Rio de Janeiro: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Rio de Janeiro is a city of 6.7 million people in Brazil, 12 m (39 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), 2 km (1 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 6,904+ places to stay.
Key facts
Open Rio de Janeiro in Google Maps
Daylight in Rio de Janeiro runs from about 10 h 46 min a day in late June to 13 h 35 min in late December (computed for -22.91° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Rio de Janeiro is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), 2 km (1 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 4,341 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Rio de Janeiro Galeão – Tom Jobim International Airport (GIG, 13 km).
Flights to Rio de Janeiro: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Rio de Janeiro · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 6,904+ places to stay in Rio de Janeiro (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 761 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (613), and 26 are five-star. Across 395 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.5 out of 10. Guests have left 1,006,829 reviews in total.
Hotels in Rio de Janeiro: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 131 hostels in Rio de Janeiro, out of 6,904 places to stay of every kind — 1.9% of everywhere it lists in the city, around the middle of the range for the cities we hold figures for. Across 63 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.3 out of 10, 0.2 below the 8.5 its hotels average. Guests have left 65,425 reviews across them.
Hostels in Rio de Janeiro: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- São Paulo, 360 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Belo Horizonte, 341 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Guarulhos, 348 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Campinas, 397 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Duque de Caxias, 19 km — tours
- Nova Iguaçu, 32 km — buses · car rental · tours
- São Bernardo do Campo, 356 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Osasco, 375 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- São José dos Campos, 278 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Santo André, 353 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
Common questions
Which airport serves Rio de Janeiro?
Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), 2 km (1 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Rio de Janeiro?
About 6.7 million people live in Rio de Janeiro (GeoNames).
What time zone is Rio de Janeiro in?
America/Sao_Paulo, currently UTC-3.
What currency is used in Rio de Janeiro?
The Real (BRL). Traffic drives on the right.
Are there hostels in Rio de Janeiro?
131 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Rio de Janeiro.
How many hotels are there in Rio de Janeiro?
Our booking partner lists 6,904 or more places to stay in Rio de Janeiro, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Rio de Janeiro?
São Paulo (360 km), Belo Horizonte (341 km), Guarulhos (348 km), Campinas (397 km), Duque de Caxias (19 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.