Belém Travel Forum

Are there ATM machines available to withdraw cash in the local currency? If not, will my hotel be able to exchange my money into their currency or will that option be available at the airport? Do a lot of people speak English?

In Belem people don't speak Englisch.
Change your money (dollar or euro) in the "casa do cambio". You can trust it and you get the best exchange. In the great cities (and Belem is one) there are casas de cambio. Ask for it. Try to change as less as possible at the airport or at the Hotel. The exchange is mutch better in the "casas de cambio". Most of casa de cambio are located in the tourist agencies nd is not forbitten in Brasil.
Good luck
Regards

I found good functioning convenient ATMs pretty much throughout Belem. The ones I used were often inside the bank before one got to the windows and offices. (It think the NSBC or NBSC was the most convenient. The machines do communicate in English. The exchange rate is good but you should be aware of the fees your bank may charge for taking out cash. Lots of Visa cards will charge 3% (1-4%) for foreign exchange, plus you do start to pay at the maximum interest rate when you take out the money. I have a card that only charges me 1% and I prepay into it to avoid the high interest charges. You can use a credit card to pay lots of bills, but be careful to never let it out of your sight. good luck. bob