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Arrival and information
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By Brazilian standards the
RodoviA?ria
(tel 082/221-4615) is relatively close to the centre, though it's still well beyond walking distance for either the old town or the beach area. Buses marked "Ouro Preto" or "Serraria Mercado" connect it with the old town, from where, to go on to the beaches you should take the "Ponta Verde", "Jardim Vaticano" or "JatiA?ca" bus. Alternatively, a taxi direct to either the old town or the beaches will cost around $5. The
airport
is 20km from the city, and is served by a bus marked "EstaA§A?o FerroviA?ria", which takes you to the train station. A taxi will set you back around $12. Shoals of local buses make
getting around
very simple. All routes pass through the main squares in the centre, notably PraA§a Deodoro and PraA§a Dom Pedro II, names you'll often see on route cards propped in the front windows. The EstaA§A?o FerroviA?ria is the place to get buses for local routes south of the city, and you may use it to go to nearby Marechal Deodoro or the glorious beach of Praia do FrancA?s.
There's a
tourist information
booth at Avenida Dr AntA?nio Gouveia (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm; tel 082/327-6500), close to the small tourist market on the promenade of the Praia de PajuA§ara, easily recognizable by the
jangada
sailboats offering trips a mile out to the reef. There are other tourist information offices at the RodoviA?ria (daily 8am-11pm), the airport (daily 8am-11.30pm; tel 082/322-2288), in the centre at Rua Dr Marinho de GusmA?o 46 (tel 082/326-1010), and at Rua Saldanha da Gama 71, Farol (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-6pm; tel 082/223-4016). The staff are friendly, and can usually provide details of MaceiA?'s lively
out-of-season Carnaval
(mid-December) as well as maps of the city and its nearby beaches, and information on hotels and tours. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Brazil,
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