Bus station (Rodoviaria Tiete), São Paulo

As soon as you arrive in Sao Paolo you realise just how huge the city is by the bus station: over 100 bays! As Rio is close there are numerous buses running there (every 15 mins at peak times) and to other cities in Brazil. You can buy tickets at the bus station from a number of agencies. The roads here in the south are very good although the price is a little high.

Map of the bus station

Finding your bus company: click here. Once at that website, in "Consulta de Viagens", type "Sao Paulo" (cidade de origem) and choose the best match offered (it will be Sao Paulo - SP), type the name of the city you want to travel, example, Buzios (Buzios - RJ), then click "Consultar" (search). The RJ stands for Rio de Janeiro, in this case, the name of the state where Buzios is located. Sometimes you'll find cities with the same name but in different states, so it's important to know the abbreviation of the state in question.

Ticket office number: click here. Once on the website, click on the bus symbol. From the list, find the bus company name and click on the respective bus symbol. Guichê = ticket office.

Unfortunately the map above isn't detailled, so you'll have to find the exact location of the ticket office by yourself. It can be located either at the "Bilheterias Ala Norte" or "Bilheterias Ala Sul". It's also good to know the bus company logo (check their website), so it'll be easier to find spot it.

I'm not sure if other busses companies accept credit card payment but as far as I remember Passaro Marron only accepts payment in cash. There are ATMs nearby (I think my husband managed to withdraw some money from one). So if you can, have some cash with you, not only for the ticket but also for food and drinks.

Bus ticket prices will depend on what time, date and bus category (“convencional”, "leito" or “executive”), so it's good to know some Portuguese... When you buy your ticket, they might show you the computer screen with the seating plan and ask you to choose a seat. When you get your ticket, you have 2 pieces of paper, one is your ticket, the other one is more bureaucratic (insurance) and you have to fill it out with your passport number, name of a person in Brazil (who will receive the insurance money in case of your death) and maybe a phone number as well and sign it. I don’t recall if the bus driver kept that paper…

Check you bus ticket for the platform number (see photo). See the map (it's well signed at the station) above and see where is your platform.

Keep in mind that traffic is a huge nightmare in Sao Paulo, so buy something to drink and eat for the trip. There are lots of food places at the station, so it will probably be difficult to choose one thing among all those stands. If you like cheese rolls, you might try "pao de queijo". Buy one at "Casa do Pao de Queijo" and if you like, order more to go (they also have mini bite sized pao de queijo as well).

We are flying into Guarulhos in a few days time and are staying at the Novotel Sao Paulo Jaragua. Is it possible to reach the hotel by bus or metro if so do you have any details on how we do this?

Thank you

It is the main bus terminal
serving major national cities and some South American countries.

Timetable and bus schedules:
http://www.socicam.com.br/webflash/oricab.asp

Cidade de origem = Depart city (S?o Paulo)

Cidade - UF de destino = Arrival city

Click on Enviar

Click on the bus company name for bus schedule.

NOTICE:
Guich? = ticket office number (it's wrong on this site, so check the right one on: www.socicam.com.br/webflash/tiete1.htm#terminal)

HOW TO GET THERE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Take the Airport Service Bus "Rodovi?ria Ti?te" at the airport. Follow the crowd, take an escalator (or stairs if you are in a hurry. There is an elevator somewhere as well) and turn left. Good luck finding your bus ticket office!

E-MAIL ME IF YOU NEED SUBWAY DIRECTIONS.

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I suggest you visit both side from the falls! I was born in iguassu and lived there for many years, each time i visit one side of the falls i thinks its more beautifull than the other, but i couldnt make my mind yet of which one is my favourite! ;)
Buses from Sao Paulo to Iguassu:

Trip nbr Departure Arrival Price Kind of bus
6850 14:30 07:30 85,89 Regular
7150 16:00 08:05 85,89 Regular
3610 18:00 07:45 215,85 Bed kind of seats
6860 20:00 10:55 85,89 Regular

From Iguassu to Sao Paulo:

Trip nbr Departure Arrival Price Kind of bus
6810 14:30 04:25 138,39 Regular
7100 16:00 08:05 125,69 Regular
3660 18:00 10:50 216,04 Bed kin dof seat
4050 18:45 10:30 138,39 Regular
7000 19:30 11:00 138,39 Regular
Infos taken from Plumas website

Enjoy your trip!

The metro line covers only a little part of the city. In your case it`s impossible to go from GRU to the TIÊTE bus station by metro, it doesn`t connect both localizations. I recommend you to take a bus named “Airport bus service” that will take you to the bus station. It’s safe and must cost about $20.You should google it and look for more information like schedule and prices. Good trip

If you're heading to Santa Catarina (Florianopolis, Camboriu and so on), the best buses are those by Catarinense (www.catarinense.net).
Heading even further, Itapemirim (or Penha, tel: 0800-723-2122) goes all the way to Porto Alegre (costs about R$ 140), Pelotas and Rio Grande (www.itapemirim.com.br).

Anyway ... I'd suggest to check the airlines out before you end up for hours in a bus. These are the cheapest options, as long as you buy the tickets way in advance: GOL (www.voegol.com.br), TAM (www.tam.com.br), BRA (www.voebra.com.br).

Two airports, Congonhas being the domestic hub, almost always delayed but not impossible. Can fly on GOL or TAM to many places for cheap, from $50 upwards. The buses in SP and Brasil in general are very good, use an executivo bus as it will be more comfortable and have a/c, there are also leito buses which recline into a bed for overnight trips...buses are a very efficient and relatively inexpensive way to get around Brasil.

I have had good experiences with this company, note they only go to destinations in the southwest of the country.

http://www.viacaogarcia.com.br/

Great - you are taking a bus to go somewhere else: Rio, the countryside, Porto Alegre - so many options!

But how do you get to the station? By subway! The subway station is actually inside the bus station - just a long hallway down.

You can get in on any subway station - check the wall maps because you want to get to the Blue Line. The Station is Tiete. Once you leave the train, follow the wall signs pointing to "Rodoviária"

Hi i am arriving in to sao paolo on 6/6/2006 and than i like to go by bus to curitia and than from curitia i like to go by to santiago de chile and than i like to return to sao paolo can you help me out