8 Best Places to Visit in Brazil, Based on 6 Trips

Brazil was always a dream destination for me. Even back when I didn’t know much about it, it was somewhere I just knew I had to visit.

When I decided that it was time to finally make it happen, a couple roadblocks quickly became clear: 1) the country is huge and 2) it’s really difficult to narrow down the best places to visit in Brazil.

For context, it’s similar in size to the United States, and it’s the largest country in Latin America. So as you can imagine, figuring out my final itinerary was no easy feat.

Since that very first trip, I’ve since married a Brazilian and have been lucky enough to visit numerous more times. And not only have I fallen more and more in love with Brazil, but I’ve also been able to knock quite a few destinations off my Brazil bucket list.

As I’m assuming you’re in a similar boat that I was, and probably can’t visit everywhere in one trip, I’ve narrowed down some of the top destinations to visit in Brazil, including a mix of culture-rich cities, relaxing small towns, gorgeous beaches, and more.

1. Rio de Janeiro

When most people think of Brazil, Rio is the first place that comes to mind, and for good reason. When I was planning my very first trip to Brazil, before doing any research, Rio was the one place I was sure I wanted to visit. 

Rio is home to so many iconic sites, from Sugarloaf Mountain to the Christ the Redeemer statue, not to mention world-famous beaches like Copacabana.

And not only is it outrageously gorgeous, but it’s also an epicenter of Brazilian culture and traditions — including a unique blend of Portuguese, African, and Indigenous influences, you’ll feel it from its music (samba is a huge deal here) to its food.

It’s also the Brazilian city that I’ve spent the most time in total. I actually ended up meeting my now-husband during my first trip here, so I’ve now been numerous times. But personal connections aside, it’s where I’d recommend any traveler dreaming of visiting Brazil go, because it’s just that amazing.

If you want to maximize your beach time while here, stay in Ipanema or Leblon, but there are a bunch of gorgeous beaches well worth visiting, from more well-known spots to hidden gems tucked away in Western Rio. 

Don’t forget to pack your athletic clothing, either. There’s lots of great hiking in Tijuca Forest, a giant urban park filled with waterfalls, wildlife, and more amazing views. 

Since Rio is so beautiful, a highlight is really just soaking in the view and the atmosphere, whether it’s watching the sunset with a beer or enjoying a fresh coconut water from some other viewpoint of the city. 

It’s also a great base for exploring other best places in Brazil, with a few different day or weekend trips easily accessible from Rio.

If you do end up planning a visit to Rio — definitely save this Google map. It has all my favorite places I’ve collected over my several visits.

2. Ilha Grande

Just three to four hours outside of Rio de Janeiro, this gorgeous island paradise is where to go if you’re looking for complete seclusion.

There are no cars, no real roads, and only one main town — the rest of the island is filled with lush forests. The only things to do are visit its 100+ pristine beaches and hike — and all the fun activities that come along with it, like boat tours and snorkeling.

Every single beach my husband and I visited on our honeymoon trip there left my jaw on the floor — from two-mile long, world-famous beaches like Praia Lopes Mendes, to tiny rocky beaches that felt enveloped by mountains, like the Green Lagoon.

All the best things to do — plus logistics for visiting — can be found in this Ilha Grande travel guide.

3. Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world, and it really lives up to that title. 

It’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever been, and I would 100% recommend it if you’re looking for an amazing nature experience. 

You really only need two full days here, to experience both the Brazilian side and the Argentinian side. 

On that note — definitely visit both sides. 

Lots of people ask if it’s worth it to visit both, and the answer is yes!! It’s also super easy to visit both if you’re already in Brazil. 

But also, both sides were totally different experiences, in my opinion. The Brazilian side was much smaller, but it felt like you could get way closer to some of the falls just by walking.

The Argentinian side is much more extensive and calls for at least a few hours. 

I stayed in Foz do Iguaçu and was able to easily visit the Brazilian side on my own. For the Argentinian side, I went through a tour, which coordinated transportation. 

The tour guide even got everyone’s passports stamped at the border, so we didn’t have to wait in line. Again, it was really easy, and both sides were very different, so I would not skip either. 

🌈 This tour picks you up from Foz do Iguaçu (the town in Brazil where the falls are and where you’ll stay) and will take you to the Argentinian side. You can choose to add on a visit to the Brazilian side as well, if you’d like to do it all in one day. But personally, I prefer taking it at a more relaxed pace and would rather dedicate two full days to exploring the falls. Check it out here.

Want to know more about how to visit the falls? Start with this Iguazu Falls guide.

There are also some really beautiful accommodations in the area that will give you the full immersed-in-nature experience — I’ve got a few great options for you in this best Iguazu Falls hotels guide.

4. Salvador

Salvador, in the Northeast of Brazil, is another one of Brazil’s most special places thanks to its combination of culture, history, and beauty. 

It’s similar to Rio in that it’s full of history and culture, but, it definitely has a charm and identity all of its own. 

While Brazil as a whole is known for having the largest population of people with African descent outside of the African continent, in Salvador, over 80% of the population identifies as Black or mixed race. For that reason, it’s the best possible place to learn about Afro-Brazilian heritage and culture.

The Pelourinho neighborhood, an UNESCO World Heritage Site and Salvador’s historic core is a must.  It’s really picturesque, colorful, and colonial-style, and so fun to just walk around and explore. I’d recommend staying in Pelourinho to have easy access to lots of food options, and to really maximize your time here.

Just walking around the neighborhood, you’ll see street musicians playing the drums, people practicing capoeira, a Brazilian martial art/dance, and women wearing traditional clothing who are known as baianas. 

Beyond Pelourinho, there are areas like Praça Municipal, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, and Rio Vermelho, known for its nightlife and many restaurants, plus unique landmarks like a historic elevator, Elevador Lacerda that connects the upper and lower levels of the cities, and overlooks the ocean.

The food in Salvador (and the state of Bahia) is also super flavorful and delicious. In my opinion, it’s home to some of the best food I’ve had in Brazil.

Try acarajé, a street food made of black-eyed-pea fritters and usually stuffed with spicy shrimp, and moqueca, a coconut milk-based seafood stew. I ate this pretty much every day I was there, that’s how good it is.

Find all the details for planning your trip to Salvador here.

As an added bonus, I think it’s also even more budget-friendly than cities like Rio and São Paulo, too.

💸 Check out this budget breakdown to find out how much things like accommodations, food, sightseeing, and more, costs across Brazil. (It’s doable on a budget!)

5. Recife

Also in the Northeast but in the state of Pernambuco, Recife is one of the most beautiful places in Brazil to visit.

Throughout Brazil, Recife is revered for its gorgeous beaches, Northeastern Brazilian culture, and all-around beauty. But, for some reason, it seems to be lesser-known among foreign tourists.

But listen to me when I say, don’t overlook it! I didn’t visit it until my third time in Brazil, and I would love to return.

You’ll definitely want to check out Recife Antigo, or Recife’s Old Town, which is full of colorful, historic buildings, and sightseeing like the first synagogue in the Americas, Kahal Zur Israel. You can also find Embaixada dos Bonecos Gigantes, which is where you can see giant dolls used in Recife’s Carnival.

For souvenirs, don’t miss Centro de Artesanato de Pernambuco Unidade Recife, which is also in this area. It’s a pretty extensive handicraft market filled with unique local goods and is worth a look even if you’re not looking to shop.

While in Recife, also stop in the neighboring town Olinda, rightfully named for how picturesque it is. 

Think cobblestone streets and colorful buildings, with street performers, cafes, shops, nightlife, etc. and of course, some awesome views (go to Alto Da Se for a look at both Recife and Olinda).

You’ll also find plenty of beautiful beaches in Recife, like its most well-known, Boa Viagem, which has a beach boardwalk lined with restaurants and great views along the way. 

Learn more about visiting Recife in this guide.

6. Porto de Galinhas

Porto de Galinhas, a small fishing village about an hour away from Recife, is known for having some of the prettiest beaches in the country, complete with turquoise water and coconut palm trees.

While you could could easily make it a day trip, I stayed here for around three days or so, and I think it’s worth a longer stay especially if you’re looking to relax away from the city, and fully explore the different beaches. Of the places I’ve visited in Brazil, it also felt super safe.

I notoriously almost never go on the water (I love going to the beach, but being a bad swimmer while having curly hair isn’t a great combination), but even I made an exception here.

There are places where you can swim to a reef, giving you the experience of standing in the middle of the ocean. It’s one of my most memorable experiences, ever.

Find all the best things to do, plus details for visiting in this Porto de Galinhas travel guide.

7. São Paulo 

We’ve talked about a bunch of places that have out-of-this-world nature, so far, and I’ll be honest, Sao Paulo isn’t at all like that. (There are some nice parks, I’ll give it that. Head to Ibirapuera Park if you’re in need of some greenery while here). 

But Sao Paulo is all about the big city life — literally, it’s the biggest city in the country, and it’s an awesome place for soaking up Brazilian culture in a different, but also fun way, like museum-hopping and trying some of the country’s best restaurants. If that’s up your alley, then you’ll find tons of stuff to do here.

One of its highlights is also its street art, which is particularly prominent along Beco do Batman in the Vila Madalena neighborhood, but you’ll find lots of art throughout the city. This is where I stayed, and I loved just wandering around, checking out the colorful buildings and murals.

On that note, art-lovers will find a ton to do here.

I loved visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), along with the São Paulo Art Museum (MASP), and the Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM). Pinacoteca is also a well-known museum, and the oldest art museum in Sao Paulo. 

Apart from visiting museums, Avenida Paulista is a major street and one of the most well-known destinations in the city. It’s especially worth visiting on Sundays, when it closes to cars and becomes pedestrian-only.

São Paulo also has a really unique cultural fabric, which can be explored in neighborhoods like Liberdade, the city’s Little Tokyo. (Fun fact, Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, with a large concentration in São Paulo.) There’s a street fair on weekend mornings, and as you can imagine, tons of Japanese restaurants. 

This city doesn’t offer the same diversity of activities and amazing nature that lots of other places in Brazil do.

But if you love big cities with a booming food and bar scene and lots of art, then there’s plenty you can get out of your time here.

💗 This group tour packs in a ton of Sao Paulo’s highlights in just a few hours. There are a ton of high ratings, and it is a great way to see the city’s major sites in limited time. Find out more here.

8. Paraty

Tucked along the Green Coast, a nearly 200-mile pathway stretching between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, is Paraty, a colonial-era city and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Made up of cobblestone streets, and colorful historic buildings, Paraty itself is relatively small — before my trip here, I was told you only needed one day, but I found myself wishing I’d had days more. If you love wandering around picturesque streets, you could spend forever here, taking photos, popping into shops, and seeing what historic sites you stumble upon.

Apart from this, the best things to do in Paraty are sampling cachaça, which has centuries of history in Paraty, exploring waterfalls and beaches, and indulging in its acclaimed dining scene.

Despite being a small town, you’ll find an impressive cultural heart — its gastronomy is also UNESCO-recognized, and it also has a strong arts culture, with numerous festivals throughout the year, a literary-themed hotel, and even a signature cocktail named after a famous Brazilian author, Jorge Amado.

Details for planning your trip to Paraty are in this guide.

Other places to visit in Brazil

Of course, I haven’t been able to visit everywhere (yet), and I would be remiss to not put a few more top Brazilian destinations on your radar:

• Amazon — I probably don’t need to tell you about this one, but 60% of this forest lies in Brazil. The primary hub for visiting will be Manaus.
• Pantanal — The world’s biggest tropical wetland, known for housing the continent’s largets concentration of wildlife, including the world’s largest jaguar population. Wildlife visibility is supposedly even better than in the Amazon.
• Fernando de Noronha — Located in Pernambuco, the same state as Recife and Porto de Galinhas, this is a 21-island archipelago that has some seriously gorgeous beaches. I’ve heard it’s not very easy to visit, with expensive tourist fees, and visitor caps (70% of the archipelago is protected as a National Marine Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.) But their exceptional water clarity, stunning landscapes like green cliffs, underwater volcanoes, and rock formations, make it a bucket list destination.
• Florianópolis, also known as “Floripa,” in the south of Brazil, is another place beach-lovers should consider. I’ve also heard it has a great laid-back vibe, and is less touristy than more famous places like Rio. It also has a very safe reputation.
• Lençóis Maranhenses — Here, thousands of lagoons are scattered across a white desert. I’ve also heard it’s not the easiest place to visit, but I’m determined to make it here at some point!

How many days to spend in Brazil

I would highly recommend spending at least a week in Brazil.

A few suggested week-long itineraries:

• Rio de Janeiro + Ilha Grande
• Salvador, Recife, + Porto de Galinhas
• São Paulo, Paraty, Iguazu Falls

However, if you have even longer, even better! I spent three weeks in Brazil during my first trip, and it allowed me to experience a few different sides of the country.

In this this 3-week itinerary, it covers the majority of these cities (it’s similar to the one I followed, with the addition of Recife and Porto de Galinhas) — alongside more details for planning your trip.

Planning your Brazil trip

I also have individual guides on each of these cities, as well as general travel guides to help you explore Brazil. A few are below:

• Best Places to Visit in Brazil
• Is Brazil Safe for Solo Travel?
• Brazil Visa Guide (For Tourists from US, Canada, Australia)
• Is Brazil Expensive to Visit? A Budget Breakdown
• Saily eSIM Review 2025: My Honest Experience in Brazil Visit Salvador Brazil
• Things to Do in Recife
• Three Weeks in Brazil Itinerary
• 15 Best Things to Do in Sao Paulo, Brazil
• One Week in Rio de Janeiro Itinerary
• How to Visit Iguazu Falls (Argentina + Brazil Guide)
• Where to Stay in Rio de Janeiro on a Budget