General tips
When/where to go
Best time to visit: Brazil is blessed with warm tropical weather year round in most of the country. The most popular times to visit are between November and March due to Christmas and Carnival.
Where to go:
- Rio de Janeiro: Big city in between green mountains, beautiful beaches with granite rock formations, friendly people, Copacabana, famous Christ the Redeemer statue
- São Paulo: Urban, great food, less geographically beautiful
- Foz de Iguaçu: Iguaçu Falls largest waterfall system in South America, green jungles, lots of birds
- Fernando de Noronha: National park archipelago, beautiful beaches and islands, diving, surfing, trails
- Pernambuco/Recife: Beautiful beaches, less touristy
- Bonito: Freshwater snorkeling, nature activities, caves
- Bahia: A gem of beautiful beaches and strong African cultural roots in the northeast.
- Manaus: A gateway to adventures in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.
Getting Around
Transportation: Flying is often the fastest and safest way to get from one major city to another as Brazil is a massive country. Ubers are easily available in most major cities and yellow metered taxis are everywhere in Rio de Janeiro. Taxis are often cash only. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have well-established public transportation including subways and bus systems.
Wifi: Most restaurants, shopping malls and even gyms have Wifi- just ask for the password.
Language
Language: The primary language in Brazil is Portuguese, however it is very different from Portugal Portuguese. You will also hear regional differences in accents, such as in Rio de Janeiro vs São Paulo. Unfortunately English is not as commonly spoken in Brazil.
Here are some basic Portuguese phrases that may be useful:
- Ola (oh-LAH): Hello
- Bom dia (bohm JEEah): Good Morning
- Boa tarde (BOHah TAHRjee): Good Afternoon
- Boa noite (BOHah NOYchee): Good Evening
- Bom (bohm): Good
- Muito bom (mooEEtoo bohm): Very good
- Obrigada (ohbreeGAHdah) if female, Obrigado (ohbreeGAHdoh) if male: Thank you
- Onde fica * (ohnJEE FEEca): Where is *?
- Quanto custa (KWANtoo KUSHtah): How much?
Check out more Portuguese travel phrases at Fluentu.Com.
Food/Money
Money: The currency of Brazil is called the Brazilian real (plural: reais). At the time of our travel (Mar 2022) the exchange rate was $1 USD = 5 BRL or R$5.
Tipping: It is customary to tip 10% at restaurants
Foods to Try: On the beach you will find loads of bahacas, little huts selling everything from chilled coconuts to açaí to sandwiches. Vendors on the beach will also bring you a variety of snacks, drinks and even full meals! Here are some must try foods in Brazil:
- Brigaderos: Quintessential Brazilian, delicious condensed milk chocolatey sweets rolled into little balls. Try chocolate, grape, coconut.
- Pao de queijo: Baked cheesy bread balls. These are classic Brazilian.
- Caipirinha: Muddled lime, sugar, and cachaça (liquor made from sugarcane)
- Caipiroska: Caipirinha made with vodka instead of cachaça.
- Caipifrutas: Caipirinha made with fresh fruits. You can choose cachaça or vodka.
- Moqueca: Seafood stew with African roots, a specialty of Northeastern Brazil.
- Açaí: Açaí is a berry only found in the Amazon, often considered a “superfood”. Often served frozen like a sorbet with toppings such as fruit, nuts, granola.
- Tapioca: Like a crepe made of ground root majioca Classically filled with shredded coconut and cheese, but you will find it served with tons of different stuffings.
- Feijoada: Hot bean stew cooked in meat broth, perhaps Brazil’s most iconic dish.
- Queijo asado: Slab of cheese grilled and often drizzled with some honey. Also served by beach vendors.
Fruits To Try: (Brazil deserves a full section dedicated to just fruits!)
- Atemoya: Tastes like a mix between a sugar apple and pineapple. More custardy flesh. Dr. S’ current favorite fruit.
- Jackfruit: Giant fruit filled with little pods that taste like an apple, pineapple and a banana had a baby together.
- Mango: Some of the best in the world.
- Piña: Custard apple, similar taste to atemoya but with less pulp and more seeds.
- Coconut: Fresh cold coconuts are commonly sold on every block along the beach. Grab a straw and rehydrate with those electrolytes!
- Papaya: I thought I didn’t like papaya… until I came to Brazil. Orange fruit with a soft texture, subtle taste, and a great natural remedy for constipation.
- Pineapple: The pineapples in Brazil are more white than yellow, more sweet than tangy, and tastier than other pineapples you have tried.
- Guava: Tart and tangy little guys with a very pretty interior.
- Passion fruit: Tart by itself but great mixed in with drinks or desserts. Has those crunchy black seeds.
Health/Safety
Water: The tap water is generally considered NOT safe to drink. Only drink bottled water or water marketed for drinking. Using tap water to bathe, wash your face, brush your teeth is fine, just don’t ingest it. In restaurants it is common to be asked if you would like your water com (with) or sem (without) gas, AKA carbonation.
Safety: Most big cities (Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo) and touristy destinations (Foz de Iguazu, Bonito) are as safe as other major cities around the world. Be mindful of your belongings, don’t flash wealth and don’t wander off into sketchy areas- just as you would when traveling anywhere. There are neighborhoods in Brazil that can be more dangerous, such as the favelas (shanty town), but aside from petty theft tourists are often not targets of crime. Use your common sense and you will be just fine. We never felt unsafe in Rio de Janeiro, Bonito or Recife.
COVID-19
As of April 2022, you no longer need a negative PCR within 72 hours of entering Brazil as long as you are fully vaccinated. Many Brazilian restaurants will check vaccination cards prior to entry, so keep these on hand (electronic versions commonly accepted).
You will need a negative antigen or PCR test within 1 day of flight departure to return to the United States. If you recently recovered from COVID-19, you can instead travel with documentation of recovery (ask your doctor for a note saying you have completed quarantine along with your positive COVID-19 test). Check requirements often as these guidelines change frequently.
map:
Check out our free Google Map of Brazil here with all of our recommendations from each of our travel guides.
