Recife's Guararapes Airport is conveniently close to the main tourist and business areas. What you pay depends on where you are headed, what time you arrive, and which transport you choose.
We are going to be straight with you about which numbers on this page are real. Exactly one ground transport option at REC has a fare set and published by an authority — the metro. Every other option is priced either by a zone tariff you are quoted at the booth, by an app in the moment, or by a transfer company at the point of booking. So rather than print invented ranges, this page tells you the published fare, and tells you where to get the real number for everything else.
The metro: the one published fare
The Recife Metro Line Sul has an Aeroporto station connected to the terminal by a short walkway. It runs to the central station.
- Fare: R$ 4,25 flat (Grande Recife Consórcio de Transporte, the metropolitan transport authority)
One common mix-up worth flagging: R$ 4,25 is the metro fare. The metropolitan bus fare is a separate and higher figure, and plenty of guides quote the bus number for the metro. Fares are revised periodically — check the current one before you travel.
It is clean, air-conditioned and frequent during the day. The catches: it stops running in the late evening, the stations are not close to the Boa Viagem beach hotels, and it is impractical with more than a carry-on.
Everything else, and how to get a real number
Official airport taxis use a voucher system with prices set by destination zone. You buy the ticket at the booth inside the terminal and know the fare before you get in the car. The booth is the authoritative source for your destination — the zone tariff is not published anywhere we can cite you, so do not trust a fixed figure from a website (including this one).
Uber and 99 show you the fare in the app before you confirm. That is the quote. It moves with demand, and no one can tell you in advance what it will be.
Pre-booked transfers are fixed when you book, and the figure is shown to you at that point.
Distances and drive times
This is what actually drives the cost, and it does not rot:
| Destination | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Boa Viagem | 7 km | 15-25 min |
| City Center / Recife Antigo | 11 km | 20-40 min |
| Olinda | 25 km | 30-50 min |
| Porto de Galinhas | 60 km | 60-80 min |
Fixed-price private transfer
REC Recife City Center
From€48for 2 passengers
Other destinations
What affects the price
Traffic in Recife is heavy on weekday mornings (7-9 AM) and evenings (5-8 PM). Ride-hailing fares surge during these windows. Rain — frequent in Recife — also triggers surge pricing on the apps, and rain plus rush hour together is the worst case.
During Carnival (February/March) and major holidays, expect inflated prices across all the driver-based options. A pre-booked transfer with a price fixed in advance is genuinely useful in those periods.
Hidden costs to watch for
Official airport taxis price by zone at the booth, so you know the cost before getting in. Some unofficial drivers inside the terminal may approach you with higher rates — always use the official stand.
Ride-hailing apps show the price upfront, but tolls are added to the final fare. The route from the airport to most destinations in Recife does not involve tolls; trips to Porto de Galinhas may include one.
Pre-booked transfers include all fees in the quoted price.
What we recommend
If budget is the priority, you are travelling light, and you are arriving during the day and heading downtown, the metro at R$ 4,25 is very hard to beat.
For most other arrivals — beach hotels, luggage, late flights, families, or a first visit to Recife — take a car. Which car is a fair fight: the app is usually cheapest, the taxi booth gives you a zone price with no phone needed, and a pre-booked transfer gives you a fixed price and a driver already waiting. Check the actual number at the booth, in the app, or at booking, and go from there.