Best Ways to Get to Ilha Grande, Brazil: Ferry, Bus & Transfers

Ilha Grande is a slice of paradise on the east coast of Brazil. It is close to Rio de Janeiro and the town of Paraty and a must visit island if you are considering spending time in either of these places. It is also a great stop between Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo, so this is how you can get to Ilha Grande in Brazil.

We took a shuttle transfer from Rio to Ilha Grande and public transport from Ilha Grande to Paraty, so we can share our experiences (and cost difference) for each way!

How to get around using Buses in Brazil

We spent 6 weeks in the South of Brazil in: Rio, Ilha Grande, Paraty, São Paulo, Curitiba, Florianópolis & Iguacu and we never took a flight – so I feel pretty confident that we have worked out how to use buses efficiently and effectively in Brazil, which is exactly why we have written this guide […]

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How do I get to Ilha Grande

The easy answer on how to get to Ilha Grande from Rio or Paraty is to book an organised transfer. This takes out all the pain of bus and ferry tickets and planning. Plenty of people provide this service and you can book on sites like Get Your Guide, Viator or with local services directly. 

However if you are on a bit of a budget here are the routes via public transport:

Rio de Janeiro

To get from Rio de Janeiro to Ilha Grande without paying for a transfer you need to take the public bus and then catch the ferry. 

Step 1: Bus

Buses leave from the Rodoviária do Rio bus terminal in Rio de Janeiro and the bus typically takes around 3 hours.

It costs around R$ 79 (£11 / US $15) . 

You need to make sure your bus gets you in on time for the 1 ferry per day (see below).

The bus will arrive at Rodoviária Vereador Nilton Barbosa – Angra dos Reis which is a 30 min walk (5 min taxi) from the port to take the ferry.

You can buy your ticket on Busbud in advance or you can go to the ticket counter on the day. Personally, because you need to be on time to catch the 1 ferry per day, I would book in advance for peace of mind. 

Busbud timetable for Rio de Janeiro to Angra dos Reis

Step 2: Ferry

There is only 1 ferry per day to Ilha Grande from Angra dos Reis and it leaves from Terminal CCR Barcas. The port is a 30 min walk from the bus station (or a 5 minute taxi).

You should aim to arrive at least 30 mins before the ferry to ensure you are there on time and can buy your tickets.

You can pay on card, but it is much easier to have the right amount of cash ready.

The ferry costs R$20.50 per person (£3 / US $4) and it takes around 1 hour 40 minutes to complete the journey.  

Monday – Friday: the ferry leaves Angra Dos Reis at 3:30pm*

Weekends & holidays: the ferry leaves at 1:30pm*

*as of late 2025

Paraty

Step 1: Bus

Take the bus from Rodoviaria de Paraty to Angra dos Reis.

You can’t purchase tickets online but you can buy them at the terminal in Paraty. The cost is R$ 25 per person and the journey takes around 2 hours. 

You will arrive at Rodoviária Vereador Nilton Barbosa – Angra dos Reis which is a 30 min walk (5 min taxi) from the port to take the ferry.

You need to make sure your bus gets you in on time for the 1 ferry per day (see below).

Step 2: Ferry

There is only 1 ferry per day to Ilha Grande from Angra dos Reis and it leaves from Terminal CCR Barcas. The port is a 30 min walk from the bus station (or a 5 minute taxi).

You should aim to arrive at least 30 mins before the ferry to ensure you are there on time and can buy your tickets.

You can pay on card, but it is much easier to have the right amount of cash ready.

The ferry costs R$20.50 per person (£3 / US $4) and it takes around 1 hour 40 minutes to complete the journey.  

Monday – Friday: the ferry leaves Angra Dos Reis at 3:30pm*

Weekends & holidays: the ferry leaves at 1:30pm*

*as of late 2025

Sao Paulo

There are very few transport options from Sao Paulo. If you don’t want to take public transport you could look into a private transfer, however it would be a lot easier to take an internal flight from Sao Paolo to Rio and take a private driver from here. 

Shared shuttle services

Shared shuttles are a very common way to get between Rio de Janeiro and Ilha Grande. 

We used Top Transfer on the way from Rio to Ilha Grande. This was recommended by our accommodation (Raio de Sol pousada & camping – which was great!). They even secured us a small discount from the price shown on Top Transfers website. 

We paid R$ 180 pp and the price online is R$ 210 pp. 

The shuttle picked us up from our accommodation in Copacabana and spent about 30 mins picking up other passengers. We then headed to the port, stopping at a service station on the way to use the toilet and have something for breakfast.

We then were dropped at the port and given a card to board the speedboat to Abraao. The speedboat took around 20mins. It gets a bit chilly on the ride over so make sure you wear a jacket. 

Alternative options:

How do I leave Ilha Grande

The most popular spots to go to after Ilha Grande are Rio de Janeiro & Paraty. To get to either of the locations check out the shared/private shuttle options from Abraao. Or if you want to take public transport, keep reading:

Ferry

The ferry leaves Ilha Grande from Abraão to Angra dos Reis at 10am daily from Pier da Barca and costs R$ 20.50 per person. It takes around 1h 40 to arrive at Terminal CCR Barcas on the mainland.

Once at Angra dos Reis you can easily take the bus to Rio or Paraty.

Bus

Angra dos Reis to Rio

Buses to Rio will depart from Rodoviária Vereador Nilton Barbosa – Angra dos Reis which is a 30 min walk (5 min taxi) from the port. 

Buses leave regularly throughout the day, but if you are on the 10am ferry you can get the 12:30 bus to Rio which takes 3 hours.

You can book the bus from Angra dos Reis to Rio on Busbud or in person. 

Angra dos Reis to Paraty

Buses depart from Angra dos Reis to Paraty throughout the day. The following times are correct as of November 2025:

Monday – Friday: 05:00, 05:40, 06:40, 08:00, 09:40, 11:20, 12:40, 14:00, 16:00, 17:20, 19:40

Saturday: 05:40, 06:40, 08:00, 09:40, 11:20, 12:40, 15:00, 17:20, 19:40

Sunday & holidays: 05:40, 08:00, 09:40, 11:20, 12:40, 15:00, 17:20, 19:40

The bus takes around 2 hours from Angra dos Reis to Paraty and it costs R$ 25 per person. You have to pay in cash. 

You can board the bus at Ponto de Ônibus Colitur. This is a small bus stop on the road, but there is a sign with the bus times so you know you are in the right place. 

You can get the bus from the bus terminal in Angra dos Reis, but this is the next stop after Ponto de Onibus Colitur. When we arrived at the bus terminal after boarding at Ponto de Ônibus Colitur there were no seats left.

Ferry Information

As of November 2025 the following information is correct:

The ferry leaves once per day at the following times:

Abraao to Angra – Monday – Sunday: 10am

Angra to Abraao – Monday – Friday: 15:30 & Weekends & holidays: 13:30

Arrive at least 30 mins before to buy your ticket

The departure of the ferry in Abraao is not the same as the speedboat pier, check the map below for the exact location

You can pay with card or cash. We’d recommend cash for a quicker experience.

Ferry Port Information

Abraao

Angra dos Reis

Summary & cost comparisons 

Most convenient option: Shuttle + Speedboat 

1. Shared van
   1. From Rio: Shared van to the speedboat port (c.2.5 hour drive) with pick up from your accommodation in Rio
   2. From Ilha Grande: Shared van to Rio (c.2.5 hour drive) with pick up from Conceição de Jacareí and drop off at your accommodation in Rio
2. Speedboat
   1. 20 minute speed boat to (or from) Abraao to Conceição de Jacareí

Cost: R$ 180pp (we booked with our accommodation in Ilha Grande) (£25 / US $34)

Cheapest option: Bus + Ferry

1. Bus
   1. From Rio: take the bus to Angra dos Reis (c. 3 hours)
   2. From Angra dos Reis: take the bus to Rio
2. Ferry
   1. 1 hour 40 minutes between Abraao and Angra dos Reis

Cost: R$ 79pp for the bus + R$20.50 for the ferry = R$ 100.50 pp (£14 / US $19) + the cost of an uber to get to/from the bus terminal in Rio

Helpful facts about Ilha Grande

• Most people stay in the town of Abraao
• The island has no cars, you can get around the town on foot, by bicycle or by boat 
• The island has no ATMs – 99% of places take card payment, but its always best to carry a little cash
• There isn’t that much to do if the weather is poor, if possible, keep your plans flexible in case of rain/storms
• Abraao has a few supermarkets with a really good range of fresh fruit, veg, meats, dry goods, personal hygiene products & more. The prices are reasonable and all similar between the markets
• There are plenty of restaurants for food & drink
• The sun UV in Brazil is no joke – wear sun protection!

Finally, if you’ve not looked yet, make sure you check out our The Best Things to do in Ilha Grande post, with everything you need to know about this beautiful island!