This page is dedicated to all of you taking so much time of your holidays to come and celebrate this special day with us. Thank you so much! Below you will find several tips that will help you get around, although we’ll make sure to be taking care of you whenever we can! :)
Getting around
– Direct flights from Heathrow to GRU (São Paulo International Airport) take around 11 hours. TAP, the Portuguese Airline, also fly from Heathrow to Viracopos Airport in Campinas, where the wedding will be. We know just how expensive the ticket can be, so make sure to book your flight as early as you can!
– You can obviously fly somewhere else first (like to Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro, or to Recife in the Northeast) and then get a domestic flight to São Paulo or Campinas. The main Domestic Airlines are Gol, Azul and TAM.
– To go from São Paulo to Campinas for the wedding you can hire a car at the airport or get the Caprioli Bus.
- Hiring a car: You can look at car hire places here.
- Bus: Caprioli Bus Company runs a convenient Executive Shuttle Bus Service that takes you to-and-from GRU – Campinas, stopping at Largo do Pará Square in Campinas just in front of the Ibis and Mercure hotels. You can find the Caprioli Desk to buy the ticket to Campinas on the sidewalk outside the Ground Floor (Arrival Floor) of Terminal 2, WING-C in GRU. The desk is open from 6am to 10pm (after these times you pay the ticket directly in the bus). Ticket price is around €17. The Caprioli Executive Bus stops to pick up passengers in the parking area, just across the street in front of the Wing C at arrival area (ground floor). The trip to Campinas takes around 2 hours (depending on traffic conditions).
Places to visit in Brazil
– We know Rio is the obvious choice for most of you, no need for many comments here. A domestic flight from Rio to São Paulo takes around 45 min. There are flights to Campinas as well!
– Northeast: if you’re looking for a proper Summer vacation, besides Rio the Beaches in the Northeast of Brazil are incredible. And there are so many options it will be hard to choose just one. You can go to a lot of different places like Fernando de Noronha (picture below), Lencois Maranhanses, Fortaleza, Salvador…
– For a “tick the box” place, the Iguaçu Falls are listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites!
– If you like wildlife and want some adventure you’ll love Pantanal. And Bonito (which means Beautiful, in Portuguese) is considered as one of the most beautiful places in the country.
– This slightly over-photoshoped picture below is from a historic small city in the middle of Minas Gerais, a nice state near Sao Paulo, cool for history and food lovers alike (seriously, food in Minas in really good!)
– And this below is our beloved Sao paulo. 20 million people, chaotic and polluted, it’s still an incredible city with unbelievably good restaurants, bars and clubs, museums, culture…
– And this INCREDIBLE place is… a shopping mall in Campinas! Well Campinas doesn’t have loads, there’s no point selling it to you hehe. But if you get there a day earlier or leave late on Sunday Shopping Galleria is beautiful, surrounded by nature, great restaurants, movie theatre…
– So yep, Brazil is HUGE and it’s just impossible to detail here everything that you should see, eat or enjoy. There’s a lot to choose from so if you need more help, visit:
– 10 must-see destinations in Brazil
– Top 10 beaches in Brazil
– Attractions in Brazil
General tips
– The language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese. Most people understand and speak English, but in some places like supermarkets, drug stores, bakeries, etc, the standard will probably not be very high. A smile goes a long way in Brazil, though!
– In most cities there’s no such thing as tap water. Well there is, but you don’t want to be drinking that.
– Discretionary service charge is 10%!
– If you hire a car in the airport to get to Campinas, make sure you have Brazilian money with you. There are two tolls on the motorway between São Paulo and Campinas.
– If taking a taxi, get a company recommended by your hotel and make sure you get their card for your way back. Also, it’s advisable to ask the expected fare beforehand.
Safety recommendations
You probably heard Brazil is not exactly the safest place on earth. But don’t worry, if you’re careful you’ll have nothing to worry about, really.
– Most of the people you meet in Brazil will be very friendly, chatty and helpful. But obviously be careful, there’s no free lunch so be smart.
– When driving, it is not advisable to have your windows opened.
Casamento Marina & Rodrigo 