Explore Brazil

Rio de Janeiro

A favorite among travelers, Rio de Janeiro City seduces visitors with lush mountain tops, fine sandy beaches, and an exuberant, rhythmic energy. The lively beaches in the south are a city hot spot; Copacabana and Ipanema are where Cariocas spend their weekends and afternoons sunbathing and socializing. Further north, alternative bars and hip restaurants are testament to Botafogo’s increasing trendiness, and winding roads take you northwest up to the artsy realms of Santa Teresa and down to the notorious nightlife hub of Lapa.

Best for Samba, city beach life, and vibrant nightlife

Home to Morro do Corcovado and Cristo Redentor, Praia de Ipanema, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes

Experience Dance the night away at Lapa’s samba clubs

Rio de Janeiro and EspÍrito Santo

Exotic islands and splendid surf: the southeast of Brazil offers the finer things in life. Rio’s coastline is dotted with forest-clad islands and attractive towns nestled in the mountains – be sure not to miss Petrópolis, once home to the Portuguese royal family, and quirky Paraty. Further north, Espírito Santos is full of little known but exciting destinations: tiny Itaúnas is backed with massive sand dunes and Vitória claims the world’s biggest urban mangrove forest.

Best for Surfing, island hopping, and sailing

Home to Paraty, Ilha Grande, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Petrópolis

Experience Wandering around Paraty’s cobblestoned streets admiring the well-preserved Baroque architecture in the old center

São Paulo City

A gigantic metropolis, São Paulo is famous for its fine dining and superb nightlife. The heart of the city is centered around Avenida Paulista, a busy avenue lined with swanky skyscrapers, world-class museums, and shopping malls. Cutting through the city’s main boulevard, Rua Augusta offers something completely different. With an alternative vibe and full of bars and arthouse cinemas, it buzzes with life after hours. Further northwest, cafés, designer shops, and the city’s best street art sit cheek by jowl on Vila Madalena.

Best for Fine dining, street art, and alternative nightlife

Home to Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Parque do Ibirapuera

Experience The colorful graffiti of Beco do Batman

São Paulo State

The state of São Paulo offers spectacular natural scenery: sumptuous beaches line the coast and dreamlike mountains rise further inland. The eastern shoreline is dotted with beach resorts where Paulistanos party all night long in the summer; just off the coast, the island retreat of Ilhabela is perfect for hiking to hidden waterfalls. On land, Mata Atlântica’s myriad trees and Serra da Mantiqueira’s rolling hills offer a tranquil setting, perfect for a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Best for Island beaches, bird-watching, and city escapes

Home to Ilhabela

Experience Sunbathing on deserted beaches on Ilhabela

Minas Gerais

Try traditional cuisine and Brazil's best cachaça (a spirit made from sugarcane juice) in Minas Gerais is a must for foodies, or mouthwatering feijão tropeiro (beans mixed with toasted cassava flour) in Belo Horizonte. Charming Baroque towns are sprinkled across Minas, while, further south, Ouro Preto and Tiradentes, surrounded by rolling hills, headline Brazil’s prettiest Portuguese settlements. Don’t miss the magnificent Inhotim Museum, southwest of Belo Horizonte, with outdoor art installations.

Best for Cachaça, Baroque architecture, and tasty regional cuisine

Home to Ouro Preto, Diamantina

Experience Admiring grand cathedrals, beautiful fountains, and quaint museums in Ouro Preto

Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, best known for its gaúcho culture, excellent meat dishes, and European heritage. This beautiful region rewards foodies with award-winning wine and mouthwatering barbecues. Blessed with beautiful fazendas (ranches), it’s also the perfect spot to go horse-riding. To the west of the regions, don’t miss the 17th-century Spanish Jesuit ruins of São Miguel das Missões.

Best for Gaúcho culture, wine, and Jesuit ruins

Home to Porto Alegre

Experience A tour through the spectacular Vale dos Vinhedos, tasting award-winning sparkling wines as you go

Santa Catarina and Paraná

Featuring Brazil’s biggest waterfall – the astonishing Foz do Iguaçu – as well as mile-long stretches of sand, Santa Catarina and Parana are musts for many international tourists. The country’s jet set flock to the island of Florianópolis in the summer for sun-drenched shores and endless parties, while keen surfers and travelers seeking a more laid-back atmosphere head east to Praia Joaquina and south to Ribeirão da Ilha.

Best for Remarkable waterfalls, oyster dishes, and sandy shores

Home to Foz do Iguaçu, Serra da Graciosa, Florianópolis and Ilha de Santa Catarina

Experience A helicopter ride over the impressive Foz do Iguaçu falls

Brasília, Goiás, and Tocantins

Modern architecture, Baroque buildings, and striking natural beauty can be found in these three central states. Unique Brasília showcases renowned modern architecture, while Tocantins is home to the beautiful Jalapão State Park, little visited by international travellers. Goiás offers fine food, the lush Chapada Veadeiros national park, and pretty Pirenópolis – a hippie haven near buzzing Brasília.

Best for Quirky towns and lesser-known national parks

Home to Brasília, Pirenópolis, Parque Nacional Chapada dos Veadeiros

Experience Oscar Niemeyer’s iconic architecture in Brasília, including the national museum and avant-garde Catedral Metropolitana

Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul

Featuring the world’s biggest freshwater wetland and Texas-like cowboy culture, central-west Brazil is a brilliant mix of wildlife, first-class fishing, and deep-rooted country traditions. Mato Grosso do Sul is home to anacondas, giant anteaters, and vast cattle fazendas, as well as the ecotourism hot spot Bonito, with its crystal-clear rivers and incredible caves. Neighboring Mato Grosso, Brazil’s best place to spot fierce felines, also boasts a capital that is a foodie hot spot.

Best for Spotting wildlife, fishing, and stunning sunsets

Home to Pantanal

Experience A night on a houseboat in the middle of the world’s biggest freshwater wetland, the Pantanal

Salvador

Once the capital of Brazil, fun-loving Salvador offers ostentatious Baroque churches, a huge variety of live music, and an incredibly rich and well-preserved Afro-Brazilian heritage. Add excellent restaurants, a stellar nightlife, and gorgeous urban beaches, and Bahia’s capital becomes an unmissable spot. Stroll around the cobblestoned streets of the Pelourinho – the city’s historic center – home to colorful colonial buildings and various capoeira schools, sip fresh coconut juice on Ponta da Barra Beach, and get your groove on at weekly samba parties.

Best for Carnaval, Baroque architecture, and live music

Home to Igreja a Convento de São Francisco

Experience Partying until dawn in the hip neighborhood of Rio Vermelho

Bahia

Colorful, culturally rich, and with a cuisine that will tantalize your tastebuds, Bahia is a must for everyone visiting Brazil. With a relxed vibe, gorgeous white beaches, and swaying coconut palms, the region encapsulates Brazil’s notorious joie de vivre. Kick back and relax in the sun along the beautiful Linha Verde or in the charming village of Trancoso, or head inland to plunge into an active adventure in the enormous Parque Nacional de Chapada Diamantina.

Best for Fabulous food and joie de vivre

Home to Parque Nacional de Chapada Diamantina, Linha Verde

Experience An exciting, fast-paced capoeira performance

Sergipe, Alagoas, and Pernambuco

Beautiful architecture, expansive museums, and booming beach resorts are scattered around these three small – by Brazilian measures – states in the northeast. Off Pernambuco’s shore lies the spectacular Ilhe de Fernando de Noronha with superb marine life while Recife is home to excellent museums, lively bars, and historic sites. Just a few miles north, Olinda keeps it old school with cobblestoned streets and Baroque buildings.

Best for Beach resorts, fresh seafood, and forró

Home to Recife, Olinda, Ilhe de Fernando de Noronha

Experience Diving with sea turtles and sharks in the waters off remote Ilhe de Fernando de Noronha

Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, and Ceará

Beach dwellers and kitesurfers are drawn to these northeastern states by their high cliffs, perfect winds, and stunning stretches of sunny sand creased with palm trees. The coast is home to two fun-loving cities, Natal and Fortaleza, as well as small fishing villages where life feels miles away from any city hubbub. Here you can snorkel in warm waters, drive across massive sand dunes, and watch kitesurfers racing across sunny waters.

Best for Sand dunes and kitesurfing

Home to Fortaleza

Experience Adrenaline-filled kitesurfing just offshore from Natal’s high sand dunes

Piauí and Maranhão

The adventure-filled northern states of Maranhão and Piauí are home to two spectacular national parks: Lençóis Maranhenses, an otherwordly landscape of turquoise lagoons and great stretches of rolling white sand dunes, and Serra da Capivara, an exciting trove of prehistoric paintings. Visitors to the region are also drawn to the charming historic center of São Luís, which features a range of excellent pousadas and a particularly lively reggae scene.

Best for Adventure, Baroque architecture, and reggae

Home to Parque Nacional de Serra da Capivara, Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses, São Luís

Experience A trip to Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses to admire its striking lagoons

The Amazon

Mystical and magical, the Amazon makes up a stunning 40 percent of Brazil’s landscape. The lungs of the earth, the jungle is home to the majority of Brazil’s indigenous peoples and supports an incredible variety of plants and animals. Humid Manaus, in the heart of the region, is home to the stunning Teatro Amazon, while the Mamiruá Reserve in the northwest, near the Colombian border, is the best spot for incredible wildlife.

Best for Rainforests, river cruises, and indigenous culture

Home to Belém, Manaus

Experience Cruising down the rivers of Mamirauá Reserve searching for the endemic Uakari and black-headed squirrel monkeys