Brazil, destination by destination

Most reviewed activities in the most popular destinations

In Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro Full-Day Tour + Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain by Minibus★ 8.6 · 338 reviews · from US$ 103In Foz do IguaçuIguazú Falls Argentine Side Tour★ 8.5 · 166 reviews · from US$ 44In São PauloSão Paulo Complete Tour★ 9.4 · 177 reviews · from US$ 77

Choose your destination

Each guide gathers what you need to plan the trip: the sights worth a day, the best time to visit and the practical details.

Rio de Janeiro Mountains, sea and rainforest inside the same city: from Christ the Redeemer to the sand of Ipanema. Best time: May to September See the guide Foz do Iguaçu Around 275 waterfalls on the border of three countries, with the Itaipu power plant a few kilometers away. Best time: March to September See the guide São Paulo Museums, parks and one of the most diverse cuisines in the world in a metropolis that never slows down. Best time: May to September See the guide Salvador The first capital of Brazil, with the drum that never stops and the sea flowing in through the bay. Best time: August to December See the guide Belo Horizonte Capital of Minas Gerais, a mountain city with a boteco (neighborhood bar) on every corner and Niemeyer's architecture on the shores of Lagoa da Pampulha. The gateway to the historic interior of Minas. Best time: May to August See the guide Brasília The capital built from scratch on the cerrado savanna: Niemeyer's curves, an enormous sky and sunsets over the lake. Best time: May to August See the guide Fortaleza Pure urban beach life: kilometers of seafront, crab beach shacks and sun almost all year. Best time: August to December See the guide Recife The Venice of Brazil: bridges over the rivers, colonial houses, frevo and one of the best dining scenes in Brazil's Northeast. Best time: October to December See the guide Florianópolis An island with more than 40 beaches, a saltwater lagoon for windsurfing and oysters farmed in the same sea where they grow. Best time: April to November See the guide Jericoacoara A village of sand streets where everyone stops what they are doing to watch the sun fall behind the dune. Best time: July to December See the guide Ouro Preto Stone-paved slopes, gilded Baroque churches and the work of Aleijadinho in the former gold capital. Best time: May to August See the guide Curitiba Parks born from old quarries, museums and an immigrant heritage in the capital of Paraná, which has the coldest climate among the country's capitals. Best time: April to September See the guide Lençóis Maranhenses A desert that fills with water: white dunes as far as the eye can see, dotted with blue and green lagoons that exist only after the rains. Best time: August to December See the guide Gramado The town of half-timbered architecture, handmade chocolate and hydrangeas: mountain chill and Christmas lights almost all year. Best time: August to December See the guide Campos do Jordão Brazil's highest town, at 1,628 m in the Serra da Mantiqueira: the "Brazilian Switzerland" of cold weather, pine nuts and the Winter Festival. Best time: June to September See the guide Balneário Camboriú Brazil's most vertical beach: a skyscraper waterfront, a cable car over the Atlantic Forest and a summer that never sleeps. Best time: April to September See the guide Canela The town of the Stone Cathedral, mountain waterfalls and araucaria forest: Gramado's wilder neighbor, just 8 km away. Best time: August to December See the guide Porto Seguro Where Brazil began: from the buzz of the megabarracas (huge beach clubs) playing axé music to the barefoot charm of Trancoso and Arraial d'Ajuda. Best time: year-round See the guide Paraty A colonial historic center and a bay of islands: uneven cobblestones, whitewashed houses and craft cachaça on the Costa Verde. Best time: June to August See the guide João Pessoa Where the sun rises first in the Americas: a green city, sunsets to the sound of Ravel's Bolero and a waterfront of city beaches. Best time: October to December See the guide Maceió The capital of the green sea: natural pools reached by jangada, city beaches lined with coconut palms and warm weather all year. Best time: October to December See the guide Natal The City of the Sun trades the clock for the rhythm of the tides, with dunes that run down to the sea and sunshine on almost every day of the year. Best time: September to December See the guide Búzios Twenty-some beaches on a charming peninsula: the seaside resort that Brigitte Bardot put on the map, two and a half hours from Rio. Best time: April to October See the guide Porto de Galinhas Warm, clear natural pools you reach by jangada, a traditional sailing raft, to swim among the fish. Best time: October to December See the guide Fernando de Noronha A volcanic archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic where the water is so clear it hardly seems real, and Baía do Sancho was once voted the best beach in the world. Best time: September to December See the guide Morro de São Paulo A car-free village on Tinharé Island: numbered beaches, natural pools and parties on the sand to the sound of the sea. Best time: August to December See the guide Bento Gonçalves Vale dos Vinhedos, the Maria Fumaça steam train and vineyards that turn golden in autumn: the city Italian settlers made the capital of Brazilian wine. Best time: August to December See the guide Manaus The metropolis wedged into the rainforest, where two giant rivers run side by side without mixing. Best time: June to October See the guide Maragogi The Brazilian Caribbean: turquoise sea, a coral barrier and the Galés, natural pools 6 km off the coast. Best time: October to December See the guide Angra dos Reis Gateway to more than 360 islands in Ilha Grande Bay: a schooner in the morning, green sea in the afternoon and Ilha Grande a boat trip away. Best time: May to August See the guide Arraial do Cabo The Brazilian Caribbean of the Região dos Lagos (Lakes Region): transparent water, white sand and the clearest (and coldest) sea on the Rio de Janeiro coast. Best time: April to November See the guide Ilha Grande Atlantic Forest, trails and green water without a single car: the wildest island on the Costa Verde, with Lopes Mendes at the end of the path. Best time: May to August See the guide Porto Alegre Sunset on the Guaíba with a gourd of chimarrão, the traditional hot yerba mate, in hand: the capital of Rio Grande do Sul has four distinct seasons and is the gateway to the Serra Gaúcha and its vineyards. Best time: January to May See the guide Bonito Rivers so transparent that you float over schools of fish as if you were diving into a natural aquarium. Best time: May to August See the guide Ilhabela Brazil's largest marine island, reachable only by ferry: sailing, shipwreck dives, waterfalls in the forest and the dreaded borrachudo. Best time: May to August See the guide Ilhéus The city of Jorge Amado's novels, built on cacao gold, with grand mansions, restored cabarets and urban beaches on the south coast of Bahia. Best time: year-round See the guide Cabo Frio White sand and crystal-clear blue sea in the Região dos Lagos (Lakes Region): the driest, sunniest coastline in the Southeast. Best time: April to September See the guide Monte Verde An alpine village at 1,523 m in the Serra da Mantiqueira, built by European immigrants: real cold, chalet-style houses and fondue in the Minas Gerais winter. Best time: June to September See the guide Alter do Chão The Amazon's Caribbean: white-sand beaches and crystal-clear water that appear when the Tapajós River drops. Best time: August to November See the guide Bombinhas A small peninsula of transparent green sea on the Santa Catarina coast, with dozens of beaches between rock outcrops and Atlantic Forest and the best diving in southern Brazil. Best time: April to November See the guide Brumadinho A satellite town of Belo Horizonte that has become synonymous with contemporary art: home to the Inhotim Institute, the country's largest open-air museum, set among tropical gardens and mountain waterfalls. Best time: May to August See the guide Arraial d'Ajuda A clifftop village across the river from Porto Seguro: a colonial church above, clear-water beaches below and the buzz of Rua do Mucugê at night. Best time: year-round See the guide Ubatuba More than a hundred beaches between the Serra do Mar and the ocean: surf, Atlantic Forest and coves you reach by trail. Best time: May to August See the guide Chapada Diamantina Flat-topped hills, tall waterfalls and blue-water caves in central Bahia, with Lençóis as the main base. Best time: June to September See the guide Chapada dos Veadeiros On the highest plateau in the Center-West, the Cerrado opens into quartz canyons, icy waterfalls and a night sky that becomes one of the most star-filled in the country. Best time: May to August See the guide Pipa A fishing village turned destination of reddish cliffs, dolphins swimming close to the sand and the liveliest nightlife on the Rio Grande do Norte coast. Best time: September to December See the guide Niterói Across the bay, the city with the best view of Rio: a museum suspended over the sea, open-ocean beaches and a calmer pace just minutes away. Best time: May to September See the guide São Sebastião The town that gives its name to the north coast of São Paulo state: almost 100 km of coastline, from the surf of Maresias to family beaches and a 17th-century historic center that almost nobody visits. Best time: May to August See the guide Caldas Novas The largest hot springs in the world: naturally hot pools, water parks and the perfect contrast of a dry Cerrado winter. Best time: May to August See the guide Diamantina Hometown of President Juscelino Kubitschek (JK) and of Chica da Silva, high in the Serra do Espinhaço: stone streets, serenades from balconies and the echo of the diamond cycle. Best time: May to September See the guide Japaratinga The quiet neighbor of Maragogi, with the same clear sea over the reefs and natural pools that the tide uncovers every day. Best time: October to December See the guide Mariana The first capital of Minas: gilded Baroque carving, cobbled hills and the German organ of 1701 that still plays in the Sé Cathedral. Best time: May to August See the guide Petrópolis The Imperial City in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro state: palaces, mountain weather and craft beer an hour from Rio. Best time: April to October See the guide São João del-Rei Aleijadinho's Baroque, a century-old steam train and the hometown of Tancredo Neves, in a historic city that still goes about its everyday life, with a real university and real shops. Best time: May to September See the guide São Miguel dos Milagres The Ecological Route on the north coast of Alagoas: coconut groves, natural reef pools and charming pousadas, without the bustle. Best time: October to December See the guide Tamandaré The São Benedito chapel on the sand of Carneiros Beach, leaning coconut palms and natural reef pools on the south coast of Pernambuco. Best time: October to December See the guide Tiradentes Minas Baroque frozen in time: cobblestone streets, the Matriz de Santo Antônio and one of the best tables in inland Brazil. Best time: May to September See the guide Trancoso A fishing village turned sophisticated destination: the colonial Quadrado facing the sea, cliff-backed beaches and the most coveted barefoot chic in Bahia. Best time: year-round See the guide

Choose your travel style

The same destination makes for very different itineraries. Style reorganizes everything (what to do, where to stay, where to eat) around what you are looking for.

Romantic Scenery, sunsets and a romantic atmosphere Adventure Trails, nature and adrenaline Family Things to do with the kids Relax Beach, spa and quiet Food Food, wine and a good table All styles explore

The regions on the map

Each region groups the destinations you can combine in a single trip.

Amazon AM Bonito and the Pantanal MS Belo Horizonte and Surroundings MG Brasília and the Federal District DF Caldas Novas and Rio Quente GO Chapada Diamantina BA Historic Cities of Minas Gerais MG Costa do Cacau BA Chapada dos Veadeiros GO Costa do Dendê BA Costa do Descobrimento BA Curitiba and Surroundings PR Fernando de Noronha PE Lençóis Maranhenses MA Alagoas Coast AL Santa Catarina Coast SC Paraíba Coast PB Ceará Coast CE Pernambuco Coast PE Rio Grande do Norte Coast RN North Coast of São Paulo SP Western Paraná PR Porto Alegre and Surroundings RS Rio de Janeiro and Surroundings RJ Salvador and the Bay of All Saints BA São Paulo and Surroundings SP Serra da Mantiqueira SP Serra Gaúcha RS

Decide with data, not hunches

How these guides are made