Travel to Brazil

Brazil covers almost half of South America and borders every country on the continent except Chile and Ecuador. Most first trips start in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, and the distances are so large that you’ll fly between regions rather than drive. Visitors from the US, Canada and Australia now need an e-visa, so sort that out before you book.

Our Brazil travel tips are sorted by region and by topic: Rio de Janeiro, Northeast Brazil, Chapada dos Veadeiros, Things to Do and See, Outdoor and Nature, Food and Drinks and General Travel Tips.

Visa and Entry Requirements for Brazil

Since 10 April 2025, citizens of the US, Canada and Australia need a visa for a tourist or business trip to Brazil. You don’t have to visit a consulate. Apply online for an e-visa through the government-authorized portal brazil.vfsevisa.com, where you upload your passport details, a photo and pay the fee of US$80.90. The e-visa usually arrives by email within a few business days. Check the validity and the allowed length of stay on the portal before you apply. Under-18s need extra documents, including a birth certificate and an authorization signed by both parents.

UK citizens can visit for up to 90 days without a visa, and citizens of EU countries can make short visits without a visa too, under an agreement between the EU and Brazil. The UK government asks that your passport is valid for at least six months after the day you arrive, while the US State Department only asks for a passport that is valid on the day you enter, with one blank page for the stamp. Check that the border officer stamps your passport, as a missing stamp can lead to a fine when you leave. To stay longer, contact the Federal Police (Polícia Federal) before your permitted stay runs out, because overstaying costs a daily fine.

Cash and travelers’ checks worth US$10,000 or more have to be declared online, and electronic cigarettes and vapes are illegal in Brazil and can be confiscated at customs. Entry rules change, so check them before you book on the Brazilian consulate’s e-visa page and in the advice of your own government, such as GOV.UK or travel.state.gov.

Yellow Fever and Vaccinations

Brazil does not ask for a yellow fever certificate at entry, but the US CDC recommends the vaccine for travelers aged nine months and older going to most of the country. The list covers the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília, the Amazon states, the Pantanal states, Chapada dos Veadeiros in Goiás, the south and Iguaçu Falls, plus designated areas of Bahia. It is not recommended for trips limited to places outside those areas, such as Fortaleza and Recife. Get the shot at least ten days before you fly, and carry your vaccination card, because French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Bolivia and Paraguay may ask for proof if you arrive from Brazil.

Malaria is present in the Amazon states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Rondônia and Roraima, and in parts of Maranhão, Mato Grosso and Pará. The CDC lists no malaria in Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo or at Iguaçu Falls. Dengue, chikungunya, Zika and oropouche are spread by mosquitoes across much of the country, so use repellent day and night. See a travel clinic at least eight weeks before you go to check which vaccines and malaria tablets you need for your route.

Important Cultural Information

Brazil was a Portuguese colony, and Portuguese is the national language. Many Brazilians understand some Spanish, but they appreciate it when you try a few words of Portuguese instead, such as bom dia (good morning), obrigado (thank you, said by men) or obrigada (said by women) and tudo bem? (how are you?). English is common in hotels and tour companies in the big cities, much less so elsewhere.

Brazilians tend to be warm and physical in conversation. Friends and new acquaintances often greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, while men who don’t know each other usually shake hands, and the number of kisses changes from region to region. People stand close and touch an arm or shoulder while they talk. Football is followed with passion, and teasing about a rival club is part of the conversation, but criticism of Brazil from outsiders is less welcome than when it comes from Brazilians themselves. Racist insults are treated as a crime. Read more about greetings across South America.

Same-sex marriage is legal in Brazil, and Pride in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro draws large crowds. Society is more conservative outside the big cities.

Money in Brazil

The currency is the Brazilian real (BRL, plural reais), written as R$. Cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and most shops in the cities. Carry some cash for beach vendors, small towns and markets.

Brazilians pay for almost everything with Pix, the central bank’s instant payment system, which launched in 2020 and is now used by about four in five people. You’ll see Pix QR codes at street stalls and in taxis. Pix normally needs a Brazilian bank account, so most visitors pay by card and keep some cash for the places that take neither.

Card cloning at ATMs and shops is common. Use ATMs inside banks, shopping malls or airports during the day, cover the keypad, and don’t use a machine that looks tampered with. Notes with pink marks may be damaged or counterfeit, so don’t accept them. When an ATM or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choose reais instead.

Banks, ATMs and Cards

The big banks are Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Itaú, Santander and Caixa Econômica Federal, and many of them share the Banco24Horas ATM network. Not every machine accepts foreign cards, so if one refuses yours, try another bank before you assume your card is blocked. Your own bank may charge a fee and the machine may add its own, so read the screen before you confirm. Withdrawal limits drop at night. Caixa, for example, caps ATM withdrawals at R$300 between 10 pm and 6 am, also at Banco24Horas machines, so take out cash during the day. Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere that takes cards, while American Express is less common.

Restaurant bills usually include a 10 percent service charge, the taxa de serviço. Most people pay it, but by law it is optional.

Health, Insurance and Emergencies

Emergency numbers in Brazil:

• 190 – police
• 191 – federal highway police
• 192 – ambulance
• 193 – fire department, also the fastest way to get help on the road

Foreigners can get emergency treatment in public hospitals, but they are often overcrowded, especially in the big cities. Private hospitals won’t admit you unless you can show that you or your insurer can pay, so take travel insurance that covers medical treatment and evacuation. Bring enough of your own medication for the whole trip, with a prescription or a doctor’s letter, as some medicines are hard to find or may be counterfeit. Most travelers drink bottled or filtered water. The sun is strong all year, and parts of the country lie at altitude.

If you’re looking for travel insurance, we are an affiliate of SafetyWing, a travel medical insurance provider.

Wi-Fi and Internet in Brazil

Brazil’s international dialing code is +55. Hotels, cafes, shopping malls and airports usually have free Wi-Fi, though it gets slow in small towns and in the Amazon. The three national mobile networks are Vivo, Claro and TIM, and you can buy a prepaid SIM card in their shops in the cities. An eSIM set up before you fly saves you the errand. Here is how an eSIM helps you stay connected in Brazil.

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi, like ExpressVPN. Keep your phone out of sight in the street, as thieves target them, especially in the late afternoon and early evening.

Arrival in Brazil

São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) is the busiest airport in Brazil and in Latin America, and the main gateway for flights from Europe and North America. It lies in the city of Guarulhos, about 25 km from downtown São Paulo, and is a hub for LATAM and GOL. Trains on CPTM Line 13-Jade stop next to the airport and connect with the city’s rail network, and executive airport buses run to Paulista Avenue, the Tietê bus station and Congonhas, the city airport for domestic flights.

In Rio de Janeiro, international flights land at Galeão International Airport (GIG), officially named after the musician Antonio Carlos Jobim, about 20 km north of downtown. The TransCarioca BRT bus runs around the clock, and taxis can be booked at the company counters in the arrival halls. Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), next to downtown on Guanabara Bay, is the city airport for shorter domestic routes. Brasília International Airport (BSB), in the center of the country, has connections to most state capitals. Salvador (SSA), Recife (REC), Fortaleza (FOR), Manaus (MAO) and Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) also receive many domestic flights and some international ones. At every airport, take a taxi from the authorized booths or book a ride through the official app.

By land, a common crossing for travelers is at Foz do Iguaçu, between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Brazil also borders Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay and the Guianas. The US State Department advises against travel within 150 km of most of these land borders, except at Foz do Iguaçu and in the Pantanal, so plan overland routes with care.

Areas of Brazil

Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world, and each region feels like a different trip. Two or three regions are plenty for a first trip.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio sits between granite peaks, forest and the Atlantic, and UNESCO listed this setting as the Carioca Landscapes in 2012. Take the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain and go up Corcovado to the statue of Christ the Redeemer early in the day, before the clouds and crowds build. Spend time on Copacabana and Ipanema with our guide to the beach life of Rio de Janeiro, then see the things to do in Rio de Janeiro beyond the beaches. The old center has churches, colonial squares and the Valongo Wharf, a UNESCO site since 2017. Read why downtown Rio is worth a visit and spend a Sunday afternoon at Casa Rosa.

For island beaches and colonial towns, head down the coast to Angra dos Reis, Ilha Grande and Paraty, listed together by UNESCO in 2019. Here are our day trips from Rio to Angra dos Reis. The rainy season runs from November to March, when heavy rain can cause landslides in the hills.

São Paulo

São Paulo is Brazil’s largest city and its business and food capital, with Avenida Paulista, the art collection of MASP and neighborhoods like Liberdade and Vila Madalena. Most visitors stay a few days for the restaurants, museums and nightlife, then leave the traffic behind for the coast or the hills. Plan an escape with our day trips from São Paulo.

Minas Gerais

Inland from Rio and São Paulo, Minas Gerais grew rich on gold and diamonds in the 1700s, and its old mining towns still have steep cobbled streets and baroque churches. Ouro Preto has been a UNESCO site since 1980, the hilltop sanctuary of Bom Jesus in Congonhas, with soapstone prophets carved by Aleijadinho, since 1985, and the former diamond town of Diamantina since 1999. Belo Horizonte, the state capital, is the gateway. Its Pampulha Modern Ensemble, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, joined the UNESCO list in 2016, and Inhotim, an open-air contemporary art park set in a botanical garden, lies about 60 km away in Brumadinho. The small colonial town of Tiradentes makes a good base for a slower stay, and the region’s cooking, from pão de queijo to slow-cooked pork and beans, is known all over Brazil.

Northeast Brazil

The Northeast has the longest stretch of warm beaches and the strongest Afro-Brazilian culture. In Salvador, the capital of Bahia, the colonial upper town around the Pelourinho has been a UNESCO site since 1985. Read our guide to Salvador beyond its old town. Near Recife, the hilltop town of Olinda has been on the UNESCO list since 1982, and Porto de Galinhas has natural pools in the reef at low tide. Shark attacks happen around Recife, even in waist-deep water, so follow the warning signs.

The Fernando de Noronha archipelago lies 354 km off the coast and belongs to the state of Pernambuco. About 70 percent of it has been a marine national park since 1988, and it has been a UNESCO site since 2001. Flights come from Recife and Natal. Visitors pay a daily environmental fee and a separate national park fee, so check the current amounts on the official site noronha.pe.gov.br before you book.

In Maranhão, Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is a field of white dunes along about 70 km of coast, listed by UNESCO in 2024. Rain from about January to June fills the valleys between the dunes with freshwater lagoons, which shrink fast once the rains stop, so plan your visit for the months when they are full. Here is what to expect on a speedboat trip down the Rio Preguiças.

The Amazon and Manaus

Manaus, on the Rio Negro in the state of Amazonas, is the starting point for most trips into the rainforest. Visit the opera house first with our guide to things to do in Manaus and the Teatro Amazonas, and taste the river fish and fruit of the region in the local cuisine of Manaus. From the city, boats and jungle lodges take you into the forest. The Central Amazon Conservation Complex upriver has been a UNESCO site since 2000. Watch wildlife from the boat or the trail and let the animals keep their distance. Malaria is a risk across the Amazon states.

The Pantanal

The Pantanal is one of the largest tropical wetlands in the world, in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, and part of it has been a UNESCO site since 2000. Most visitors stay on fazendas, working cattle ranches with guest rooms, and go out by boat, on foot or on horseback to watch caimans, capybaras, giant otters, birds and, with luck, a jaguar on the riverbank. Forest fires are common from May to September.

Iguazu Falls

On the border with Argentina, the Iguazu River drops over about 275 falls, between 150 and 300 depending on the water level, up to 82 m high. The Devil’s Throat, a narrow chasm that takes about half of the river, marks the border. Argentina has around 80 percent of the falls, so the trails on the Brazilian side, in Iguaçu National Park, a UNESCO site since 1986, look across at most of them. Base yourself in Foz do Iguaçu and visit both sides. Read about visiting Iguazu Falls from Brazil and these things to do at Iguazu Falls.

Southern Brazil

The three southern states, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, were settled by many German, Italian, Polish and Ukrainian immigrants. In the far south, the gaúcho ranching culture of the pampas lives on, and people pass around chimarrão, a bitter herbal tea sipped from a gourd. Winters from June to August are cool, and frost is common in the highlands. From Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, the Serra Verde Express tourist train takes four to four and a half hours to cover the 70 km down through the forested Serra do Mar to the colonial town of Morretes. Florianópolis, on the island of Santa Catarina, has dozens of beaches, surf spots and lagoon villages and gets very busy in January and February. In the Serra Gaúcha, the mountain towns of Gramado and Canela feel almost Central European, and the Vale dos Vinhedos near Bento Gonçalves is Brazil’s best-known wine region.

Chapada dos Veadeiros and the Center-West

Brasília, the planned capital, has been a UNESCO site since 1987 for its modernist layout and buildings. North of the city in the state of Goiás, Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park protects 240,586 hectares of cerrado, the tropical savanna of central Brazil, with canyons and waterfalls of up to about 120 m on the Rio Preto. It is part of a UNESCO site listed in 2001 and is run by ICMBio, Brazil’s national parks agency. Start with our tips for planning a trip to Chapada dos Veadeiros, then pick a base: Alto Paraíso de Goiás, the village of São Jorge at the park entrance, or Cavalcante in the north.

Transportation in Brazil

Domestic flights save days on most routes. LATAM, GOL and Azul connect the big cities, with São Paulo and Brasília as the main hubs, and you’ll need flights to reach Manaus, Fernando de Noronha and much of the Northeast in reasonable time. Book early for Carnival, Christmas and New Year.

Long-distance buses link all state capitals and most towns, with overnight services and reclining seats on the longer routes. They are cheaper than flying but slow, as many routes take a day or more. Buses leave from the city’s bus station, the rodoviária. In cities, use ride-hailing apps or official taxis rather than hailing cars on the street. Book through the app, wait somewhere safe and check that the car and driver match the details. Robberies happen on city buses, and the US State Department tells its own staff to avoid them. In the Amazon, boats are the normal way to travel between river towns.

If you drive, carry an International Driving Permit with your license. Brazil has a high rate of road accidents. Avoid driving at night outside the cities, keep the doors locked, and don’t drive through heavy rain, when flash floods are common. Police run frequent drink-driving checks, and penalties range from fines and a 12-month license suspension to up to three years in prison. Read our practical tips for driving in Brazil and the regions of Brazil for a motorcycle trip.

Where to Stay in Brazil

Outside the big hotels, most travelers stay in pousadas, the family-run guesthouses you’ll find in every beach town and national park gateway. In the Pantanal you stay on fazendas, and in the Amazon in jungle lodges reached by boat. Brazil’s love motels rent rooms by the hour and are a normal part of life, see our guide to love motels in Brazil. Don’t book a hostel, hotel or tour that is advertised as being inside a favela, as both the UK and the US governments advise against going there.

In Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the classic high-end hotels include Belmond Copacabana Palace, Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana, Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro, Palacio Tangara and Renaissance São Paulo Hotel. Prices rise sharply for Carnival and New Year, when rooms in Rio and Salvador book out months ahead and many places ask for a minimum stay.

We recommend looking for accommodation on Booking or Agoda.

What to Eat and Drink in Brazil

Brazilian food changes a lot from region to region, shaped by Indigenous, Portuguese and African cooking and later by Italian, German and Japanese immigrants. Dishes to try:

• Feijoada – black beans stewed with pork, served with rice, collard greens, farofa and orange slices.
• Churrasco – grilled meat, often served at a churrascaria where waiters bring skewers to your table.
• Moqueca – fish or seafood stewed with coconut milk, tomatoes and palm oil, a classic of Bahia.
• Acarajé – black-eyed pea fritters fried in palm oil and filled with shrimp, sold on the streets of Salvador.
• Pão de queijo – small cheese breads made with cassava flour, from Minas Gerais.
• Coxinha and pastel – fried snacks with chicken, cheese or meat, sold in every bakery and market.
• Açaí – the frozen purple fruit from the Amazon, eaten as a thick bowl with toppings.
• Barreado – beef slow-cooked for hours in a sealed clay pot, from the coast of Paraná.

The national drink is the caipirinha, made with cachaça (a spirit distilled from sugarcane juice), lime and sugar. Fresh fruit juices are sold everywhere. For more, read about the food, drinks and bars to try in Rio de Janeiro and the cooking of the Amazon in Manaus.

Things to Do and See in Brazil

• Rio’s viewpoints – Sugarloaf Mountain by cable car and Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado.
• Iguazu Falls – walk the trails on the Brazilian side, then cross to Argentina for the Devil’s Throat.
• Colonial towns – Salvador’s Pelourinho, Olinda, Paraty and Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais, a UNESCO site since 1980.
• The Amazon – a river trip and a few nights in a jungle lodge from Manaus.
• The Pantanal – wildlife watching by boat and on foot from a fazenda.
• Dunes and lagoons – Lençóis Maranhenses in the rainy months.
• Islands and beaches – Fernando de Noronha, Ilha Grande and the reef pools of Porto de Galinhas.
• Waterfalls and canyons – hiking in Chapada dos Veadeiros.

For your first trip, read these Brazil travel tips for first-time visitors. The best time to visit depends on the region. In Rio, the rainy season runs from November to March, Lençóis Maranhenses needs the rains of the first half of the year, and forest fires are common across Brazil from May to September.

Shopping in Brazil

Havaianas flip-flops, beachwear, a hammock (rede) from the Northeast and a bottle of good cachaça are the classic things to take home. Minas Gerais sells soapstone carvings and gemstones, the Northeast is known for handmade bobbin lace, and in Salvador you’ll see the colored ribbons of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, which people tie around the wrist for luck. Buy gemstones only from established jewelers who give you a certificate and a receipt.

Markets are the most fun way to shop. In Rio, the Feira Hippie fills Praça General Osório in Ipanema on Sundays with crafts, art and clothes. In São Paulo, Rua 25 de Março is the place for cheap goods of every kind, but it is crowded and pickpockets work there, and the Mercado Municipal sells fruit, cheese and its well-known mortadella sandwich. In Salvador, the Mercado Modelo in the lower city sells crafts from all over Bahia. Market prices leave some room for bargaining, while shops and malls charge the marked price.

Don’t buy anything made with feathers, skins, teeth or other parts of wild animals, including crafts sold as Indigenous souvenirs. Selling or exporting them without a permit from IBAMA, Brazil’s environment agency, is illegal, and the items can be seized at the airport.

Nightlife in Brazil

Nights start late. People meet for a cold draft beer (chopp) and snacks at a boteco, the neighborhood bar, around 8 or 9 pm, and clubs fill after midnight. In Rio, Lapa, under the white arches of the old aqueduct, is the center of live samba and street parties on Friday and Saturday nights, while the bars of Botafogo and Leblon are calmer. On Monday evenings, a samba circle plays from about 7 pm at Pedra do Sal in the port district of Saúde, often called the birthplace of samba. Arrive early, bring cash for the drinks stalls and take a ride-hailing car home rather than walking the empty streets around it.

São Paulo has the biggest and latest scene in the country, from the bars of Vila Madalena and Pinheiros to the clubs and LGBTQ+ venues around Rua Augusta. In Salvador, Rio Vermelho is the bar district, and the Pelourinho fills with drummers and live music, especially on Tuesday nights. In the Northeast, people dance forró, and during the June festivals whole towns dance until morning. Beach towns such as Florianópolis and Búzios get their busiest nights between December and Carnival.

Buy your own drinks and keep them in sight, as spiking happens in bars and clubs, and take an app car or an official taxi after dark. The legal drinking age is 18, and the drink-driving rule is zero tolerance.

Festivals in Brazil

Carnival. Carnival starts on the Friday before Ash Wednesday and ends at midday on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, so it falls in February or early March and moves with Easter. In Rio de Janeiro, the samba schools compete in the Sambadrome over four nights, with parades that start around 8 or 9 pm and run until about 5 am, while street parties called blocos take over almost every neighborhood. In Salvador, crowds follow the trios elétricos, trucks with huge speakers and live bands on top. In Recife and Olinda, the music is frevo and maracatu, and the Galo da Madrugada parade in Recife draws one of the largest crowds of the season. Book rooms months ahead, and watch your belongings, as pickpockets target the crowds.

Festa Junina. In June, towns across Brazil celebrate the feasts of St. Anthony, St. John the Baptist and St. Peter, with the night before St. John’s Day on 24 June at the center. Expect bonfires, the quadrilha square dance built around a mock wedding, straw hats and checked dresses, and forró music in the Northeast. Caruaru in Pernambuco holds the largest celebration.

Safety Tips for Brazil

The US State Department asks travelers to exercise increased caution in Brazil because of crime. Violent crime, including armed robbery and carjacking, is common in the cities by day and night. It advises against all travel to favelas at any time, even on guided tours, against travel within 150 km of most land borders (except Foz do Iguaçu and the Pantanal), and against visiting the Brasília satellite cities of Ceilândia, Santa Maria, São Sebastião and Paranoá after dark. The UK Foreign Office gives similar advice and also warns against staying or eating anywhere advertised as being inside a favela. Read the current US advice and the FCDO advice before you book, because both change.

A few habits cut most of the risk. Keep your phone out of sight in the street, especially between 4 and 9 pm, and leave valuables at the hotel when you go to the beach. Don’t go to city beaches after dark. If you are robbed, hand everything over and don’t resist. Check that a GPS route doesn’t take you through a favela. Buy your own drinks and keep them in sight, as drink spiking is common and methanol in spirits has caused deaths. Carry a copy of your passport and a photo ID. Drug offenses bring long prison sentences, and travelers are sometimes offered money to carry a package, which is how many end up in jail.

At the beach, strong currents affect many stretches of coast, so follow the flags and the lifeguards. Heavy rain causes flash floods and landslides, including around Rio de Janeiro, so never cross fast-flowing water.

Conclusion

With ten days, combine Rio de Janeiro with Iguazu Falls and either Paraty and Ilha Grande or a few days in Salvador, and fly between them. With two weeks or more, add the Amazon from Manaus, the Pantanal, or Lençóis Maranhenses in the months when its lagoons are full. On a second trip, head for the colonial towns of Minas Gerais, Chapada dos Veadeiros or the beaches and wine country of the south.

Before you book, check whether you need an e-visa, read the notes on yellow fever above and buy travel insurance that covers medical evacuation. Book domestic flights and rooms early for Carnival and New Year, and plan to take out cash in daylight. Our general travel tips for Brazil cover more of the practical details.