How to get in from Rio de Janeiro International Airport (GIG) to the city
Most tourists take taxis from the airport
If you're taking taxi, I suggest taking what's called radio taxis. They're fixed price rather than the yellow metered taxis you see outside the terminal, so you get a peace of mind if it's your first time in Rio
Cost is flat 130 reals ($35US) to popular tourist accommodation areas like Ipanema and Copacabana. Don't need to tip
Takes around 50-100 min depending on traffic
Can pay by credit cards
You need to book them inside the terminal. Look for booths that says "Radio Taxi"
Personally I used to take Uber all the time, and this is what I recommend
Cost is around 60 reals ($15) for UberX to get to Ipanema
100 reals for Uber Black ($25)
Again, takes around 50-100 min to get in
You can use the 60 min free wifi at the airport terminal to get call your Uber. Just connect to "”RIO GALEAO Wi Fi" network
There's a dedicated place in the airport now to meet your Uber driver, just follow directions in the Uber app
There's also a dirt cheap bus option that a lot of people take, called BRT, but I don't recommend it
It's so cheap, 3.6 reals each way (around $1)
It's considered public transportation and will generally be very packed, so be mindful of that.
The buses were in pretty nice condition, and they use dedicated lane on the expressway so it can move pretty fast
But I don't recommend taking it if it's your first time in Rio, because to get to all the major tourist areas of Rio, including Centro, Ipanema, Copacabana, etc. you need to transfer to metro, which is a hassle if you have a lot of luggages and don't know how to navigate