The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will start in August. If you are dreaming of traveling to South America and attend the world's most prestigious sporting event, check out how much this trip can cost you and what's worth focusing on.
Rio de Janeiro is composed of approximately 6.5 million inhabitants, putting it as the second largest city in Brazil. The city is situated in Guanabara Bay near the Atlantic Ocean. According to tourist guidebooks, it is considered as one of the most attractive cities in the world. It is mostly famous for its contrasts – very modern districts exsisting next to neighborhoods ridden with poverty and crime.
The 31st Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will start on the 5th of August. More than 10 thousand athletes will participate in this event, which is considered as the most prestigious in the world. The Olympics will finish on the 21st of August.
Currency exchange
Brazil's official currency is the Brazilian real. It's very difficult to find this currency in Poland, thus its exchange rate may not be favorable. Currency experts advise travelers to buy American dollars here in Poland and then exchange them for the real when they arrive in Brazil. - When making the trip to South America, it's worth having American dollars. Exchanging them for reals will be easier and more favorable than exchanging any other currency. Of course, we shouldn't have any problems with exchanging euros, pounds or francs in the centers of big cities – said Marcin Lipka, Cinkciarz.pl currency analyst.
The best way to exchange currency, is using the services of online currency exchange companies. Their popularity has increased significantly over the past few years. For example, if you're buying two thousand dollars, you can save 427 PLN in comparison to the exchange rates offered by banks (* all exchange rates given by Cinkciarz.pl on 19.07.2016.).
Flight and accommodation
Today, if you book a round trip plane ticket from Warsaw to Rio de Janeiro for the second week of August, you would have to pay up to 5,200 PLN (information from skyscanner.pl website). The total travel-time may take around twenty-four hours and you would have to change planes in Frankfurt and São Paulo. There are offers available for approximately 4,700 PLN. However, you need to be very lucky in order to book them. Those who have managed to book a ticket two months ago can count on savings amounting to nearly one thousand zloty.
According to the website, booking.com, accommodation prices seem very attractive. If you're planning on making a reservation during the Olympics, the fees will differ slightly from those in Poland. A bed in a dormitory will only cost you 80 PLN. A motel room for single occupancy will cost you 220 PLN and a three-star hotel room for single occupancy, including breakfast, costs approximately 450 PLN. It's most profitable to rent a room for double occupancy. One night in a two-star hotel will cost approximately 250 PLN.
Tickets for the Olympics
The athletes will fight for 306 sets of medals in 31 different sports. The Olympic program does not include baseball or karate. However, it has been enriched by rugby (a seven-player version) and golf.
There will be 7.5 million tickets distributed among fans for these sporting events, as well as for the opening and closing ceremony. According to the official Olympics website, the cheapest tickets can be bought for 20 Brazilian reals and more than a half of the tickets cost less than 70 reals (approximately 85 PLN). If you desire to see the Eighth final of the women’s archery contest, the tickets will cost you 50-70 reals (approximately 61-85 PLN). Tickets for the tournament round of men’s basketball costs 100-350 reals (approximately 122-427 PLN). The most expensive tickets are for the Olympic opening ceremonies at the famous Maracana, costing 4,600 reals (approximately 5,600 PLN).