|
|
|
Rio's
international airport is located on Ilha do Governador which has
excellent access to the south of Rio, where most of the hotels of
the conference as well as the lecture halls of 2003 ICFA
Instrumentation School are located.
The airport is served by 28 international carriers as well as the
three major Brazilian airlines; them they offer direct flights
to-and-from more than 80 international cities and most of the
major Brazilian centers.
|
|
COMMUNICATIONS
|
Rio de Janeiro has an excellent
telecommunications system which links the city to the rest of Brazil and the
world. Direct dial and collect calls can be placed from any
telephone. Pay
phones are located throughout the city and operate with telephone cards.
Portable cellular telephones are available to visitors for a small rental
charge. The International Direct Dial (IDD) code for Brazil is 55 and the
city code for Rio de Janeiro 21.
To make a International Dial from Brazil, the user will have to
proceed from the following form:
Fixed telephony = the user must dial: 00 + 21 + number of
destination of the call (code DDI without the zero, code of the
city, number of the telephone).
Example: 0021-1-817-3667340.
|
|
TOURISM
|
|
Rio de Janeiro has more than
200 locations for movies, theater, musical and artistic exhibitions, 82
museums and 76 libraries. Besides traditional museums, the city houses
museums dedicated to transport, jewelry and gemstones, sport, aboriginal
artcraft, and even to Carmem Miranda, among others.
|
|
ELECTRIC
CURRENT
|
|
The electric current in Rio
is 110 or 120 volts, 60 cycles, alternating current. Many hotels and large
apartment blocks do, however, have some 220 volt outlets.
|
|
CURRENCY
|
|
The Brazilian monetary unit
is the Real (R$). The exchange rate available to visitors is published daily
in the newspaper along with the commercial dollar rate of the day used in
official international business transactions. Cash and traveler checks,
especially US Dollars, can be exchanged at most banks or exchange houses as
well as the major hotels. All major credit cards are accepted in Brazil and
some stores even accept foreign currency.
|
|
TRANSPORT
|
Rio has an extensive taxi
fleet which includes yellow metered cabs which can be hailed in the streets,
as well as a series of special taxis operated by licensed companies (these
can found at the airports, hotels or booked by phone). From the
international airport and the main shopping centers most of the special
taxis work on a fixed fare by area which is paid in advance at the company's
counter above which the fare price must be displayed.
|
|
TIPPING
|
|
Hotels: hotels generally
include any service charge on the bill. Restaurants: the bill usually
includes 10% as tip.
Taxis: tips are not expected by taxi drivers although most passengers will
round the fare up if satisfied with the service. Airport and hotel porters:
the Real equivalent of U$1.00 per suitcase.
|
|
VISA
|
|
VISA REQUIREMENTS
In general, visa
requirements depend on the home country of citizenship. Foreign
participants should contact the Brazilian Embassy or Consulate in their
home country as soon as possible to find out visa requirements and to
apply well in advance of their departure dates. Letters of invitation to
attend the conference can be email if required by the participant. It is
important to emphasize that such letter of invitation will be issued
only for the purpose of obtaining a visa and, by no means, implies an
invited talk or a waiver of the registration fee.
VISA WAIVER
Citizens of the following countries do not need visas when entering
Brazil for tourism or business purposes (up to 90 days):
Andorra - Argentina -
Austria - Bahamas - Barbados - Belgium - Bermuda Bolivia - Chile -
Colombia - Costa Rica - Denmark - Ecuador Finland - France - Germany -
Great Britain - Greece - Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Italy - Israel -
Liechtenstein - Luxembourg - Malaysia - Monaco - Morocco - Namibia -
Netherlands - Norway - Panama - Paraguay - Peru - Philippines - Poland -
Portugal - San Marino Slovenia - South Africa - South Korea - Spain -
Surinam - Sweden - Switzerland Thailand - Trinidad & Tobago -
Uruguay - Vatican - Venezuela
VISA
Citizens of the following countries need visas when entering Brazil
for tourism or business purposes (up to 90 days):
Afghanistan - Albania -
Algeria - Angola - Antigua - Armenia - Australia - Azerbaijan - Bahrain
- Bangladesh - Belarus - Belize Benin - Bhutan - Bosnia - Botswana -
Brunei - Bulgaria - Burkina Fasso - Burundi - Cambodia - Cameroon -
Canada - Cape Verde - Chad - China - Congo - Cook Islands - Croatia -
Cuba - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Djibouti - Dominican Republic - Egypt -
El Salvador - Equatorial Guinea - Eritrea - Estonia - Ethiopia - Fiji -
Gabon - Gambia - Georgia - Ghana - Grenada - Guatemala - Guinea-Bissau -
Guyana - Haiti - Honduras - Hungary - India - Indonesia - Iran - Iraq -
Ivory Coast - Jamaica - Japan - Jordan - Kazakhstan - Kiribati - South
Korea - Kuwait - Laos - Lebanon - Lesotho - Latvia - Liberia - Libya -
Lithuania - Macedonia - Madagascar - Malawi - Malaysia - Maldives - Mali
- Malta - Northern Mariana Islands - Marshall Islands - Mauritania -
Mauritius - Mexico - Micronesia - Moldavia - Mongolia - Mozambique -
Myanmar - Namibia - Nauru - Nepal - New Zealand - Nicaragua - Niger -
Nigeria - Oman - Pakistan - Palestine - Panama - Papua New Guinea -
Poland - Qatar - Kyrgystan - Romania - Russia - Rwanda - St. Cristobal -
St. Lucia - Samoa - São Tomé and Principe - Saudi
Arabia - Senegal - Seychelles - Sierra Leone - Singapore - Slovakia -
Solomon Islands - Somalia - Sri Lanka - St. Vincent and the Grenadines -
Sudan - Swaziland - Syria - Tajikistan - Tanzania - Thailand - Togo -
Tonga - Tunisia - Turkey - Turkmenistan - Tuvalu - Twalu Islands -
Uganda - Ukraine - United Arab Emirates - United States of America -
Uzbekistan - Vanuatu - Vietnam - Yemen - Yugoslavia - Zambia - Zimbabwe
|
|
WEATHER
|
|
The
weather in Rio is pleasant all-year-round. Summer runs from
December through March with temperatures ranging from 25º C (77º
F) to 42º C (108º F) while winter goes from June through August
(temperatures are in the range 20º C (68º F) in the day and 16º
C (60º F) at night).
|
|
