To Largo da Carioca · One way · All prices are totals for 1 adult · All service hours
2 transfer optionsCar hire · not ranked
Not all night: the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca runs 04:20–23:15.
Recommended
The cheapest way in. The Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro is 43 minutes quicker for R$127.30 more, which is not worth it at this party size.
Bus
BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca
42→2 · MOBI-Rio and MetrôRio
73 min rideEvery 10 min04:20–23:15
Galeão→Carioca metro station
1 change
R$9.70total for 1 adultR$9.70 eachBuy ticketOn MOBI-Rio and MetrôRio
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Galeão – Tom Jobim 2 BRT station, outside Terminal 2 arrivals at door D, or Tom Jobim 1 at Terminal 1
The BRT-and-metro fare on a Jaé card, if you enter the metro within two hours. Paid separately the BRT is R$5.00 and the metro R$7.90. The card is a R$5.00 deposit.
Hours. Mondays to Saturdays; Sundays and holidays 06:20 to 22:15. The bus runs all night, but the metro runs only 05:00 to midnight (Sundays and holidays 07:00 to 23:00).
Driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board→Any address in the Centro
Non-stop24-hour servicePer vehiclePre-book
€23total for 1 adult€23 each · about R$137 in allBook transferPartner link · through Welcome Pickups
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board
Charged in euros: €23 for the sedan, €50 for the minivan. Converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate of 15 September 2026 only to compare it with the local fares; your card's rate will differ a little.
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How do I get from Galeão airport to Rio de Janeiro city center?
For one traveler we recommend the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca at R$9.70, 73 min, which is also the cheapest way in; the fastest is the Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro at €23, 30 min. Every option below is priced as a total for your party and says where it leaves you.
A few things for the rest of your trip
Partner offers
Not transport options · Affiliate links
Car hire at Galeão airportDiscover Cars
Hire a car for Petrópolis, Búzios, Paraty or the Costa Verde at your own hours; nothing on this page leaves the city. You are staying in the Centro, Copacabana or Ipanema: BRT 42 and the metro reach Carioca in about 75 minutes for R$9.70 on a Jaé card. Discover Cars shows the full price before you book.
A flight three or more hours late, or cancelled at short notice, can be owed up to €600 a passenger under EU and UK rules, depending on the flight. AirHelp charges only if the claim succeeds.
These links pay us a commission. They never change which transfer we rank first.
Arriving late?
Not everything runs around the clock: the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca runs 04:20–23:15. Outside those hours, the Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro is what remains. Set the hour you leave arrivals and the board keeps only what is running.
Going somewhere specific?
"The center" is not one place, and the answer changes
BRT 42 leaves from the Galeão – Tom Jobim 2 station outside Terminal 2 arrivals, door D, and calls next at Tom Jobim 1 by Terminal 1. The express bus to Terminal Gentileza also leaves from Terminal 2 arrivals.
Tickets
Buy a Jaé card (R$5.00 deposit) at the self-service machine in the BRT station; the machines take cards and notes and give no change. The R$9.70 BRT-and-metro fare works only on a Jaé card.
The taxi rank
Ordinary taxis leave from Terminal 2's ground floor at door A, near domestic arrivals, and executive taxis from door B. Fares go by the meter or the city's regulated table; the taxi companies' counters are in Terminal 2 arrivals.
Uber and Bolt
Uber has its own pickup point on the arrivals level: turn left as you leave the arrivals area. It serves domestic and international flights.
Before you travel
Where each one starts, how long it runs, what it carries
42→2 · MOBI-Rio and MetrôRioBRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca
From
Galeão – Tom Jobim 2 BRT station, outside Terminal 2 arrivals at door D, or Tom Jobim 1 at Terminal 1
To
Carioca metro station, on Largo da Carioca in the Centro
Runs
04:20–23:15
Journey
73 min
The BRT-and-metro fare on a Jaé card, if you enter the metro within two hours. Paid separately the BRT is R$5.00 and the metro R$7.90. The card is a R$5.00 deposit.
Change at Vicente de Carvalho from the BRT to the metro, inside the station.
On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays line 2 trains may end at Estácio: change there to line 1 for Carioca.
Mondays to Saturdays; Sundays and holidays 06:20 to 22:15. The bus runs all night, but the metro runs only 05:00 to midnight (Sundays and holidays 07:00 to 23:00).
42→2→1 · MOBI-Rio and MetrôRioBRT 42 and metro lines 2 and 1 to Ipanema
From
Galeão – Tom Jobim 2 BRT station, outside Terminal 2 arrivals at door D, or Tom Jobim 1 at Terminal 1
To
General Osório metro station, on Praça General Osório in Ipanema
Runs
04:20–23:15
Journey
93 min
The BRT-and-metro fare on a Jaé card, if you enter the metro within two hours; the change from line 2 to line 1 is free. The card is a R$5.00 deposit.
Change at Vicente de Carvalho to metro line 2, then to a line 1 train for General Osório anywhere from Central to Botafogo.
On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays line 2 trains may end at Estácio: change there to line 1.
Mondays to Saturdays; Sundays and holidays 06:20 to 22:15. The bus runs all night, but the metro runs only 05:00 to midnight (Sundays and holidays 07:00 to 23:00).
transfer · Welcome PickupsWelcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro
From
Driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board
To
Any address in the Centro, Copacabana or Ipanema
Runs
All night
Journey
30 min
Charged in euros: €23 for the sedan, €50 for the minivan. Converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate of 15 September 2026 only to compare it with the local fares; your card's rate will differ a little.
The price is fixed and paid when you book, so traffic does not change it; in heavy traffic the ride takes longer.
Seven or more travellers are quoted when you book.
What is the best way from Galeão airport to Rio de Janeiro city center?
For one traveler, the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca at R$9.70, 73 min. The cheapest way in. The Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro is 43 minutes quicker for R$127.30 more, which is not worth it at this party size. From 2 travelers we recommend the Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro instead: direct and 43 minutes quicker than the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca, for R$117.60 more for 2. How we weigh price against time is set out on the fares page, in numbers.
What is the cheapest way from Galeão airport to Rio de Janeiro city center?
For one traveler, the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca at R$9.70. Per-person fares multiply with the size of your party and per-vehicle fares do not, so check the total for your group rather than the single fare.
How do I get from Galeão airport to Rio de Janeiro city center by bus?
One bus reaches Largo da Carioca: the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca, R$9.70 for one traveler, 73 min, to Carioca metro station. For one traveler that is the cheapest way into Rio de Janeiro by any means. The fastest way overall is the Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro, 30 min. See every option by bus
How do I get from Galeão airport to Rio de Janeiro city center by taxi?
One taxi reaches Largo da Carioca: the Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro, €23 for one traveler, 30 min, to any address in the Centro. It is not the cheapest way in: the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca at R$9.70 is. See every option by taxi
How long does it take to get from Galeão airport to Rio de Janeiro city center?
BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca: 73 min. Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro: 30 min
How far is Galeão airport from the city center?
Galeão Airport does not publish a distance to the city. By time: the fastest way in, the Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro, takes 30 min; the cheapest, the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca, 73 min.
Is there Uber or Bolt at Galeão airport?
Uber has its own pickup point on the arrivals level: turn left as you leave the arrivals area. It serves domestic and international flights.
Where do I catch the BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca at Galeão airport?
Galeão – Tom Jobim 2 BRT station, outside Terminal 2 arrivals at door D, or Tom Jobim 1 at Terminal 1. Follow the signs from arrivals. It leaves you at Carioca metro station, on Largo da Carioca in the Centro.
Is there a train from Galeão airport to Rio de Janeiro at night?
The BRT 42 and metro line 2 to Carioca runs 04:20–23:15. Outside those hours the Welcome Pickups transfer to Rio de Janeiro is what remains; it is €23 for the vehicle. Mondays to Saturdays; Sundays and holidays 06:20 to 22:15. The bus runs all night, but the metro runs only 05:00 to midnight (Sundays and holidays 07:00 to 23:00).
Does the BRT 42 and metro lines 2 and 1 to Ipanema go to Largo da Carioca, in the Centro?
Goes on past the Centro to Copacabana and Ipanema, the beach districts, with a second change from line 2 to line 1.
Does the BRT express bus to Terminal Gentileza go to Largo da Carioca, in the Centro?
Ends at Terminal Gentileza, by the Novo Rio bus station north-west of the Centro. VLT tram lines 1 and 4 run on from there into the Centro.
Worth knowing
Rio's metro does not reach the airport. BRT 42 links both terminals with Vicente de Carvalho on metro line 2, a ride of about 45 minutes, and one Jaé card pays for both.
Copacabana and Ipanema, where most visitors stay, are on metro line 1, a change from line 2 anywhere between Central and Botafogo.
Taxis from the ranks charge by the meter or by the city's regulated table. Executive taxi companies sell rides at counters in Terminal 2 arrivals.
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