Getting around Brazil’s Costa Verde
Every leg between Rio de Janeiro, Angra dos Reis, Ilha Grande and Paraty, written so you can decide without asking anyone. Where a private transfer is the wrong answer, the guide says so.
Rio ↔ Paraty
The 230 km road leg down the Costa Verde, and every way to cover it.
- Start here
Rio de Janeiro to Paraty: The Best Ways to Get There
Five ways to cover the road between Rio and Paraty, what each actually costs you in time and effort, and which one is right for your group.
7 min read
Rio Airport to Paraty: GIG & SDU Transport Guide
The connection nobody warns you about: no intercity bus leaves from either Rio airport, so your arrival day is longer than the map suggests.
5 min read
Rio to Paraty by Bus: Cost, Time & What to Expect
You have decided on the bus. Here is exactly how it works, from finding the right counter at Novo Rio to walking into the historic centre at the other end.
5 min read
Rio to Paraty by Private Transfer: Is It Worth It?
A real break-even calculation instead of a sales pitch: when a private car on this route is rational, and when it is simply expensive.
5 min read
Can You Take an Uber from Rio de Janeiro to Paraty?
Yes, the app quotes it. No, you should not build your travel day around it — and the return direction is worse than the outbound.
6 min read
Rio ↔ Ilha Grande
Road to a mainland port, then a boat. Which port you pick changes the whole day.
- Start here
Rio de Janeiro to Ilha Grande: Complete Transport Guide
The island has no airport, no bridge and no cars. Getting there is a road leg plus a boat leg, and the two are sold by different companies who owe each other nothing.
6 min read
GIG Airport to Ilha Grande: Step-by-Step Guide
The only guide you need is a clock. Whether you reach the island today depends entirely on your landing time versus the last boat.
5 min read
Rio to Angra dos Reis: Bus, Transfer or Uber?
Angra is two things at once: a coastal town worth a night, and the transit point for Ilha Grande. Which one it is for you changes how you should travel there.
5 min read
How to Get to Ilha Grande with Luggage
There are no cars, no taxis and no porters waiting with trolleys. Between the pier and your bed, your luggage is your problem — but it is a solvable one.
5 min read
Rio to Ilha Grande Private Transfer: How the Car + Boat Journey Works
The road leg is easy. The boat leg has a timetable. What you are really buying is somebody taking responsibility for the join between them.
5 min read
Ilha Grande ↔ Paraty & getting home
The connecting leg most itineraries get wrong, plus departure day.
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Ilha Grande to Paraty: Best Ways to Travel
A boat and a road leg, in that order, with three ways to combine them. The cheapest is also the most fragile, and the fixed ferry times are what really decide your day.
5 min read
Angra dos Reis to Paraty: Complete Transport Guide
A short, cheap, straightforward bus ride that most English-language guides skip entirely — plus the two route variants that change how long it takes.
6 min read
Paraty to Rio Airport (GIG & SDU): Planning Your Departure Day
The one leg on this coast where we routinely say pay for the private transfer — not for comfort, but because a missed international flight costs more than every other saving on your trip combined.
5 min read
Choosing your transport
Honest comparisons — including when the answer is "you don’t need this".
Private Transfer vs Uber in Rio de Janeiro: Which Should You Use?
For most trips around Rio, Uber is cheaper, faster and better. There are five exceptions, and knowing them is worth more than a general preference.
6 min read
Is a Private Driver Worth It in Brazil?
Most travellers do not need a private driver in Brazil. A minority genuinely do, and there is a way to tell which one you are in about two minutes.
5 min read
Rental Car vs Private Driver in Brazil: Pros, Cons & Costs
The answer depends almost entirely on whether your trip includes Ilha Grande — and most guides never mention that a car cannot get there at all.
5 min read
Private Transfers in Brazil for Families: When They Make Sense
A family of four is already close to the break-even point on per-vehicle pricing. Add a car seat requirement and a five-hour leg and the decision usually makes itself.
5 min read
Planning the whole trip
Multi-leg itineraries where each transfer is decided on its own merits.
Rio → Ilha Grande → Paraty: The Best Transport Plan
Six legs, one recommendation each, and an honest count of how many of them are worth paying a driver for. The answer is one, sometimes two.
7 min read
7-Day Rio, Ilha Grande & Paraty Itinerary: Transport Included
Seven days across three places on this coast means losing most of two days to boats and roads. It works — but read the first section before you commit to all three.
5 min read
10-Day Rio, Ilha Grande & Paraty Itinerary: How to Plan Every Transfer
What the three extra days actually buy you: slack in the schedule, cheaper transport options, and Paraty’s surroundings — not just more of the same.
6 min read