Buzz
If you're considering a trip to Brazil for this summer's World Cup festivities, here are 10 invaluable pieces of advice to ensure you have an exhilarating summer experience amidst the land that gave birth to Pele, Romario, Ronaldo...
1. Timeframe
The FIFA World Cup 2014 will take place in Brazil from June 12th to July 13th.
2. Geographical Location
Twelve cities across Brazil will host the matches, distributed throughout the country. The farthest distance between hosting cities is between Manaus and Porto Alegre (over 3,000km). The terrain between cities also varies significantly, with some cities nestled in the Amazon rainforest region (Manaus) while eight of the host cities are coastal, basking in the sun.
Rio and Sao Paulo stand as Brazil's two major cities, each boasting extensive subway systems that are highly convenient for tourists.
Brasilia, Brazil's capital since 1960, was once considered somewhat outdated but has now evolved into a modern city.
You need a passport and visa to enter Brazil. A Brazilian tourist visa costs around 220 USD for 3 months.
3. Transportation
Vietnam Airlines is currently offering discounted fares for travelers interested in attending the world's largest football festival. Essentially, Brazil lacks long-distance train routes, so if flying between hosting cities is too expensive for you, the only remaining option is buses.
However, there is luck because there are also cities hosting the World Cup that are quite close to each other. Natal and Recife, for example, are only about five hours apart by bus. Sao Paulo and Curitiba are approximately six hours apart.
For more detailed information, you can research bus routes on the BuscaOnibus website.
4. Favorite Team
If you're a die-hard fan of any team among the 32 competing teams, you can at least catch their three group stage matches.
You need to check the schedule of your favorite team on FIFA's websites, then plan a suitable itinerary to ensure you don't miss any of your team's matches.
5. Choosing the Right Time and Place
The least costly approach is to select a host city and stay there until the matches conclude. You'll find that four nearby venues will host matches over an 11-day period.
On the other hand, you can choose to watch the fiery knockout matches or the final games of the World Cup held in two major cities, Brasilia and Rio.
6. Non-Match Days
Unlike the Olympic Games, World Cup host cities will have days without any matches scheduled. This means you'll have more time to explore the famous landmarks of host cities like the Amazon rainforest, Mato Grosso.
You'll discover that Rio and Sao Paulo are two cities that never sleep, much like New York.
Furthermore, if you want to soak up the sun on warm beaches, you just need to head north in Brazil, where June and July are the best months of the year.
7. Ticket Prices
Official FIFA ticket prices for group stage matches range from 90 USD (third-tier tickets) to 175 USD (first-tier tickets). Prices for the final match range from 440 USD to 990 USD. However, registering and buying tickets also requires luck because the number of fans coming to Brazil to watch the matches is immense. Some matches sold out months ago.
Although FIFA is the official distributor of match tickets, on the black market, people will be shocked by the exorbitant prices. For example, group stage tickets on the black market range from 100 USD to 1,000 USD. Final match tickets on the black market range from 3,400 USD to 16,600 USD! A price much higher than the original.
8. Hotel Prices and Other Services
The World Cup is a business opportunity for hotel owners and restaurants in Brazil. Room rates increase several times over the normal rate. On match days, three-star hotel room rates, which usually start from 179 USD/night, can soar to 513 USD/night.
All other services are also expected to increase in price during the World Cup. Perhaps locals hope this will offset to some extent the huge amount of money the Brazilian government has spent on this World Cup.
9. Book a Full Package Tour
As of March 13, the world's largest hotel booking website, Hotels, has only about 18 hotels in Rio available for booking on match days. Nearly 251 other hotels are almost fully booked.
If you can't find a hotel room on your own, consider turning to travel companies offering World Cup 2014 tour packages such as Global Event Forum, Great Atlantic Sport, Kensington Tours.
10. Finally, Be Patient
Typically, for major events like the World Cup, all services skyrocket in price. Hotels inflate prices drastically, and ticket scalping is rampant. However, in reality, the excessively high prices deter many travelers from attending. Therefore, at the last minute, prices are likely to drop to attract more customers.
At that point, you'll find much softer prices.
Exercising patience is also a suitable strategy at this time; consider taking a calculated risk for the world's biggest football celebration.
According to Youth Magazine
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Reference: Travel Guide Mytour
