A summer trip to Brazil for the World Cup will not come cheap.A summer trip to Brazil for the World Cup will not come cheap.

Possible sky-high air fares and rocketing room rates could confront football fans heading for Brazil to follow their team in next summer’s World Cup.

Thousands of followers are expected to make the journey to South America to cheer on their teams in a tournament that begins on June 12.

Those wanting to travel by air from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo – a distance of only just over 200 miles – where the opening match is scheduled are already facing return air fares as high as €850.

And there have been reports of Brazilian hotels charging as much as €940 a night for the duration of the tournament. Even at best, rooms could be costing around €410 a night.

Fans will not find out where their team will play in the group stages of the tournament until December 6, which is when the draw for the finals is made.

There have been reports of Brazilian hotels charging as much as €940 a night

But travel experts are warning that supporters could face having to cope with a huge range of temperatures, depending where their teams end up.

“It will be far warmer at the venues in north east Brazil than it will be in the ones (south of Rio) in the south east,” said Robert Coates, author of Rough Guide travel books to Rio and to South America.

He and travel expert Laurence Bresh, who is managing director of tour operator STA Travel, were speaking on Sky News.

Asked about the safety of fans, Mr Bresh said: “People should always take care. The Brazilians are conducting a big operation to make sure everything is fine in cities such as Rio and Sao Paulo in time for the World Cup and also for the Olympics (in Rio in 2016).

“This is going to be a huge, colourful event. It’s going to be fantastic.”

British Airways and Brazilian airline TAM are the only carriers that fly direct to Brazil from the UK. BA has daily services running from Heathrow to Rio and to Sao Paulo.

Alitalia and Condor are the only airlines offering direct flights from Italy (Rome To Sao Paolo).

But it is the internal flights that are really likely to set the fans back.

Brazil is a huge country. One of the World Cup venues is Manaus, in the Amazon rainforest. It is 4,345 kilometres from Rio, leaving fans with little option but to take a flight.

Similarly, Fortaleza, the most northerly venue, is 2,688 kilometres from Rio and more than 4,020 kilometres from Porto Alegre – the most southerly venue.

Latin American airline Avianca is reported to have cut its June 12 Rio-Sao Paulo ticket prices but its new price is still around double what it is charging for a flight exactly a month earlier.

The Brazilian Hotel Industry Association has said: “During the Cup, the cost of everything will go up. That’s the market.”

On its website, the UK Foreign Office says of Brazil: “Levels of crime and violence are high, particularly in major cities. You should be particularly vigilant before and during the festive and Carnival periods. Bank card fraud is common.”

It adds that 155,548 British nationals visited Brazil last year.

British travel organisation Abta said today: “Brazil is a beautiful and dynamic country and thousands of lucky football fans will be heading off next year for the amazing party that will be the 2014 World Cup.

“We would strongly recommend that fans buy their tickets from official Fifa-appointed agents to avoid disappointment as major sporting events often attract fraudsters.

“When there, fans should follow advice from the Foreign Office and their travel providers in regards to safety and security.

“The Brazilian authorities are doing, and will continue to do, everything they can to ensure the safety of visiting foreign football supporters.”

Belo Horizonte is the city ranked as the best-prepared in Brazil to host the World Cup.

In an assessment by Brazil’s architecture and engineering association Sinaenco, Belo Horizonte got 12 points, putting it ahead of Fortaleza (11) and Natal (10), the two most northerly venues.

Rio, which will host the final on July 13, was fourth with 10 points and Sao Paulo fifth with nine.

The lowest ranking went to Manaus with five points.

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