GENERAL INFORMATION
About Brazil
Brazil is the largest country in both South and Latin American
region and the population is 203.238.907 (estimate 2014),
the capital city being Brasília.
The country is divided into 26 states and one federal district
(where the federal capital is located).
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, and the
Brazilian Portuguese is a little different from the Portuguese
in Portugal. Most part of Brazilian people do NOT speak
other languages.
The Brazilian money is called “Real” and it costs about 0.42
USD (by October 2014).
Local time : BRT= GMT -3
Electric Power: 110 or 220 V, 60 Hz.
Business hours – Most stores are open from 9:00 to 18:00 on
weekdays and from 9:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. However,
many shopping centers work until 22:00.
Car rental – rented cars, with or without a driver, are available
at the main airports.
GENERAL INFORMATION
About Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro city is the capital of Rio de Janeiro state and
is located in the southeast of Brazil. The altitude ranges from
0 to 1021 m above the sea level. The city has 6.453.682
habitants. Rio is one of the most visited cities in the Southern
Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, carnival
celebrations, samba, balnerario beaches and more. The
main landmarks of the city includes Christ the Redeemer,
Sugarloaf mountain and Maracanã Stadium.
Weather
As the winter approaches, the weather in Rio de Janeiro in
May becomes a little colder, although it remains warm. The
average temperature during the day is 26°C and 21°C at
night.
GENERAL INFORMATION
GETTING IN RIO DE JANEIRO
The Belmond Copacabana Palace is a luxury hotel located
on Copacabana Beach, which is in the south zone of the city.
From the International Airport of Rio de Janeiro (also known as
Galeão or Tom Jobim), you can go to Copacabana Palace (and
vicinity) by TAXI. It is a 26 km ride that takes about 30 minutes and
costs around 60 R$ (26US$).
If you arrive in Rio at the National Airport (Santos Dumont), a taxi
ride will cost about 25R$ (11US$) and takes around 12 minutes.
In case you arrive in Rio at the Bus Station(Terminal Rodoviário
Novo Rio), a taxi will cost about 30R$ (13US$) and takes about 18
minutes.
WHERE TO STAY
Besides Belmond Copacabana Palace, a very luxury hotel, there are
many other hotels in the vicinity with different prices.
We strongly recommend the attendees to stay in Copacabana
Area.
Copacabana Area has good options for food and drinks.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Hotel Reservation: We are not responsible for
accommodation arrangements of attendees. You may find
below some examples of accommodation suggestions and at
"Travel
Information"
in
our
website:
http://meetings.cepof.ifsc.usp.br/en/ipa-spie-2015
Hotel
iBis Copacabana
Mirassol Copacabana Hotel
Copacabana Mar Hotel
Royal Rio Palace Hotel
Real Palace Hotel
Praia Lido Hotel Copacabana
Hotel Atlântico Praia
Porto Bay Rio Internacional
Hotel Rio Lancaster
Website
Ibishotel.com
mirassolhotel.com.br
copacabanamar.com.br
royalrio.com
realpalacehotelrj.com.br
praialidohotel.com.br
atlanticopraia.com.br
portobay.com
hotelriolancaster.com.br
Average price per Night (US$)
120
140
140-180
150
110-130
100
130
180
140
Security tips
Your security starts at the airport. Make sure you take care of your
belongings and use only officially recognized porter services.
Similarly, use only transport services recognized by the airport,
including taxis, buses and vans. Do NOT hesitate to obtain
information at he INFRAERO counters, the institution responsible
for the administration of the main airports in Brazil.
Always keep with you the original or a copy of your travel
documents and the entry/exit card issued by Federal Police, as
these are proof of your legal status in Brazil.
Make note on your travel documents od the name, address and
phone numbers of a person to contact in case of emergency.
When you go for a city tour, always try to stay in a group and in
places with public access, and always keep with you the name,
address and phone number of the hotel or residence you are
staying.
Never show openly that you have cash, checks, credit cards or
valuable jewelry in your possession.
In the vent to theft or loss of documents during your stay, you are
legally obliged to report the incident at the nearest Police station,
or in an emergency, by calling the Police toll-free on 190.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.visitbrasil.com/visitbrasil/opencms/portalembratur/en
/dicas-praticas.html
GENERAL INFORMATION
Visa Information
Foreign participants must contact the Brazilian Embassy, Consulate, or the appropriate Office of
Tourism, in their home country as soon as possible to determine their individual visa requirements.
If you need a personal letter of invitation to attend de event (or as part of the paperwork for the visa
application), please send your request to us as soon as possible ([email protected] or [email protected] ) - and do not forget to provide your complete mailing address and fax
number. Please note that the general procedures and rules for obtaining visas to Brazil are based on
reciprocity protocols ("international principles of reciprocity") among the countries involved.
Visa requirement for attendees:
As a general rule, conference attendees from countries for which a visa is required to enter Brazil
(e.g., USA, Japan,etc.) should apply for a Temporary Visa [in some Brazilian Consulates (i.e. Boston)
this is called Academic/ Cultural/Scientific Visa - not a "Business Visa"]. However, you must check the
exact type of visa you have to apply for with the specific Brazilian Embassy or Consulate in your
region/country.
Visa requirement for spouses:
Spouses accompanying (i.e. not registered!) a registered participant should have a valid Tourist Visa
to enter Brazil. Again, please double check this information with the specific consulate in your home
country/region. Below we provide a link you may find useful.
List of Brazilian Embassies and Consulates in many countries (Portuguese):
http://www.migrante.org.br/embaixadas.html
The above link has two tables. The first one has five columns containing the contact information
(including URLs in many cases) of many Brazilian Consulates and Embassies in several countries.
Below we list the five column labels in Portuguese (as written on the table) and their corresponding
translation to English, just in case:
País (Country)
Embaixada no Brasil (Embassy in Brazil)
Embaixada brasileira no exterior (Brazilian Embassy abroad)
Consulado (Brazilian Consulate abroad) and
Vice consulado (Brazilian Vice Consulate abroad).
The info you (most probably) need is on columns 3 and 4.
The second table (on the same link as above) lists the Brazilian Embassies and Consulates abroad by
the names of the cities they are located at. The two columns are: Embaixadas brasileiras no exterior
(Brazilian embassies abroad) and Consulados brasileiros no exterior (Brazilian consulates abroad).
Please do not hesitate in contacting us should you need any help!
(Ref: http://www.ifsc.usp.br/~pasps-v/visa.php)