Porto Alegre travel guide

Best time to visit

Standing on a series of hills and valleys on the banks of Lake Guaíba, Porto Alegre has a temperate climate for most of the year, although temperatures often exceed 40°C at the height of summer and drop below 10°C in winter.

Safety

Avoid the area around the bus terminal at night, and the market area in Praça 15 de Novembro becomes dangerously deserted after around 2100. Thefts have been reported in Voluntários da Pátria and Praça Parcão.

Getting around

Lotação (first-class minibuses), painted in a distinctive orange, blue and white pattern, stop on request. They are safer and more pleasant than normal buses and cost about US$1.60. The Trensurb metrô (T051-2129 8477, http://www.trensurb.com.br, single journey US$1.10) runs from the southern terminal at the Mercado Público (station beside the market), as far north as Sapucaia do Sul. The second station serves the rodoviária, and the fifth station serves the airport (10 minutes). A good way to get your bearings in the city is to take the Linha Turisma (buses leave from Travessa do Carmo 84, Cidade Baixa, T051-3212 3464, portoalegre@turismo.prefpoa.com.br, US$5, reservations necessary) a popular open-top tourist bus around the city.

Getting there

International and domestic flights arrive at Salgado Filho airport (R Severo Dullius 90010, 8 km from the city, T051-3358 2000) . There are regular buses to the bus station and a metrô service to the city centre. International and interstate buses arrive at the rodoviária (Largo Vespasiano Júlio Veppo, Av Mauá with Garibáldi, T051- 3286 8230, http://www.rodoviaria-poa.com.br) an easy walk from the city centre. There are good facilities, including a post office and long-distance telephone service until 2100.