Buses in Brazil

Taking a bus north from Florianopolis some 1,200 kms passing by the cities of Curitiba and Sao Paulo, you reach Brazil’s great beach city of Rio de Janeiro.  With only one company making the direct trip by bus from Florianopolis to Rio, chances are you may need to head to Sao Paulo first before continuing to Rio de Janeiro on another bus. 

Florianopolis to Rio de Janeiro bus route

The bus company servicing the route from Florianopolis to Rio de Janeiro is called Itapemirim and their website is http://www.itapemirim.com.br/.

 

They have one bus departure from the Rita Maria Bus Station in Florianopolis per day and the journey takes 18 hours to arrive to the Novo Rio bus station in Rio de Janeiro located on Av. Francisco Bicalho - Sao Cristovao - which is about 2 km northwest of downtown (Centro).  The only way to book in advance online through their website is with a Brazilian CPF number which is the equivalent of a tax file number issued by the Brazilian Government.  

 

Due to the single departure of this bus per day the seats sell out often and usually a day or two before departure, so it is advisable to go to the Rita Maria terminal few days in advance to secure your seat.

 

Your ticket will have the departure gate printed on it and once the bus arrives you will need to take your luggage to the attendant near the back of the bus who will store them and give you a receipt which you must produce at the end of the journey to collect them. Then you head to the entrance of the bus where another attendant will check your ticket and passport before you enter.

 

The bus is convencional class which means the seats are the semi-bed type which does not quite recline all the way. Air conditioning can get strong so make sure you have something warm with you in case. There is an onboard lavatory, but no food or drinks are offered during the journey, but the bus does stop every 3 to 4 hours at comfort stops where it is possible to purchase food and beverages and use the restrooms.

 

 

 

Connecting buses from Sao Paulo

If you are unable to get the direct bus then we suggest you take one of the many buses from Florianopolis to the Sao Paulo Tiete bus terminal where there are more departures for Rio de Janiero per day. The journey time from Florianopolis to Sao Paulo is 11-12 hrs, then there to Rio de Janeiro is a further 6 hrs.