Getting to and around Brasília

Getting there

Flights arrive at the

international airport

, www.aeroportodebrasilia.gov.br

. Alternatively, take bus from outside the terminal building. There are left-luggage facilities at the airport, banks, car rental agencies, a post office and various restaurants and shops.

Bus and train

Interstate buses arrive at the combined bus and train station, the

rodoferroviária

From here buses run to the

municipal rodoviária

, www.guiadebrasilia.com.br/cidade/turistas/rodoferroviaria.htm

, in the city centre. Both bus stations have large luggage lockers. The

rodoviária

has a post office, telephone facilities and showers.

Getting around

A good and cheap way of seeing Brasília is by taking bus rides from the municipal

rodoviária

at the centre: the destinations are clearly marked. The circular bus routes go round the city's perimeter. If staying in a hotel outside the centre, it's worth contacting them in advance to ask how to get there. A new urban railway, the metrô, runs to the southwest suburbs but is very limited.

Orientation

A competition for the best general plan was won by Professor Lúcio Costa, who laid out the city in the shape of a bent bow and arrow. It is also described as a bird or aeroplane in flight. The official name for central Brasília is the

Plano Piloto

The

Eixo Monumental

divides the city into

Asa Norte

and

Asa Sul

(north and south wings) and the

Eixo Rodoviário

divides it east and west. Buildings are numbered according to their relation to them. For example, 116 Sul and 116 Norte are at the extreme opposite ends of the city. The 100s and 300s lie west of the Eixo and the 200s and 400s to the east;

quadras

302, 102, 202 and 402 are nearest the centre, and 316, 116, 216 and 416 mark the end of the Plano Piloto.

Residential areas are made up of large six-storey apartment blocks called

'Super- Quadras'. Each Super-Quadra houses 3000 people and has a primary school and playgroup. Each group of four Super-Quadras should have a library, police station, club, supermarket and secondary school. All

quadras

are separated by feeder roads, along which are the local shops. There are also a number of schools, parks and cinemas in the spaces between the

quadras

(especially in Asa Sul), though not as systematically as was originally envisaged. On the outer side of the 300s and extending the length of the city is

Avenida W3

, and on the outer side of the 400s is

Avenida L2

, both of these being similarly divided into north and south according to the part of the city they are in.

Asa Norte is growing very fast, with standards of architecture and urbanization that promise to make it more attractive than Asa Sul in the near future. The main shopping areas, which have more cinemas, restaurants and other facilities, are situated on either side of the municipal bus station (

rodoviária

). There are now several parks and green areas. The private residential areas are west of the Super-Quadras, and on the other side of the lake.

At right angles to these residential areas is the 'arrow', the 8-km-long, 250-m wide

Eixo Monumental

. The

Eixo Rodoviário

(the main north-south road), in which fast-moving traffic is segregated, follows the curve of the bow, the radial road is along the line of the arrow; intersections are avoided by means of underpasses and cloverleaves. Motor and pedestrian traffic is segregated in the residential areas.

Best time to visit

The climate is mild and the humidity refreshingly low, but overpowering in the dry season (May to mid-October). The noonday sun beats hard, but summer (October to April) brings heavy rains and the air is usually cool by night. It's best to visit in the dry season when the stark modernist buildings stand out against the deep blue sky.

Tourist information

The tourist office,

Adetur

, has helpful English-speaking staff, and can provide a good map of Brasília. There are branches at the

rodoferroviária

and at the airport , which have more limited information but will book hotels and provide city maps.

Embratur

, www.braziltour.com

, also has a branch at the airport. The

tourist office

in the centre of Praça dos Tres Poderes has a colourful map and lots of information. The staff are friendly and have interesting information about Brasília and other places in Goiás, but only Portuguese is spoken. Other useful information is available from www.infobrasilia.com.br, www.dicasde brasilia.com.br, www.guiade brasilia.com.br and www.aboutbrasilia.com

Maps

Maps of Brasília showing individual streets are almost impossible to find. But city maps with each

quadra

marked are available from larger newsagents and at the airport. Slightly less detailed maps are available from

Adetur

This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF

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