EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Airlines Aerolíneas Argentinas, Rua Tupis 204, sala 209, Centro (tel 031/3224-7466); Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, Av. Getúlio Vargas 1492, Funcionários (tel 031/3289-2700); Pantanal, Rua Fernandes Tourinho 999, sala 206, Lourdes (tel 031/3221-2530); Pluna, Av. Getúlio Vargas 840, Funcionários (tel 031/3291-9292); TAM, Pampulha airport (tel 031/3490-5500); Transbrasil, Rua Tamóios 86, Centro (tel 031/3273-6722); Varig/Nordeste/Rio-Sul, Av. Getúlio Vargas 840, Funcionários (tel 031/3291-9292); VASP, Av. Getúlio Vargas 1492, Funcionários (tel 0800-988-277).

Airports Pampulha (tel 031/3490-2010); Tancredo Neves (tel 031/3689-2700).

Banks and exchange Banks are concentrated downtown on Av. João Pinheiro, between Rua dos Timbiras and Avenida Afonso Pena. There are branches throughout the city and ATMs are common.

Bookshops For a city the size of Belo Horizonte, bookshops are extremely disappointing: try the Livraria da Travessa, Av. Getúlio Vargas 1427, near Praça Savassi; or the Café com Letras, Rua Antônio de Albuquerque 785, also near Praça Savassi.

Car rental Hertz, at the airports and Av. João Pinheiro 341 (tel 031/3224-5166 or 224-1279); Interlocadora, at the airports and Rua dos Timbiras 2229 (tel 031/3275-4090); Localiza, at the airports and Av. Bernardo Monteiro 1567 (tel 0800-312-121); Unidas, at the airports and Av. Santa Rosa 100 (tel 0800-121-121).

Consulates Argentina, Rua Ceará 1566, 3rd Floor, Funcionários (tel 031/3281-5288); Paraguay, Rua Guandaus 60, apto. 102, Santa Lúcia (tel 031/3344-6349); UK, Rua Inconfidentes 1075, sala 1302, Savassi (tel 031/3261-2072); Uruguay, Av. do Contorno 6777, 13th Floor, salas 1301-4, Funcionários (tel 031/3296-8293).

Health matters For an ambulance, phone tel 192. Hospital das Clínicas da UFMG is attached to the university, Av. Alfredo Badalena 190, Santa Efigênia (tel 031/3239-7100).

Laundry Laundromat, Rua dos Timbiras 1264, beside the Igreja Boa Viagem (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm).

Police tel 190.

Post office The main post office is at Av. Afonso Pena 1270 (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat & Sun 9am-1pm). Collect poste restante round the back at Rua Goiás 77.

Shopping The main centres for artesanato in the city are the Centro de Artesanato Mineiro in the Palácio das Artes, and the Sunday market in the Parque Municipal. Other stores include Codevale, Av. do Contorno 4777, Serra (Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 8am-noon), which specializes in material from the Jequitinhonha valley, and CENARTE, Rua Tupinambás 956, Centro (Mon-Fri 11.30am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm). Food, medicinal plants, umbanda and candomblé (voodoo) accessories and wickerwork can be found in the Mercado Central. Of the shopping centres, Bahia Shopping, Rua da Bahia, has a fairly good selection of shops or, if you head south along Av. Afonso Pena, there's the smaller Central Shopping. In Savassi, there's a good range of elegant boutiques to be found in BHZ Fashion Mall, Rua Paraíba 1132.

Taxis tel 031/3443-2288.

Telephones TELEMIG offices at: Tancredo Neves airport; the Rodoviária (ground floor); Rua Paraíba 1441 in Savassi; and Av. Afonso Pena 1180 - all open daily until 10pm. The main branch, at Av. Afonso Pena 744, is open 24hr.

Trains Trains run daily to Vitória on the coast at 7am, taking just over 14hr. Tickets are sold in advance (Mon-Sat 7.30am-6pm, Sun 7.30am-noon) in the pink building to the right of the station (tel 031/3273-5488), or between 5.30am and 6.50am on the day of departure.

Travel and tour companies There are a number of specialist ecotourism agencies dealing with trekking, hiking, caving, canoeing, rafting and cycling trips in Minas. Contact Terra Nossa, Rua Domingos Vieira 348, sala 1309, Santa Efigênia (tel 031/3241-6161); Trilhas d'Água, Rua Presidente Arthur Bernardes 409, Boa Esperança, Santa Luzia (tel 031/3641-3185); or Primotur, Rua Piumí 364, loja 4, Cruzeiro (tel 031/3221-3118). Trilhar, Rua Osmário Soares 310, Dom Bosco (tel 031/3417-6746) organize day trips.