Tijuca through São Conrado to Leblon and Ipanema, where Line 1 continues through Copacabana and Botafogo to Centro and the north; Line 2 runs north to Pavuna. Maps and fares on metrorio.com.br.
The VLT through Centro and the port
The VLT Carioca light rail links Santos Dumont Airport, the Praça XV, Cinelândia, the Praça Mauá and the Rodoviária Novo Rio (trilhos.motiva.com.br/vltrio).
Across the bay
The Barcas cross Guanabara Bay from the Praça XV to Niterói and the island of Paquetá; check the operator’s timetable before you travel.
The tram to Santa Teresa
The bonde leaves its station near the Largo da Carioca and crosses the Arcos da Lapa into Santa Teresa; check times before you go.
Out of Rio by coach
Coaches for Petrópolis, Búzios, Paraty and Angra dos Reis leave the Rodoviária Novo Rio, at Avenida Francisco Bicalho 1 (rodoviariadorio.com.br); the VLT stops outside.
The great journeys
See ULTIMATE Cruises for the cruise lines that call at Rio, and ULTIMATE Rail Journeys for the great railway journeys of the world.
ULTIMATE Cruises ULTIMATE Rail Journeys
Questions and answers
Does the metro go to Ipanema and Copacabana?
Yes: Line 4 serves Leblon and Ipanema, and Line 1 runs from Ipanema through Copacabana to Centro.
How do I get to Niterói?
By the Barcas ferry from the Praça XV.
Sources: metrorio.com.br, trilhos.motiva.com.br/vltrio, riogaleao.com, aena.com.br and rodoviariadorio.com.br (checked 28 October 2026). Timetables change: always check before you travel.