Car Rental at Rio de Janeiro Airport Galeao

Airport travel guide

The second-largest city in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro is also one of the most iconic travel destinations on the South American continent. These are three of its most important attractions:

• Corcovado. Meaning ‘hunchback’ in Portuguese, the 710-meter (2,330 feet) Corcovado mountain is one of the top attractions of Rio, both for the amazing views it provides of the city below and as the location of the famous Christ the Redeemer (or Cristo Redentor) statue. Voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world, the statue will turn 100 years old in 2031.
• National History Museum. One of the most important in the whole country, the Museu Histórico Nacional is concerned with all things Brazilian. Situated in a former slave prison and thus embodying the complex and diverse past of the country and its citizens, the centrally located museum’s exhibits include everything from indigenous art to imperial-era paintings and modern culture. 
• Museum of Tomorrow. Small, but very innovative, this museum is dedicated to the topics of futurology, imagination, and things yet to come. The museum is as notable for the contents of its exhibits as it is for the appropriately creative building it is located in and that was projected by the world-famous visionary of architecture, Santiago Calatrava. Visit the museum’s official website to learn more. 

Top international routes

• São Paulo
• Porto Alegre
• Buenos Aires
• Recife
• Campinas
• Belo Horizonte
• Salvador
• Santiago
• Curitiba
• Fortaleza

Terminals

Though there used to be two terminals, and both are still used airside, only one of the terminals is used for check-in and baggage claim.

Location

Galeao International is located roughly 20km (12 miles) north of downtown Rio de Janeiro. It takes around thirty minutes to make the drive. Thanks to the Antonio Reboucas Tunnel, it takes about the same amount of time to drive from the airport to Ipanema.

Most popular types of rental car

• Small cars - from $15 per day
• Medium cars - from $16 per day
• Large cars - from $33 per day
• SUVs - from $20 per day
• Vans - from $42 per day

Car rental desks

The rental desks for those companies that are located at the airport can be found in the arrivals area of Terminal 2. ServeSul is located in the parking garage of the Casa Show near the airport. Foco Aluguel de Carros is located nearby, too.

Nearest gas station

There is a Torremolinos gas station at the entrance of the airport between Estrada do Galeao and Av. Vinte de Janeiro. Unfortunately, the station reportedly only accepts cash. This may certainly be a problem for international renters that are leaving the country and might not have enough Brazilian currency left.

Another option is a Petrobras station on Av. Vinte de Janeiro. It will require those returning cars to make a small circle as it is on the opposite side of the road. However, it does accept cards and is just a stone’s throw away from the rental car returns.

Popular one-way rentals

• São Paulo (444 km / 276 miles)
• Belo Horizonte (441 km / 274 miles)
• Vitória (517 km / 321 miles)
• Brasilia (1,166 km / 725 miles)
• Curitiba (855 km / 531 miles)
• Santos (511 km / 318 miles)