Ride the buses, take a cab, hitchhike, but whatever you do, don't plan on getting around Brasilia on foot. The city was designed under the assumption that every resident would own an automobile. Obviously things didn't turn out that way, and the city's public transport is a solution to an almost deliberately designed problem. Fortunately it works fairly well. Note that the roads have few crosswalks or traffic lights, so being a pedestrian also requires some caution.
By taxi
Taxis are relatively expensive in Brasilia and usually cannot be hailed on the streets. Taxi stands, however, are close to all tourist attractions and any hotel will be able to call a cab or provide the phone number of the best known dispatch offices. All taxis must have taximeters and can start charging only after the passenger has boarded.
By car
If you are not using "city tour" services, it would be a good idea to have a car available. The urbanistic plan of Brasilia was highly based on individual motorized transportation, so it is not surprising that a visit to the city will be much more pleasing having a car.
Unlike other brazilian big cities, traffic in Brasilia is not a major problem, although there are some jams during rush hours.
There are public parking lots available at main sites, although it can be hard to find spots sometimes. As in other Brazilian towns, there usually are some "watchers", people that offers to watch your car supposedly to protect it from robbers, expecting to get some money in return; they usually behave like beggers, although they can turn violent towards the cars if not paid, scratching or chipping the paint job, so it would avoid some trouble to just give a little money, something around 2 reais. If it bothers you, you can always park your car a little further from the main destinations, where there are no watchers, or in a paid garage, when available.
Also, drivers behave a little differently than in other places in Brazil:
Stop at pedestrian crossings - pedestrians will wave a hand before crossing or usually simply start walking. Keep an eye on the sidewalks at all times. Policemen enforce this rule and you can get fined if you disrespect it.
Use of horns - do not honk unless you really need to. Brasilienses hate it and really appreciate their driving to be as silent as possible.
It is paramount to have a detailed map in hand when driving through the city, especially in the central area. The access of some streets can be confusing, as there are lots of elevated interchanges and ramps. Do not expect the signs to be clear and ubiquitous, there are no signs telling you on what avenue you are on and streets rarely intersect. Smaller streets do not have names as they are defined by being between this and that square. This said, once you have understood the logic that rules ramps and intersections, theoretically you can throw your map away.
By Subway
The Metrô subway system started operating in 2001. Its Y-shaped line starts in the main bus station Rodoviária de BrasÃlia - "Central" station and makes its first stop at Setor Comercial Sul "Galeria" station, which is fairly near some hotels South of Monumental Axis. It runs along the south wing, stopping at blocks 102, 108, 112 and 114, then going through suburbs. The subway uses to operate 6 AM to 11:30 PM from Monday to Friday some stations stop selling tickets at 10:30 PM, and from 7 AM to 7 PM on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Its common to be offered special timelines on some holidays, like New Year's Eve and the April 21st citie's aniversary.
It's not particularly useful for tourists, as it does not visit the main attractions but does stop at attractions such as the Buddhist Temple EQS 115/116, access by "114 Sul" Station; Parkshopping mall next to "Shopping" station and a typical fair in the satellite city of Guará access by "Feira" Station. Single fare: R$ 3,00, R$ 2,00 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Before going on the subway remember to have pocket money in small bills or coins - the Metro doesn't accept credit cards and won't give change above R$ 20.
By bus
Most local buses start from or go through the rodoviária, at the precise center of the city, and run along the "wings" - serving the residential zones - or through the Monumental Axis.Red-and-white minibuses, called Zebrinha little zebras or Transporte de Vizinhança are very useful for moving around, as they link the central area of Brasilia Setor Comercial, Setor de Diversões etc. to Esplanada dos Ministérios, the airport and some of the main avenues L2 and W3.
Unlike many other Brazilian cities, passengers in Brasilia board buses by the front door. Buses must be flagged, otherwise they will only stop when a passenger requests to hop off.Single fares are R$ 2,00 for travel within BrasÃlia. There is no advance sale of tickets, pay as you board.