Stubborn Travel

Nordeste are one of many bus companies that offer a way to get around Brazil, connecting cities where flights are not always an option.

The problem? People say that they’re awful. International travelers may also have concerns about long-distance travel in Brazil in general.

If you read the blog, you’ll know I don’t love flying. So when I was in Brazil and needing to journey from Foz do Iguaçu to Florianópolis, I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to test a Nordeste overnight bus.

This article is my personal and honest experience taking a Nordeste overnight bus in May 2025. It is not affiliated with Nordeste in any way. Stubborn Travel articles occasionally contain affiliate links, which help to support the website at no extra cost to you.

💬 If you’d like a short summary of the journey, use the Table of Contents to jump to the bottom.

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South American buses

If you haven’t journeyed by overnight bus in South America before, it’s worth making a distinction.

In many parts of the world, buses are basic modes of transport. In South America, buses can be fancy. Comfortable, designed for long distances and sometimes even kitted out with mini-TVs, charging ports or other fun surprises. In higher classes, you may even get snacks, blankets and pillows.

So when you consider an overnight bus in South America, don’t assume you’re going to get a cramped, intolerable experience (those exist too, mind you). But generally, overnight buses aren’t your typical intercity buses—they’re designed for journeys that can stretch 12+ hours.

There are two main classes for long-distance bus journeys:

• semi-leito/semi-cama, which means half bed. In most buses, this type of seat reclines around 45 degrees. Sometimes this class is called Premium.
• leito/cama, which means bed. Again, this ranges according to company, and sometimes the name changes as well. Many bed classes means the seat reclines all the way, which is why in some places, this class is called 180 degrees or Premium Plus.

Both of these recline significantly more than airline seats (or at least economy ones).

Getting around Brazil by bus

Of course if I had it my way, I’d always travel by train. Unfortunately, most of South America’s rail networks leave a lot to be desired, with Brazil being no exception.

While domestic flights connect major cities, the extensive bus network reaches virtually every corner of the country. Buses are not just about saving money, they’re how many people get around.

There are loads of bus companies in Brazil (more than 100), offering up a variety of routes, style and comfort levels. I usually pop the route I’m looking for into a search engine to see who offers the journey with as few connections as possible. That said, I’ve noticed that searching this way doesn’t always pull up all of the real options. The same goes for travel aggregators like BusBud.

If you really want to consider all of your options, have a look at the bus station you’d like to leave from and see who serves it. Some of the bigger companies include Expresso Guanabara, Gontiko, Águia Branca, Auto Viação 1001, Nordeste, Pluma, Eucatur and Catarinense… but these are really just a few from a very long list (if one even exists).

Nordeste buses

I’ll admit, I didn’t choose Nordeste out of preference but availability. My first choice would have been Catarinense (who also make the direct journey), but the class I wanted (Leito, or bed class) was sold out.

Our 2025 trip to South America was all about flexibility and booking on the go, so we booked our overnight bus two days before our journey. This type of flexibility comes at a cost, as we would have had more choice at a lower price had we booked earlier.

What the jury says

While not as notoriously criticized as some European bus companies, Nordeste gets mixed reviews online. At the time of writing, it has a 2.7/5 score on TripAdvisor (although there are only 7 reviews) and 3.7/5 on BusBud (out of almost 400 reviews). Trust me – this is not bad for a bus company.

Common complaints include:

• Long delays without notification
• Uncomfortable or broken seats for overnight journeys
• Air conditioning being too cold or not working
• Bathrooms that were locked or in poor condition
• Limited English-speaking staff

For the most recent complaints, you can check Nordeste’s Facebook page – although they are in Portuguese (you can easily translate though).

On the other hand, positive reviews praised Nordeste for punctuality, cleanliness, and value for money.

The negative reviews weren’t enough to put me off. Plus, I think most transportation reviews are skewed, as positive experiences rarely end in reviews while negative ones often do.

Our journey with Nordeste

• Bus company: Nordeste
• Route: Foz do Iguaçu to Florianopolis (15 hours)
• Date: 9th May, 2025
• Departure: 18:45
• Class: Leito Cama (bed seat)
• Cost: 515 BRL ($90 USD)

Booking tickets

We booked our Nordeste bus tickets directly on Nordeste. Tickets start around 250 BRL ($45 USD) for a semi-bed seat, 300 BRL ($53 USD) for an individual semi-bed seat (essentially, no one is next to you), and 500 BRL ($90 USD) for a bed seat which in theory, reclines all the way. You can choose your seat when you book the tickets.

If I were to book again, I’d check their Facebook page in advance, as I see they often have promo codes which can be applied against the cost of a ticket.

I did feel my $90 USD ticket was on the hefty side (purely comparing to other journeys in the region of similar length) but I did book it last-minute so that’s on me.

You can also book through aggregators (like BusBud), but when you do it that way, you can’t always choose your seats (like you can when you book direct). The trade off is that you can usually pay in your preferred currency.

At the bus station

Boarding was listed 30 minutes before departure, but we arrived at Foz do Iguaçu bus station around an hour in advance just in case. It pays to double check the address, as there are multiple bus stations in Foz do Iguaçu.

There were bathrooms, places to get food, bus company stalls, and plenty of security. We went to the Nordeste counter and traded our digital tickets for paper ones.

The departure area was a little confusing, as a few different buses were going to Florianopolis, and ours was delayed about 30 minutes. There were no updates on the screens, but the staff was friendly and helpful. Eventually, I went back to the Nordeste counter just to double check we weren’t missing our bus, and they confirmed it was running late and should be there soon.

Once it arrived, staff at the airport checked our tickets as well as IDs, tagged our suitcases (you get a matching sticker that goes on your ticket), and had us board.

Seating configuration

The Leito class in this bus was downstairs and with just eight seats. There is a separate door to this section versus Semi-Leito class upstairs, although once in a while people opened the wrong door when looking for the bathroom.

We had seats 43 and 44 because they were the only ones left, but if booking again, I’d go for the ones further in the back. That’s because the front ones are right next to the door.

Upstairs in Semi-Leito class, there are 44 seats and a bathroom. The bathroom is in the back, near seats 43/44.

I have to say the soundproofing between the floors is really good. When I went upstairs to use the bathroom, I realised how noisy the upper level was – but none of the noise was carrying down.

Aboard the bus

As soon as we sat down, staff came around with a snack box, water, juice cartons, and a package with a pillow and a blanket.

I found the seats super comfy, although as with other buses, my partner (6’1”) couldn’t recline fully given his height, and was less comfortable.

One thing that is quite awkward is that there’s no real storage downstairs. There’s nothing overhead, so I found myself hanging things were I could or stuffing them at the end of the bed/seat. I put my main bag underneath the footrest, which pops up to make a full bed.

There was WiFi technically, but it was quite intermittent throughout the journey. Most of the time I couldn’t connect.

Once we left, the ride was pretty smooth. We ended up leaving around 30 minutes late at 19:15, and within 15 minutes they’d dimmed the lights.

I put on my sleep mask and was able to sleep quite well, and only woke up a couple of times throughout the night when the bus stopped at big, lit up stations for 15-30 minutes. Other buses were stopped there, and it felt safe at all times. It’s a chance to get out and buy food (there’s warm and cold cafeteria-style food – but we had packed snacks so didn’t try it), stretch legs and use the bathroom, even though there’s one on the bus.

I only remember stopping 2 or 3 times, but my partner said we stopped quite a few more times to pick people up. While I slept quite soundly, he couldn’t really get comfortable and didn’t sleep that well.

When I went upstairs to use the bathroom, I wondered if I could have gotten a good night sleep. It was more cramped, loud and very stuffy, although still much nicer than the buses you tend to see in Europe.

Arrival to Florianopolis

As we got closer to Florianopolis, I started getting packed up and put my foot rest away. It was a sunny morning and we arrived around 20 minutes behind schedule.

The station in Florianopolis was clean, well equipped and with lockers to leave luggage for anyone passing by for the day. It was a great start to what ended up being one of our favorite places and a wonderful end of our three-month trip in South America.

Summary

So what is it like to take a Nordeste overnight bus in Brazil?

• Timeliness: The bus departed 30-40 minutes late, and arrived around 20 minutes late.
• Safety: The journey felt completely safe, with professional driving, ID and tickets checks when boarding, and security at both stations.
• Luggage: All luggage was tagged with claim tickets and stored securely. Nothing was lost or damaged.
• Comfort: For me, the leito seats were surprisingly comfortable, with good legroom and a full recline. I slept well and arrived fresh, but my partner couldn’t stretch out fully and didn’t sleep much.
• Bathrooms: there was a clean, working bathroom upstairs. However, I preferred to use the bathrooms at the set stops, just to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.
• Leito vs Semi-Leito class: the biggest difference between classes is the number of people in the classes. Leito had around 8 seats, Semi-Leito had around 50, meaning it was much noisier upstairs. Perhaps the air-con wasn’t working properly, as it was unfortunately quite smelly upstairs too.
• Cleanliness: The bus was clean at departure, and the bathroom was surprisingly nice (it’s at the back of Semi-Leito class).
• WiFi: Advertised but pretty non-functional for most of the route. Best to download entertainment in advance.
• Amenities: The bus had good air conditioning downstairs, but perhaps it wasn’t strong enough upstairs. There were also USB charging ports, but they are above you by the lights (which very few people use), meaning you need a long cable to be able to use it.
• Cost: simply comparing to journeys of a similar length with other companies in Brazil, I felt our tickets (90 USD each) were expensive. But we did book them last-minute and without any offers. Do check Nordeste’s Facebook page ahead of booking, as they often have deals going.

Would I do it again? I’ve had more comfortable journeys with other companies, but I found that the Nordeste overnight bus was a perfectly reasonable, safe and comfortable way to get around.

If you’ve made it down to here, I’d love to know: have you taken overnight transport in Brazil? Nordeste? What did you think?

If you have any questions, as always feel free to drop them in the comments or email them to hello@stubborntravel.com, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

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Frequently asked questions

Are Nordeste overnight buses safe?

The safety of overnight buses in Brazil depends more on the specific route rather than the bus company itself. While many travelers use overnight buses without any trouble (like us), certain routes carry higher risks. I would recommend searching the route and checking for recent safety incidents. If there are any, consider going in the day time or reassessing the journey.

How far in advance should I book my Nordeste bus ticket?

For the best selection of seats and classes, you probably want to book at least 1-2 weeks in advance, especially for popular routes. Last-minute bookings (like our 2-day advance booking) limit your options and cost more. Check Nordeste’s Facebook page for promo codes before booking to save money.

What’s the difference between Leito and Semi-Leito classes?

In our case, Leito (bed class) had only 8 seats downstairs with full recline and much quieter conditions, while Semi-Leito has around 50 seats upstairs with 45-degree recline. The main advantages of Leito are privacy, quiet, and better air conditioning, but it costs nearly double the price.

What should I pack for an overnight bus journey?

I would bring a sleep mask, earplugs, and entertainment downloaded offline since WiFi is unreliable. Pack a long charging cable as USB ports are positioned above the lights. Bring snacks and water, unless you want to buy them at the stops. Dress in layers as air conditioning can vary between floors. When it’s blasting, it can be freezing!

Are there bathrooms on Nordeste buses?

In theory, all long distance buses have onboard lavatories and air conditioning. You should have comfort stops every 2 to 3 hours or so where you can use a real bathroom and purchase food and drinks.

In our case there was a working, clean bathroom upstairs in the Semi-Leito section at the very back. I did prefer to get off the bus during the longer stops though to stretch my legs, so I used the bathrooms there.

Is it better to book directly with Nordeste or through aggregators?

I found booking directly through Nordeste’s website lets you choose specific seats and apply promo codes. Aggregators like BusBud don’t always allow seat selection, though they might offer slightly different pricing. You’re more likely to be able to pay in a your preferred currency or have English customer service with an aggregator though.