Foz do Iguaçu is in the extreme west of Paraná, 640 km from Curitiba. Bus transportation is also available from all of the most important cities in the country. The region can be considered the center of the Mercosul. Foz do Iguaçu is about one thousand kilometers from the most important cities of the Conesul, and the easy access in such a way: terrestrial, aerial and until fluvial.
Foz do Iguassu Transportation Guide
Getting to and around Foz do Iguaçu
By Plane
There is an international airport in Foz do Iguassu which handles flights to Asuncion in Buenos Aires and even beyond. Domestic services link it to Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador . The bus terminal in the heart of town has buses departing for the airport every 15 minutes from Monday to Saturday and every 50 minutes on Sundays (buses are frequent from 5 am till midnight).
For transport from the airport to the city (or from the city to the airport), we recommend Green Path Transfers, who offer eco-friendly airport transfers in hundreds of destinations around the world.
Brazilian Railways now almost exclusively transport cargo and therefore there are no passenger trains to Foz. However, there is an international train station which links Foz to major destinations within Brazil as well as to Argentina and Paraguay. The journey to Buenos Aires takes 20 hrs and you will have to take a connecting train at Puerto Iguazu . For Asuncion, which is 5 hrs away, take a connecting train at Ciudad del Este. Direct trains from Foz leave for Curitiba (10 hrs), Sao Paulo (16 hrs) and Rio de Janeiro (22 hrs). The international train station lies 6 km (3.7 miles) outside town. Connecting services leave from the central hub.
By Bus
There are four private bus companies which operate in Foz. There is a single ticketing system for all four and most buses pass through the city's central terminal. The municipal bus service connects to the airport and as far as Iguazu Park but does not provide any service to the neighbouring cities of Puerto Iguazu and Ciudad del Este.
Buses depart from Foz do Iguazu almost every hour or so to Puerto Iguazu, Ciudad del Este and the Brazilian side of the waterfalls. Buses also ply every half an hour or so between Puerto Iguazu and the Argentinean side of the falls. The cost of this bus service is 4 Pesos. The irony is that if you intend to take a bus from one side of the waterfalls to the other, you will have to change 3 different buses.
By Taxi
As an alternative, you can take a taxi across the bridge to the other side of the falls since walking is not recommended on the bridge due to pick pockets. You may have to ask several taxi drivers before you actually get one who is willing to take you across, since locals consider this trip quite a dangerous one and are unwilling to undertake it.
Taxis are a convenient way to travel around Foz do Iguassu and are safe as well. However, they are more expensive than taking the bus. For example, the trip to the airport costs 20 or 30 times more than the bus. Central Foz is quite small and compact so you can easily walk around, so long as you know where to go.
On the Argentinean side, taxis operate with fixed rates, making the distance to either of the two parks from your hotel irrelevant. If your hotel is in Puerto Iguazu or near it, a trip to the Argentine side of the park will cost you AR$ 60. Round trips will cost double the price but most taxi drivers will be willing to take you for AR$ 100, if you ask them. Don't be surprised if the same driver waits for you for hours on end. They are willing to keep your bags in their taxis as well while waiting. A round trip from your hotel to a supermarket in Puerto Iguazu will cost you AR$ 10.
On Foot
It is just a short walk from Foz do Iguazu to Ciudad del Este across the 'Friendship Bridge' over the River Parana.
If you are carrying your luggage with you, the park entrance on the Brazilian side has a limited number of big lockers on the right hand side of the ticket booths which you can use, for R3.
Car Rental
A majority of international operators and a few local ones in Puerto Igauzu and Foz do Iguazu offer car rental services to the Iguazu Falls. However, the public transportation system in Foz do Iguassu is inexpensive, consistent and safe; therefore, car rentals are of little value. Most of the tourists staying in Puerto Igauzu use the public transport to go to the falls.
Airport transfers and taxis are generally used to commute between any of the two airports and the hotels in and around Iguazu Falls. These are dependable and safe, provided the contract is with reputed service providers.
The starting points of the tour to the Iguazu Falls are the two international airports located at Puerto Iguazu and Foz do Iguazu. Tourists arrive here and then take the tour to both sides of the falls from the city where they are staying, making it their base (refer to a map of Iguazu Falls).
Public transport connects Puerto Iguazu, Foz do Iguazu and the Iguazu Falls on a daily basis. There are air and bus services from both these cities to other cities in Brazil and Argentina. There are also direct flights to Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Cordoba.
By Plane
There are three modern airports that are prepared to attend the tourists who arrive by plane:
- The International Airport from Foz do Iguaçu is one of the most equipped from Brazil
- The International Airport from Cataratas do Iguazú on Argentinean side, and
- The International Airport Guarani on Paraguayan land.
The International Airport from Foz do Iguaçu is located in the highway that access to the falls. It is next to the convention Center, 16km from downtown, 12 km from Iguassu falls, 10 km from Tancredo Neves Bridge, 20 km from Friendship Bridge and 25 km from Itaipu Dam.
It operates 24 hours per day, with a average of 11 daily flights, and makes use of flights for the main points of Brazil.
In this airport there is services of tourist information, restaurants, bar, snack bar, nursery, mailbox, rank of banking attendance, stands of luggage, periodical jewelry shop, bomboniere, store of clothes, handmade, rent a car, taxi, urban bus, travel agencies and Federal Policy, Military Policy, Federal Sanitary Monitoring.
The International Airport Iguazu Cataratas is located in Puerto Iguazú, bordering city with Foz do Iguaçu. It operates 8 daily flights for Córdoba and Buenos Aires, with scale for the main cities of Argentina.
The airport is located in a building of 8 thousand square metres, three floors, with VIPs rooms, a snack bar, a custom house, a department of migration, tourist Information and automatic keep-volumes.
Inaugurated in 1996, the International Airport Guarani was constructed with the aid of the Japanese government. It is located in the city of Minga Guazú, distant 26 kilometres of Ciudad Del Este, neighbouring city of Foz do Iguaçu. It is a cargo airport, but it operates with domestic and international airlines of passengers.
By Road
Foz do Iguaçu is 1,065 kilometres from São Paulo, 1,350 kilometres from Buenos Aires and the 330 kilometres from Assuncion. This distance can be covered in flights with one and half hours or in terrestrial trips can be up to 15 hours.
The main linking roads of Foz do Iguaçu are the BR-277. This access to the Friendship Bridge binds Foz do Iguaçu to Curitiba, Paranaguá Port and São Paulo. The BR-469 is the access to the National Park of the Iguaçu, to the Tancredo Neves Bridge and the International Airport of the Iguaçu. the Ruta 07, in Paraguay, binds to Ciudad del Este to Assuncion, and Ruta 12, in Argentina, binds Puerto Iguazú to Posadas and Buenos Aires.
By Bus
The transport of passengers to Foz do Iguaçu makes use of innumerable intercity, interstate and international lines to the main centres of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. It still has international lines that cross the Friendship and Tancredo Neves Bridge to neighbouring towns.
