Language · 11 published
Country guide
Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest on earth, with over 213 million people, 26 states and a Federal District built to hold the capital, Brasília. Its Atlantic coastline runs 7,491 kilometres and it borders every country on the continent except Ecuador and Chile. Most of the Amazon basin is Brazilian, including the world's largest river system and the most extensive virgin tropical forest left standing; the same country also holds wetlands, savanna, plateau and low mountains. São Paulo is the most populous city and Rio de Janeiro the second. The distance between any two of these is the planning problem.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Thomas Hobbs · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photograph · Rafael Rabello de Barros · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
24 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Liberdade is São Paulo's historically Japanese-Brazilian district, the largest such community outside Japan. The area developed through twentieth-century immigration and retains distinct cultural markers in its streetscape, commerce, and public spaces.
Cristo Redentor
Christ the Redeemer, known locally as Cristo Redentor, stands atop Corcovado mountain as Rio de Janeiro's most iconic monument. The Art Deco statue depicts Jesus Christ with outstretched arms, symbolizing welcome and protection over the city.
Catedral da Sé
São Paulo Cathedral, or Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo, stands on Praça da Sé in the historic centre of São Paulo, Brazil.
Edifício Copan
The Copan Building, known locally as Edifício Copan, stands as one of São Paulo's most distinctive architectural landmarks.
Biblioteca Nacional
The National Library of Brazil, or Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil, stands as a major cultural institution in Rio de Janeiro.
Sambódromo da Marquês de Sapucaí
The Sambódromo da Marquês de Sapucaí is a purpose-built parade avenue in Rio de Janeiro designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Teatro Municipal de São Paulo
The Municipal Theatre of São Paulo is the historic centre's principal opera house and a defining Belle Époque landmark. Built during the city's rapid early twentieth-century growth, it represents Brazil's aspiration toward European cultural sophistication.
Mosteiro de São Bento
The Monastery of Saint Benedict is a historic Benedictine complex in Sao Paulo's old city center. It anchors one corner of the old-city triangle, a zone of significant historical concentration.
Estação da Luz
Luz Station, or Estação da Luz, is a monumental railway station in São Paulo’s historic centre.
Arcos da Lapa
The Arcos da Lapa is a colonial-era aqueduct in Rio de Janeiro's Lapa neighbourhood. This monumental structure comprises two tiers of arches that originally served as a water supply system for the city.
Monumento às Bandeiras
Monument to the Bandeiras is a monumental granite sculpture by Victor Brecheret located in São Paulo, Brazil. The local name is Monumento às Bandeiras. It commemorates the bandeirantes, 17th-century Portuguese Brazilian explorers and fortune hunters who expanded Brazil's territory.
Ilha Fiscal
Ilha Fiscal is a small island in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, notable for its distinctive neo-Gothic palace that formerly served as a customs house.
Pateo do Collegio
Pátio do Colégio marks the foundational site of São Paulo, established by Jesuit priests Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta in 1554. The name references the original Jesuit college courtyard where the city began.
Mercado Municipal de São Paulo
The Municipal Market of São Paulo, locally called Mercadão, is a historic public market in the city centre. Built in the early twentieth century, it occupies a prominent building with distinctive architecture.
Edifício Martinelli
The Martinelli Building, or Edifício Martinelli, is a landmark skyscraper in central São Paulo. Built in the early twentieth century, it represents the city's first major skyscraper ambition and the commercial expansion that reshaped downtown.
Penha Church, formally Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha, is a Catholic pilgrimage sanctuary on a granite outcrop in Rio de Janeiro’s Penha neighborhood. Its defining feature is the long ceremonial staircase leading up to the church.
Viaduto do Chá is a historic bridge in central São Paulo, crossing the Vale do Anhangabaú between the older city centre and newer downtown. Built in the late nineteenth century, it reflects the rapid urban growth of the coffee-boom era.
Teleférico do Pão de Açúcar
Sugarloaf Cable Car is the aerial route through Parque Bondinho Pão de Açúcar, connecting the ground station at Praia Vermelha with Morro da Urca and Sugarloaf Mountain.
Cratera de Colônia
Colônia Crater, or Cratera de Colônia, is a large meteorite-impact structure in São Paulo’s Parelheiros district. It is recognised as a protected geosite and represents an important geological feature within the metropolitan area.
Casa do Grito is a historic rammed-earth house in São Paulo’s Ipiranga independence landscape. It belongs to a heritage setting that also includes the Monument to Independence, Parque da Independência, and the Ipiranga Museum.
Sala São Paulo is a major concert hall housed within the historic Júlio Prestes Station, a former railway terminal in central São Paulo. It serves as the permanent home of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP).
Samba City, known locally as Cidade do Samba, is a purpose-built complex in Rio de Janeiro dedicated to the preparation of Carnival floats and costumes.
Beco do Batman
Beco do Batman is a narrow alleyway in São Paulo's Vila Madalena neighbourhood that has become a celebrated open-air gallery of street art.
Arpoador Rock, known locally as Pedra do Arpoador, is a rocky headland situated between two of Rio de Janeiro's most famous beaches: Copacabana and Ipanema.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Brazil’s scale makes 10–16 days appropriate for one region rather than a national circuit. Build around a single gateway such as Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, then add one coherent coastal, nature or cultural extension.
Visa information is maintained by Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its consular portal. Eligibility depends on nationality and visit purpose; use the ministry’s current table instead of relying on a past visa waiver.
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro handle major international and domestic connections. Flights bridge the country’s long distances, coaches cover many regional corridors, and national passenger rail is not a general substitute for either.
Brazil has no single best month because Amazon, northeast-coast, Pantanal and southern conditions differ. April–June and August–October are broad shoulder periods, but the chosen region’s rainfall and access cycle should decide the dates.
The Brazilian real (BRL) is the unit used for prices. This guide does not record current bank fees or acceptance patterns; check the displayed total and conversion currency before authorising a card or cash transaction.
Brazil separates emergency services: 190 police, 192 ambulance and 193 fire. Type N sockets operate at either 127 or 220 V depending on location, and national tap-water suitability is Not recorded.
