Visa information

You may need a visa to enter Brazil. Some useful information is collected at the ICM 2018 website. Please check this ICM 2018 page, which contains further useful information for your trip.

Arrival

Airport. If you are flying to São Paulo from abroad, you will probably arrive at the Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). If you fly first to Rio de Janeiro or to other Brazilian cities, then you may arrive at Congonhas Airport when you fly to São Paulo (Congonhas is conveniently located, and catching a taxi or Uber to your hotel will be the best option).

Airport transfer. Perhaps the most cost effective way to get from Guarulhos International Airport to the city and back is to use the Airport Bus Service. Buses leave fairly often and can take you to the city centre (Av. Paulista) or to subway station República, on the Yellow line of the subway. The ticket costs a little over R$ 50 and can be bought at the airport (the Brazilian currency is the real (R$); see below). It is much cheaper than taking a taxi and it is also very comfortable, but, of course, you are on your own once you reach the final destination of the bus. To reach your hotel, you will most probably have to catch a taxi or call Uber.

Another option is ordering Uber at the airport (more expensive than Airport Bus Service, but easier). At GRU, there are specific locations for Uber in each terminal. Please follow the signs. Once there, make sure to order a car using the app in your phone (the airport offers free WiFi). Do not accept offers from drivers that claim to be from Uber.

For taxis, head to the Guarucoop stand at the airport. You will be charged a fixed fare, varying from R$ 150 to R$ 200 depending on your destination. Driving time is around 50 minutes (much more at rush hour). Here is a remark for your trip back to GRU: when travelling to the airport (as it is located in Guarulhos city), São Paulo city taxi firms charge an extra 50% fee. To avoid this, book with Guarucoop, EasyTaxi or Uber.

A fourth and cheaper option to reach São Paulo from GRU is to use standard public transport (this is for the very strong and adventurous). Try playing with Google Maps; it will give you some options.

Hotels

We recommend that you stay in the Pinheiros or Vila Madalena neighbourhoods. Speakers will stay at the Golden Tower São Paulo Hotel.

Venue

The conference will be hosted at the István Jancsó auditorium, which is part of the BBM library, on the University of São Paulo campus in the city of São Paulo. Click here for the location of the BBM library.

Getting to the meeting venue. We shall have a van service to take speakers from the Golden Tower Hotel to where the talks will be. On Monday, the vans will leave at 9:00 from the hotel. Tuesday onwards: vans will leave at 9:20, except Friday, when they will leave at 10:10; we start later on Friday. (The printed information sheet says the vans leave at 9:20 on Friday also; we overlooked that—sorry!)

For the speakers that need to get to the venue on their own: the easiest is to call Uber or to catch a taxi and ask to go to Biblioteca Brasiliana, Cidade Universitária, USP. Taxi drivers will know how to get to the university campus, but they may not know where the Brasiliana complex is. They may have to stop someone to ask (locals will definitely know).

The full name of the location is Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin. The street address is Rua da Biblioteca, s/n, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo.

Entertainment

We have prepared a map with key places, tourist attractions, bars, restaurants and other entertainment options.

Lunch at Mercadão and walking tour on Avenida Paulista. After the Wednesday morning talks, we shall have an informal tour for the interested participants. We shall head to the São Paulo public market for lunch. It is the perfect place to try traditional Brazilian food and to see the diversity of São Paulo’s heritage. For a happy digestion, we shall walk along Paulista Avenue, the symbol of São Paulo’s economic, financial and cultural strength.

The municipal public market of São Paulo (Mercado Municipal de São Paulo, popularly known as Mercadão) was inaugurated in downtown São Paulo in 1933 and is a wholesale and retail for fruit, vegetables, cereals, meats, spices and other food products. The variety of shops illustrates the diversity of São Paulo’s population and immigration. There is a large number of restaurants at the market, which offer classical Brazilian meals and snacks.

São Paulo is the business and financial centre of Brazil, and Avenida Paulista has been the heart of São Paulo for many years. It is a bustling avenue that combines government buildings, historical buildings, steel and glass high-rises, museums and cultural centres.

Miscellanea

Currency. The Brazilian currency is the real. Currently, one US dollar is worth around 3.80 reals (R$ 3.80) and one Euro is worth around R$ 4.45. Get some local cash at the airport, either exchanging money or withdrawing reals from cash machines. Credit cards are commonly accepted, but you should have some cash on you. (One remark: the Portuguese plural of real is reais.)

Plugs, sockets and voltage. A new standard for plugs and sockets has been introduced/enforced in the country a while ago. This standard is basically unique in the world (sorry). Please check, e.g., here. In São Paulo, the standard is 127 V/60 Hz.