Travel guide Brazil
Welcome to Brazil, the country of excess and samba, whose territory covers almost half the surface of South America! From the kingdom of the jaguars in the swampy plain of Pantanal, to Recife, the South American Venice, from the immense Amazon rainforest, the largest ecological reserve in the world, to the Iguaçu waterfalls on the border withArgentina, from the futuristic architecture of Brasilia, the capital, to the favelas of the working class neighborhoods, Brazil is not only about its paradisiacal beaches symbolized by the mythical Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil is also and above all the product of a formidable crossbreeding in Portuguese version between Africa, Europe, Asia and the Amerindian culture. A nation of a thousand colors that parades every year in February in the streets of Rio during a dazzling carnival under the Sugarloaf and the statue of Christ the Redeemer on the Corcovado. A trip to Brazil is always an opportunity to soak up unique atmospheres with your tour guide: the Afro-Brazilian atmosphere of the historical center of Salvador de Bahia, the quietness of the island of Ilha Grande while sipping a glass of caipirinha, Manaus, the city built in the middle of the Amazonian jungle, Ouro Preto, the old mining city of the gold rush, but also Fortaleza, São Luis, Belo Horizonte, Belém, La Diamantina, Goiás, São Cristóvão, the Capivara Park, the Chapada Diamantina Park, Praia do Forte, Natal, Itacaré, Paraty... There is something here to make a different trip every year of your life.
What to see, what to do Brazil?
-
Book an activity
-
Customized travel
- The most beautiful cities Brazil
When to go Brazil ?
As Brazil is located in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed compared to Europe. During the southern summer, from December to March, it is hot all over Brazil, even very hot in Rio and São Paulo. Generally speaking, Brazil can be visited with pleasure all year round and there is no best period to travel there even if the territory is so vast that it concentrates half a dozen different climates. In the Nordeste states, from December to March, there are frequent but brief showers. The period from June to December is the best time to travel in the Amazon. If you go to Brazil in February-March, you will be able to attend the great Carnival of Rio de Janeiro which takes place every year during the four days preceding Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras.
Suggested addresses Brazil
Travel Brazil
-
Find a hotel
-
Car Rental
-
International e-SIM package
-
Find a local agency
Le géant se prête à tous les types de tourisme et de séjour. En fonction du temps du voyage et des goûts du voyageur, les combinaisons des séjours seront nombreuses. Les littoraux de l'Etat de Rio et du Nordeste réserveront aux voyageurs des plages de carte postale, eaux turquoises, palmiers, vendeurs de noix de coco...Les amateurs de vieilles pierres et d'histoire trouveront de quoi satisfaire leurs intérêts : monuments coloniaux, villes et villages historiques comme Salvador, Ouro Preto, Paraty, Sao Luis do Maranhao, Olinda. Les églises baroques aux lourdes dorures rappelleront les origines européennes de la contre-réforme. L'omniprésente nature se décline en d'infinies opportunités touristiques. L'écotourisme du Pantanal, des Chapada Diamantina, de la lointaine Amazonie permettront la rencontre d'écosystèmes et d'une biodiversité aussi riches que fragiles. Enfin, les séjours sportifs, marche, canyoning, surf seront riches et variés.
Find unique Stay Offers with our Partners
How to go Brazil
How to go alone
There are direct flights to many cities in Brazil including Rio, Salvador de Bahia, Sao Paulo, Recife and Fortaleza. The price depends on the airline you use and especially on the time you book your flight. In order to get the best rates, it is essential to book well in advance. Think about buying your tickets a few months before your departure! Brazil lends itself well to independent travel with numerous bus and air links throughout the country.
How to go on a tour
You will find many tour operators specialized on Brazil. They produce their own trips and are generally very good at giving advice because they know the country inside out. Note that their prices are often a little higher than those of generalist travel agencies. The tours usually combine one or more cities and rarely forget to visit the Iguaçu Falls.
How to get around
Given the vastness of the Brazilian territory, the plane remains the best solution to criss-cross the country in all directions but if you have time, the bus network covers the whole country with comfortable but sometimes interminable night trips and punctual departures. The road network is in good condition.
Featured articles Brazil
Discover Brazil
A destination that it would be unforgivable to stray from your path. This wonder of nature is only a few kilometres from Ciudad del Este, on the border between Argentina and Brazil. If you're afraid of meeting too many tourists after traveling in this little-known Paraguay, don't worry, the spectacle of the Iguazú Falls is so grandiose, you'll soon forget them! This set of 275 waterfalls forms a waterfront of 2.7 kilometres, with falls several tens of metres high, such as the famous Devil's Gorge, an 84-metre abyss! All the waterfalls would discharge up to 6 million litres of water per second! Two days are a minimum to fully appreciate the power of nature, from the Brazilian and Argentinean parks.
The 12 keywords Brazil
1. #Alegria
Many times chanted during the carnival, theAlegria is permanent. In spite of the problems linked to poverty and the violence which results from it, it is indeed a feeling of permanent happiness which seems to inhabit the Brazilian soul. A few glasses of beer or caipirinha or a few chords of samba are enough to make this nature resurface.
2. #Amazonia
The future of the planet and the political future of Brazil are at stake. It's the planet's green lung and one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots. Finally, it is the heart of the struggle between the Eros of humanity and the Thanatos of globalized agriculture defended by the multinationals. Lula is back and committed to protecting it.
3. #Aboriginals
The cacique Raoni introduced the world to the unenviable fate of Brazil's first inhabitants: the Aborigines. Today, there are 305 indigenous peoples with 900,000 inhabitants, compared with 5 million in 1500. Reserves account for 13% of Brazilian territory, and 1.5% outside the Amazon. Unfortunately, their daily lives are often miserable.
4. #Cachaça
Among the discoveries not to be missed, the epicurean traveler will discover a local spirit that often comes in a "festive" form, the caipirinha. This is cachaça, a Brazilian rum with a wide range of flavors and aromas. Less well known than rum, this alcohol is also obtained by distilling cane sugar in alembics.
5. #Café
Another element associated with Brazil. It is the country of coffee. The plant at the base of this universal beverage is not native to Brazil, but it has contributed to the design of certain regions during the coffee cycle, in the interior of the states of Rio and São Paulo and to the election of many statesmen. The cafezinho is an institution in Brazil.
6. #Favelas
Indissociable from Brazil's urbanization and social segregation, favelas are notorious for being "gray zones" where the state is absent. Since their appearance over a hundred years ago, favelas have left their mark on the city. Violence is certainly present, but they are also social laboratories and dynamic territories.
7. #Feijoada
This local stew is today part of the Brazilian culinary heritage. Like the Portuguese cassoulet or cozido , it is a typical popular dish made of vegetables (black beans) and non-noble pieces of meat (pork). Restaurants usually offer it on Saturdays and it is an opportunity for friends to meet and exchange.
8. #Football
It is a sport that is inseparable from Brazil. Some say it is a religion, with the Maracana stadium as its main temple. During World Cup tournaments, an entire nation unites behind the Auriverde team. The rest of the year, however, it is the local or regional derbies of the Brasileirao that monopolise the discussions and passions.
9. #Kilo and bufê
Why these words here? Very quickly, the traveler will see in some restaurants prices displayed by the kilo. A Brazilian specificity, you can fill your plate in self-service and have it weighed. The buffet or bufê consists of eating whatever you want for a fixed price. Very popular, you can find cheap kilos and very chic ones.
10. #Religion
Brazil is a mystical country, where religion is everywhere and in every environment. Christianity, animism and Afro-Brazilian cults have shaped the country's soul in a subtle syncretism. The spiritual accompanies the difficult everyday. Here, when we plan to meet again, we add "se Deus queser".
11. #Samba
The samba (O samba, masculine word for Brazilians) is the expression of the Brazilian soul, as the tango is the expression of the Argentine soul. Formal and informal places are dedicated to it in Rio and elsewhere. The Pedra do Sal, the Samba do Trabalhador, the Lapa clubs or even small groups on the street corner honor this musical art.
12. #Violence
Violence is an inseparable part of Brazilian society. It is undoubtedly the fruit of violent colonization against the indigenous peoples, of slavery and of current inequalities. The military regime of 1964-1986 legitimized and generalized it, and it is no longer controlled by the new-found democracy. We live with it, trying to preserve ourselves from it...
You are from here, if...
You'll quickly find out whether you have to board a city bus from the front or the back. Depending on the city, the cobrador (local ticket collector) can be found at the front or at the back, next to the turnstile.
In Rio,you practice the "art of the beach" by coming to the same posto in flip-flops and eating biscoitos. You ask your neighbor to keep an eye on your belongings, which are reduced to the bare minimum when you go swimming.
You "pester" the waiter or waitress and mechanically shake the bottle to indicate that it's empty. What would be considered incorrect whistling elsewhere is a traditional way of signalling.
You tell your life story to a stranger when queuing at a bank or waiting for the bus.
You don't leave money on the restauranttable, but hand over the bill and tip to the waiter.
You give a long hug to the friend you're leaving... even if it's for a short time.