Ruta Maraton

21 de Agosto

Race Walk 19 – Lejisimos

Cycling Road
How to get between the Tiete Bus Terminal and
the Guarulhos Airport
Sao Paulo is one of the largest cities in the World, hosting the largest population of any city in South
America and also an important airport and bus terminal hub. As such we have been asked many
times about how to get between the Tiete bus terminal and the Guarulhos airport and vice versa.
Although there are two airports in Sao Paulo the far majority of inquires we receive relate to the Sao
Paulo Guarulhos International Airport or GUR for short. Most international flights arrive to and depart
from GUR which is located 25 km (18 miles) northeast of the city. Depending on traffic conditions you
can reach the downtown area in about 40 min. But you have to take into account that peak hour traffic
of this monster city can prolong your journey to about 2 - 3hours some days!
Although Sao Paulo has a number of bus terminals servicing the city, the most known and also one of the
largest in the world is the Tiete terminal which is located 26.52 Km from the GUR airport. In Portuguese
the word for bus terminal is Rodoviaria, so the Brazilians call it the Rodoviara Tiete.

A=Guarulhos Airport B=Tiete Bus Terminal

View Larger Map
There are a number of options when it comes to choosing transport between the Guarulhos Airport
and the Tiete bus terminal. But worth mentioning first is the Airport Bus
Servicehttp://www.airportbusservice.com.br/. You need to purchase your ticket for this bus before
you board it at both the airport and bus terminal so look for the Airport bus service ticket desk. On
average it departs every 45 minutes and costs between R$35 and R$40 Brazilian Reals per person. Just
remember that this bus is not immune to heavy traffic and delays are not uncommon.
If you can share a taxi with a few people it turns out not to be that more expensive at a fare of about
R$120 Brazilian Reals. From GUR you can take the official airport taxi to the Tiete terminal which offers
fixed prices that you pay beforehand at the Taxi Guarucoop desks located at the exit gates of terminal
1 and 2 on the arrival and lower floor.
On the bottom floor of the Tiete terminal you will also find safe official taxis which offer a fixed price
to the airport. Pay the fare at either of the 2 taxi desks on the lower floor and they will give you a
ticket to give to the driver as proof of payment. Credit cards are accepted!
If you need another low- priced option, you can connect the metropolitan bus with the subway network.
This option may take more than an hour to get between the Tiete terminal and the GUR airport, but it
may also be quicker during peak traffic hours. The Tiete terminal has its own subway (metro) stop
called thePortuguesa - Tiete attached to it.
From the Guarulhos Airport you have to take the metropolitan bus to the Tautapé subway station (line
299 or line 257), there you catch the red line and get off at the Sé subway station and change over to
the North-South line (blue line) in the direction of Tucuruvi before getting off at the Portuguesa -
Tietê station. Just do the reverse if travelling from Tiete to GUR. Here is the map of the subway
system: Sao Paulo Metro Map.
If you need to stop overnight before your bus or flight there are not many hotel options close to the
Tiete terminal except for some situated in not so recommended areas. The closer decent hotels are not
so cheap but you can see some options here which display how many kilometers they are from the
terminal in the brackets: hotels close to the Tiete Terminal. On the other hand, you can take
the Airport Bus Service and get off at the Paulista Avenue where you have lots of nearby hostel and
hotel options.
Brazilians are kind and helpful, even in the megalopolis of Sao Paulo! If you have any doubts a bright
smile will go a long way towards getting help with directions!!