There are several flight options: flights of the main European airlines Air France and Iberia on the route Moscow – Rio de Janeiro with a connection in Paris, Madrid, London and Amsterdam, respectively. The same Air France (via Paris) and Iberia (via Madrid), as well as Lufthansa (via Frankfurt) and Swiss (via Zurich) fly from Moscow to Sao Paulo. The flight time is usually from 17 to 19 hours, including connections. There are no direct flights from Russia to Brazil.
Note: according to allcitypopulation, the population of Brazil is 214 million (2021).
Those who wish to get directly to the north-east of the country can fly through Madrid to Salvador or get to one of the European cities, from where you can fly to the same Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza, Natal and other cities of the country through Lisbon with the flights of the Portuguese airline TAP.
From Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, Brazil can also be reached by flights of one of the listed airlines.
Visa to Brazil
Citizens of Russia for the purpose of tourism, a short-term business visit or visiting friends and relatives for a period not exceeding 90 days do not require a visa. They won’t ask for medical insurance when crossing the border either, but you shouldn’t fly to South America without it.
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Customs
The import of foreign currency is unlimited (amounts over 1000 USD must be declared), national currency is limited. The export of foreign currency is allowed within the amount declared upon entry, national – only under a license from the Central Bank of Brazil. Imported video, film, audio equipment of non-Brazilian production is taxed. It is allowed to import duty-free one of the following items: radio, player, video camera, business notebook with computer memory. The import and export of drugs, firearms, ammunition, medicines and radioactive materials is prohibited. The export of any wild animals, their skins and products made from skins, shells, feathers and claws is prohibited.
Useful phone numbers
Embassy of Brazil in Moscow: st. Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 54; tel. +7 (495) 363-03-66, fax: 363-03-67, website
Embassy of Russia in Brasilia: Avenida das Nacoes, SES, lote A, Quadra 801; tel. (61) 223-30-94; Web site
Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Rio de Janeiro: Rua Professor Azevedo Marques, 50 – Leblon, CEP 22450-030; tel. (21) 227-400-97; Web site
Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Sao Paulo: avenida Lineu de Paula Machado, 1366, CEP 05601-001, Jardim Everest; tel.: (11) 381-441-00, 381-412-46.
Police: 199, Fire Department: 193, Ambulance: 192
Phone codes of cities: Brasilia – 61, Manaus – 92, Recife – 81, Rio de Janeiro – 21, Salvador – 71, Sao Paulo – 11.
Transport
Buses, on which the local population moves between cities, come in several levels of comfort. The most comfortable and expensive are called leito, instead of armchairs they have real beds. Night sleeping buses must be booked at least a day in advance (except for the Rio-São Paulo line, on which they run every half hour). For long distances, it is better to fly by plane (for example, a bus from Salvador to Rio takes 36 hours). The large country of Brazil has a dense network of domestic airlines connecting almost all major cities.
You can get around the cities by taxi (at prices approaching European, but by no means European sizes of some cities – primarily Sao Paulo) and buses. Rio and Sao Paulo also have subways.
In many inland and coastal areas, river and sea transport carries out a huge proportion of traffic. Numerous boats, ferries, coasters and just motor boats are the main transport in the Amazon.
Car rental in Brazil
To rent a car, you need an international driver’s license and a credit card. Rental points are usually located near large hotels and at airports (they usually work from 9:00 to 16:00, and at airports – around the clock). When renting a car, insurance is issued at the rate of approximately 10-13 USD per day, and a cash deposit is also required (if you have a credit card, this is not required). Local firms usually charge an average of 10% less rent than international ones, but their cars are usually older, and it is not always possible to return the car in another city. Traveling outside of Brazil with a rented car is prohibited.
Tourist safety
You can’t drink tap water in Brazil, but you can and should use sunscreen. Also, tourists need to be as careful as possible on the streets with money and valuables in order to avoid attacks by hooligans.
Swimming on most of the country’s beaches has one unpleasant feature: strong ocean currents run along the coast, presenting a certain danger to a bather unfamiliar with the nature of local waters and forming dangerous “standing” waves that create a powerful surf zone.
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