The Traveller's Magazine
If football is your game then you will not want to miss out on visiting Brazil in 2014. England is playing in three Brazilian cities: Manaus, Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo. Here’s what you need to know about visiting these cities and getting to and around Brazil.
During the World Cup celebrations, the Brazilian Tourism Board anticipates around 600,000 visitors from abroad. You can bet a few Brits will be there to party and cheer, dressed in red and white. If you want to follow Team England around Brazil on a World Cup adventure, we should warn you: it will be unforgettable… and it won’t be cheap.
Brazil is a big country and if you’re planning to follow Team England’s footsteps, be prepared to travel a whopping 3,172 km around the country. ESPN has done the math for us and it looks like Team USA got the worst end of the stick, needing to travel more than 5,500 km during the competition. The Belgians only need to travel 709 km during the group stage!
Flying to Brazil
Flights to Brazil are rarely a bargain, even during low season. Flights to Brazil for next June are getting pricier and pricier as the weeks go by so if you’re going to go, think about booking soon. Direct flights to Brazil from the UK are offered by British Airways and TAM to a number of Brazilian cities.
If you don’t mind a stopover or two, flight prices are bound to be less expensive and there is more choice when it comes to airlines: United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, SWISS, Air France, KLM… All that stands between you and your team’s first match is a 12 hour flight and filling out a landing card!
Flights within Brazil
If you land in Rio then you’ll need to find onward flights to either Manaus for the England game on June 14th, Sao Paulo for the game on the 19th or Belo Horizante on the 24th. Both TAM and GOL offer cheap domestic flights around Brazil and you can bet the two airlines will monopolise on the opportunity. What are the alternatives? You can also travel the country by bus, either with Buscaonibus or Passagem.
Demand will be up during the World Cup so however you plan to travel, make sure you book your tickets in advance. Renting a car is another possibility. The trip from Manaus to Sao Paulo is a whopping 4,000 kilometres long though so if you do undertake one leg of the trip on wheels, the drive from Sao Paulo to Belo Horizonte is much more manageable, only 585 km.
I am also thinking about to travel to Brazil to get a nice two weeks getaway as well as planning to see couple games while I’m there. Not sure if I can find accommodation though. Thanks for the article.