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🇧🇷Things to Do in Brazil
From Christ the Redeemer to the thunder of Iguazu Falls - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Brazil is a continent-sized country where Rio's beaches and mountains, the Amazon's rainforest, and Iguazu's waterfalls on the Argentine border are each a flight apart rather than a drive. Most first trips pick Rio as the anchor and add one or two of the others rather than attempting all three. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
The Art Deco statue atop Corcovado mountain, one of the most recognized monuments in the world. Book the cog train up in advance in high season, or take a van if train tickets are sold out.
📍 Rio de Janeiro
🚉 Nearest station: Largo do Machado on Metro line 1, then the official van, or take the Corcovado cog railway from Cosme Velho, which climbs through the forest to the statue's base.
Copacabana & Ipanema Beaches
Rio's two most famous beaches, each with a distinct character - Ipanema is the more upscale of the two, and both are backed by a wide beachfront promenade good for walking or cycling.
📍 Rio de Janeiro
🚉 Metro line 1 runs the length of both: Cardeal Arcoverde, Siqueira Campos and Cantagalo for Copacabana, General Osorio for Ipanema, all a couple of blocks from the sand.
Iguazu Falls
A system of nearly 300 individual waterfalls spanning the Brazil-Argentina border, larger than either Niagara or Victoria Falls. Visiting both the Brazilian side (for the wide panoramic view) and Argentine side (for closer access) needs two separate visa/entry considerations.
📍 Foz do Iguacu, Parana
🚉 Nearest airport-served city is Foz do Iguacu, with bus 120 from the urban terminal running to the Brazilian park gate; the Argentine side is a separate bus and a border crossing.
Amazon Rainforest
Most visitors access the Brazilian Amazon through Manaus, with lodges offering multi-day stays for wildlife spotting, night canoe trips, and visits to riverside communities.
📍 Manaus, Amazonas
🚉 Manaus is the gateway, reached by air or by the slow Amazon riverboats; from the Manaus Moderna port, lodge boats head upriver, and there are no roads to most of them.
Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro
A cable car ride in two stages to a granite peak overlooking Guanabara Bay - go late afternoon to catch both daylight and sunset views from the top.
📍 Rio de Janeiro
🚉 Nearest stop: Praia Vermelha, served by buses along Avenida Pasteur, with Botafogo the closest metro station about 25 minutes' walk from the cable car base.
Rio Carnival
The world's largest carnival celebration, held in February or March depending on the year. The Sambadrome parade is the ticketed centerpiece, but street parties (blocos) throughout the city are free and just as much a part of it.
📍 Rio de Janeiro
🚉 The Sambadrome has its own metro stations, Praca Onze and Central, both on line 2 - they run through the night during Carnival, which is the only sensible way in and out.
São Paulo
Brazil's largest city and a genuinely different experience from Rio - less about beaches and more about food (it has one of the world's largest Japanese communities outside Japan) and nightlife.
📍 Sao Paulo
🚉 Nearest station: Luz or Se on the metro for the historic centre; Paulista Avenue is served by Trianon-Masp and Consolacao, and Guarulhos airport connects by the CPTM line 13 train.
Fernando de Noronha
A remote volcanic archipelago with some of Brazil's clearest water and best diving, protected as a marine park with a daily visitor tax and cap on tourist numbers.
📍 Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco
🚉 The archipelago is reached only by air from Recife or Natal, about an hour; there are no ferries, arrivals pay an environmental preservation fee, and buggies or the single island bus cover the roads.
Mark Brazil, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Brazil?
10 days covers Rio plus Iguazu Falls well. Two weeks lets you add the Amazon or São Paulo without an exhausting pace, given how much flying is involved between regions.
What's the best time to visit Brazil?
April-June and September-November avoid both the crowded, hot Carnival season and the Amazon's heaviest rains (roughly December-May). Rio's weather stays warm most of the year.
Is Brazil good for a first-time visit?
Yes, with some planning - Portuguese is the main language and English is less widely spoken outside major tourist areas than in much of Europe, so a few basic phrases or a translation app go a long way.
Do I need a visa to visit Brazil?
Visa requirements for Brazil vary significantly by nationality and sometimes work on reciprocity with the rules your home country applies to Brazilian citizens, so it is worth checking your specific passport rather than assuming. Check the official visa information for your nationality: gov.br/mre.
What are some things to do in Brazil on a tight budget?
Rio's beaches are free, street parties (blocos) during Carnival season cost nothing even if the Sambadrome parade itself is ticketed, and street food like pastel and açaí is cheap relative to restaurant meals.
Can I rent a car in Brazil, and what licence do I need?
Yes, though Rio and Sao Paulo are easier by metro and app taxis. Visitors may drive on a foreign licence for up to 180 days, but must carry an International Driving Permit alongside it - the police ask for the pair, and rental desks will too. The minimum age is 21 with a credit card in the driver's name. Two local details worth knowing: many city streets have rodizio restrictions by number plate on given weekdays, and long-distance drivers should plan around toll roads, which are cash or tag only. Federal transport information is at gov.br/transportes; cars come from the Brazilian chains Localiza and Movida, alongside Hertz.