Travel

Time Zone
In March the time difference is + 2 hours to GMT (due to daylight saving one hour less than the adequate time zone).

Arrival
Rio de Janeiro has two major airports:

The international airport Galeão (GIG) is located 25 km from Copacabana where RIO 6 is located. This airport has two terminals and is served by major airlines, most of them with daily services: Aerolinas Argentinas, American Airlines, Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Continental, LAN Chile, Lufthansa, Iberia, TAM, TAP, Varig. A taxi ride with a common (yellow) taxi will cost you about 37 R$, with an executive taxi (blue, white or red) 45-50 R$, by executive bus (every 30 minutes) 3.50 R$. Travel time is about 35 minutes.

New: Free shuttle service every 2 hours from the airports to Hotel Rio Othon

The national airport Santos Dumont (SDU) is mainly occupied with flights from and to São Paulo (every 15-20 minutes), and is located 8 km from the conference location (bus 3 R$, taxi 16 R$, 8 minutes).

Visa
A tourist visa for up to 3 months is issued at the border control (no charge) for most countries (please check). A passport with a validity of at least 6 months is required.

Currency
The local currency is the Real (R$), divided into 100 centavos. One Real is currently equivalent to 0.413 Euro or 0.614 US$. Banking hours are from 10-16 hours, Monday to Friday. Exchange offices usually offer better exchange rates than banks, rates are negotiable. Credit cards (Visa, Master Card, Amex) are accepted in most hotels, restaurants and stores. There are also about ten ATM in Copacabana serving Visa direct, Cirrus and Amex.
Tip: Take lots of small money notes with you - change might be difficult outside of the hotel.

Cellular Phones
GSM works in Brazil, you can either consider international roaming (often expensive) or purchase a pre-paid chip (e.g. Oi, TIM, claro) for 35 R$ in shops at small shops or in the shopping centers (requires 15 min for registration).

Accommodation
The RIO 9 Hotel Othon Palace has a sufficient quantity of rooms available for a conference rate of 105 EUR, incl. breakfast. Other hotels are not far from the conference location at Copacabana and Ipanema (5 km). Prices range from 40 Euro to 200 Euro for a double room.

Weather
March is autumn, outdoor temperatures are around 25-31 °C during daytime, night temperatures are 25-30° C. All conference facilities are well air-conditioned.

Dress Code
During the congress and for the banquet dress code is relatively formal, also for the visits: at least long trouthers and shoes are required (for men). Brazilian research institutions don't let men in with shorts or sandals. In contradiction to the tropical climate and public opinion Brazilians do not wear Hawaii shirts.

Health
For the city of Rio de Janeiro no vaccination is required. It is recommended to drink bottled water and use very good sun protection and a hat. For excursions to the Amazon region Malaria prevention and yellow fever vaccination are recommended.

Security
Within the last five years the security has considerably improved. The conference location is safe. Nevertheless it is recommended to leave major values in the hotel safe if you leave the hotel or the congress. Avoid the beach during night hours.

Electricity
Voltage in the state of Rio de Janeiro is 115 V AC, 60 Hz.
Plugs are American and/or Central European style.