Following Varig's bankruptcy, the main national airlines are TAM (JJ) (website: www.tam.com.br) and Gol (G3) (website: www.voegol.com.br).

From London to São Paulo and to Rio de Janeiro is approximately 11 hours. From New York to São Paulo and to Rio de Janeiro is about 10 hours.

Brasilia International (BSB) is 12km (7 miles) south of the city. To/from the airport: Buses run regularly to the city centre (journey time - 30 minutes). Taxis are also available (journey time - 15 minutes). Facilities: Left luggage, first aid, snack bar, post office, banks/bureaux de change, bar, restaurant, shops and car hire. 

Rio de Janeiro (GIG) (Galeão) is 20km (13 miles) north of the city. To/from the airport: Public buses operate 0530-2330 to the city (journey time - 40 minutes). There is an airport shuttle bus which stops at all major resorts and hotels, running every hour. Taxis are also available. Facilities: Left luggage, banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, a pharmacy and a small 24-hour hospital, restaurant, snack bar, car parking, tourist information, post office and car hire companies.

São Paulo (GRU) (Guarulhos) is 25km (16 miles) northeast of the city. To/from the airport: An airport bus runs every 30 minutes (journey time - 30 minutes). Taxis are also available. Facilities: Left luggage, duty-free shops, banks/bureaux de change, pharmacies, restaurants, snack bar, post office and car hire.

Further information on Brazilian airports can be found on the following website: www.infraero.gov.br.

Mercosur Airpass: valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR), Aerolíneas Del Sur (AS) and Pluna (PU). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America and must be booked in conjunction with an international ticket. It is valid for a minimum of seven to a maximum of 45 days. At least two countries must be visited; dates can be changed but the flight route cannot. A maximum of three stopovers is allowed per country. 

Oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Iberia (IB), Japan Airlines (JL), LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to over 30 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked, with a maximum of 20; prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.

None.

The main port is Rio de Janeiro (website: www.portosrio.gov.br), which is used by many international cruise ships.

Other popular ports include Manaus, Fortaleza (website: www.docasdoceara.com.br), Recife (website: www.portodorecife.pe.gov.br), Salvador (website: www.codeba.com.br) and Vitória (website: www.portodevitoria.com.br).

Passenger services are limited but Grimaldi Freighter (tel: +39 81 496 203, in Italy; website: www.grimaldi-freightercruises.com) does offer sailings from Europe. Most major international cruise lines sail to Brazilian ports.

Rail travel is not a really a viable way of getting to or from Brazil, but there is the Trem da Morte (Train of Death) route between Santa Cruz in Bolivia and Corumbá in Brazil, which is popular with backpackers travelling to the Pantanal. Contact Ferroviaria Oriental (website: www.ferroviariaoriental.com) for more information.

It is possible to drive or travel by bus to Brazil from all surrounding countries. Entry points include the border with Argentina at Foz de Iguaçu, the border with Uruguay at Jaguarão and from Santa Elena de Uairén in Venezuela.

There are plenty of bus routes from surrounding countries, and it is possible to travel to Brazil from Montevideo (Uruguay), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and as far away as Santiago (Chile). International bus companies include Pluma (tel: (41) 3212 2689; website: www.pluma.com.br) and Crucero del Norte (tel: (11) 6221 0277; website: www.crucerodelnorte.com.ar).