Currency:

The currency in Brazil is the Brazilian Real. Exchange rates with the US dollar can be found here and the Euro here.

Visas:

All US citizens holding a US passport are required to obtain a visa to enter Brazil. Detailed visa information for United States citizens can be found here. The table below lists visa exemptions as of July 20, 2011. If your country does not appear in this list, or even if it does, check with the Brazilian consulate in your country for visa requirements.

COUNTRIES TOURIST AND BUSINESS VISA EXEMPTIONS
ANDORRA EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
ARGENTINA EXEMPTED
AUSTRIA EXEMPTED
BAHAMAS EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
BARBADOS EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
BELGIUM EXEMPTED
BERMUDA EXEMPTED
BOLIVIA EXEMPTED
BULGARIA EXEMPTED
CHILE EXEMPTED
COLOMBIA EXEMPTED
COSTA RICA EXEMPTED
CROATIA EXEMPTED
CZECK REPUBLIK EXEMPTED
DENMARK EXEMPTED
ECUADOR EXEMPTED
EL SALVADOR EXEMPTED
FINLAND EXEMPTED
FRANCE EXEMPTED
GERMANY EXEMPTED
GREAT BRITAIN EXEMPTED
GREECE EXEMPTED
GUATEMALA EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
GUIANA EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
HONG KONG EXEMPTED
HONDURAS EXEMPTED
HUNGARY EXEMPTED
ICELAND EXEMPTED
IRELAND EXEMPTED
ISRAEL EXEMPTED
ITALY EXEMPTED
LIECHTENSTEIN EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
LITHUANIA EXEMPTED
LUXEMBOURG EXEMPTED
MACAU EXEMPTED
MALAYSIA EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
MONACO EXEMPTED
MOROCCO EXEMPTED
NAMIBIA EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
NETHERLANDS EXEMPTED
NEW ZEALAND EXEMPTED
NORWAY EXEMPTED
OSM MALTA EXEMPTED
PANAMA EXEMPTED FROM TOURIST VISA ONLY
PARAGUAY EXEMPTED
PERU EXEMPTED
PHILIPPINES EXEMPTED
POLAND EXEMPTED
PORTUGAL EXEMPTED
ROMANIA EXEMPTED
RUSSIA EXEMPTED
SAN MARINO EXEMPTED
SLOVAKIA EXEMPTED
SLOVENIA EXEMPTED
SOUTH AFRICA EXEMPTED
SOUTH KOREA EXEMPTED
SPAIN EXEMPTED
SURINAM EXEMPTED
SWEDEN EXEMPTED
SWITZERLAND EXEMPTED
THAILAND EXEMPTED
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO  EXEMPTED
TUNISIA EXEMPTED
TURKEY EXEMPTED
UNITED KINGDOM EXEMPTED
URUGUAY EXEMPTED
VATICAN EXEMPTED
VENEZUELA EXEMPTED

Acommodations:

Rio de Janeiro has become a very busy place in recent years so attendees should make their reservations well in advance. All rates below are approximate and in Brazilian Reals. Rooms at the rates listed below may not be available. Many hotels offer package deals for a discount so we suggest you check the official hotel websites and general discount sites like hotels.com, travelocity.com, booking.com, etc. Please note that some hotels will say that they are full when you check the online booking sites but you may be able to get a room by calling the hotel directly.

The workshop is being held at the Windsor Atlântica (marked with a W). Many of the hotels are within walking distance to the workshop. From the far end of Copacabana (hotel number 18) to the workshop is approximately a 40 minute walk. All hotels are within walking distance to either the workshop or a metro (subway) station. The closest metro stop to the workshop is Cardeal Arcoverde which is a 10-15 minute walk from the workshop.

There are also numerous buses on Copacabana. The following bus routes (among others) stop near the workshop hotel: 318, 332, 336, 593, 591, 523, 2017. If you are staying in Flemengo, Botafogo, or downtown, you can take routes 177, 190, 120, 472, 308. Further bus information can be found here.

   Hotel Address (Rio) Phone Rates
W Windsor Atlântica Avenida Atlântica, 1020 +55 21 2195 7800 R$683 - R$750
2 Leme Othon Palace Avenida Atlântica, 656 +55 21 2122 5900 R$478 - R$538
3 Windsor Plaza Avenida Princesa Isabel, 263 +55 21 2195 5500 R$344 - R$378
4 Porto Bay Rio Internacional Avenida Atlântica, 1500 +55 21 2546 8000 R$450 - R$680
5 Windsor Excelsior Avenida Atlântica, 1800 +55 21 2195 5800 R$440 - R$483
6 Arena Copacabana Avenida Atlântica, 2064 +55 21 3034 1500 R$472 - R$545
7 Olinda Othon Classic Avenida Atlântica, 2230 +55 21 2159 9000 R$325 - R$406
8 Windsor Palace Rua Domingos Ferreira, 6 +55 21 2195 6600 R$410 - R$540
9 Califórnia Othon Classic Avenida Atlântica, 2616 +55 21 2132 1900 R$319 - R$415
10 Copacabana Sol Rua Santa Clara, 141 +55 21 2549 4577
11 Rio Othon Palace Avenida Atlântica, 3264 +55 21 2106 1500 R$632 - R$662
12 Savoy Othon Travel Avenida N.S. de Copacabana, 995 +55 21 2125 0200 R$330 - R$416
13 Promenade Princess Rua Xavier Silveira, 58 +55 21 2156 9700 R$365 - R$427
14 Windsor Martinique Rua Sá Ferreira, 30 +55 21 2195 5200
15 Golden Tulip Regente Avenida Atlântica, 3716 +55 21 3545 5400 R$294 - R$493
16 Copacabana Rio Avenida N.S. de Copacabana +55 21 2267 990 R$345 - R$395
17 Copa Sul Avenida N.S. de Copacabana +55 21 3202 9450 R$337
18 Sofitel Avenida Atlântica, 4240 +55 21 2525 1235 R$677 - R$772
19 Ipanema Plaza Rua Farme de Amoedo, 34 +55 21 3687 2000 R$560 - R$674
20 Caesar Park Avenida Vieira Souto, 460 +55 21 2525 2525 R$718 - R$798
21 Everest Rio Rua Prudente de Morais, 1117 +55 21 2525 2200 R$355 - R$395
22 Caesar Business Rua da Passagem, 39 +55 21 2131 1212 R$409 - R$434
23 Hotel Novo Mundo Praia do Flamengo, 20 +55 21 2105 7000 R$357 - R$513
24 Golden Park Rua do Russel, 374 +55 21 2555 2700 R$219 - R$252
25 Windsor Guanabara Avenida Presidente Vargas, 392 +55 21 2195 6000 R$361 - R$499

Getting to Rio de Janeiro:

Flight Info:

Most attendees from outside Brazil will arrive at Rio de Janeiro/Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (GIG). This airport is 12 miles (20km) north of downtown Rio de Janeiro and is serviced by taxi and bus. Rental cars are also available.

Travel Tip: If you are arriving early in the morning (from 7 to 10 am) on weekedays, you will face bad traffic from the airport to copacabana (it could take you 2 hours to get there). If it´s possible, prefer to arrive from 10am to 4 pm or, even better, on weekends.

Bus:

Taking the bus from the airport to Copacabana takes about 90 minutes. Real Auto Ônibus operates executive bus 2018, that runs half-hourly (between 05:30 and 22:30 hours), from the airport to the Central Bus Station, Rio de Janeiro downtown, Santos Dumont Airport, and the southern parts of the city along the shore, with final stop at Alvorada Bus Terminal in Barra da Tijuca.

Ticket counters for these bus services are located at the arrivals area of both terminals. You can also pay the fare of 12 reais (approximately 7USD) directly to the bus driver when you board the bus. If you are staying at Windsor Atlântica, you will have to get out in the first stop of Atlantica Avenue (the one by the beach). The hotel will be on your left.

Shuttle:

Some hotels have free shuttle service to and from the airport. Ask if your hotel offers this service when you make your reservations.

Taxi:

Taxis are available at the International Airport of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, although it´s a good idea to ignore the RDE taxi desk and go to the Rio de Janeiro State Tourism Authority desk instead, and buy prepaid taxi vouchers. Price: 70 reais (approximately 40USD).

Rental Cars:

We do not recommend renting a car in Rio. Traffic in Rio, and Copacabana especially, is very heavy and parking is very difficult. Also, few Copacabana hotels offer parking for hotel guests so be sure to check with your hotel before deciding to rent a car.

There are several international car rental companies like Thrifty, Budget, Hertz, and Avis. You can also use sites like carrentals.com, getrentalcar.com, or orbitz.com to search prices from many companies at once.

Getting to the Workshop:

The workshop is on the third floor of the Windsor Atlântica Hotel near the east end of Copacabana beach (marked on the map above with a W. Below is the floor plan for the third floor. The workshop will be held in PETRÓPOLIS B and C.




Petrópolis

Third Floor Lobby

Walking:

The workshop is right next to the beach near eastern end of Copacabana. The furthest Copacabana hotel (number 18 on the map) is a 40 minute walk along the beach from the workshop. As the tallest building in Copacabana you should have no trouble locating the Windsor Atlântica while walking along the beach.

Taxi:

Taxi is probably the best way to get from your hotel to the workshop. Avoid taking taxis that don't have a company name written on them. Your best bet is probably to ask your hotel front desk to arrange a cab for you. The workshop is at the Windsor Atlântica hotel, the address is Avenida Atlântica, 1020 - Copacabana.

Metro (subway) Info:

This map shows the subway stations and general location. More precise locations of the metro stations can be found with Google maps. Metro stops are marked with a blue square containing a white M. The closest metro stop to the workshop is Cardeal Arcoverde which is a 10-15 minute walk from the workshop.

Bus Info:

If your hotel is in Copacabana the following bus routes (among others) will stop near the workshop location: 318, 332, 336, 593, 591, 523, 2017. If you are catching the bus on Avenida Atlântica, there are no real bus stops so you'll need to flag down the bus to get them to pick you up. All other streets in Copacabana have marked stops like the one shown below. If you are staying in Flemengo, Botafogo, or downtown, you can take routes 177, 190, 120, 472, 308. Further bus information can be found here.