Travel tips - Popular Brazil attractions

CITIES

Brazil has many exciting cities, ranging from pretty colonial towns and coastal hideouts to hectic, lively metropolises; these are a few of the more prominent travel destinations:

• Brasília - The capital of Brazil, and an architectural spectacle. Noteworthy buildings include a basket-shaped Cathedral, the beautiful Arches Palace (seat of the Ministry of Justice) and others.
• Belém - The second largest city in the Amazon region. Religious festivals (Cirio de Nazare), traditional market (Ver-o-Peso).
• Curitiba - The capital of the state of Paraná is known for its innovative urban solutions, it still keeps its traditional spirit and features of the european immigrants, mostly from Italy, Germany and slavic countries.
• Florianópolis - The major city in Brazil located in an island in the Atlantic Ocean, with lakes, lagoons, amazing nature and more than 40 clean, beautiful and full of nature beaches.
• Recife - A major city in the Northeast region, originally settled by Dutch colonizers. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Venice", it is built on several islands linked by many bridges. Rich in history, art and folklore. Do not miss neighboring Olinda and Porto de Galinhas. The city is also a gateway to the amazing archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.
• Rio de Janeiro - World famous, beautiful city that welcomes visitors with that big statue of an open-armed Jesus atop Corcovado Hill.
• Salvador - The first capital of Brazil is home to a unique blend of indigenous, African and European cultures. Its Carnival fun is famous, and the influence of African culture and religion is remarkable.
• São Paulo - Brazil's largest, richest and most cosmopolitan city, where you can find traces of most major cultures of Earth, including Italian, Japanese, German, Russian, Jamaican, Greek and Arab.

Other cities also attract a good deal of travellers:

• Belo Horizonte -- Capital of Minas Gerais, is a convenient starting point to explore the state's colonial past.
• Buzios -- Trendy seaside town with 25 beaches. 192 Km north of Rio.
• Campo Grande -- Very green and many parks.
• Campos do Jordão -- An european-style city, in the state of São Paulo. It's famous by the fresh climate and the Winter Classical Music Festival.
• Corumbá -- "Capital" of Pantanal.
• Cuiabá -- The major gateway to Pantanal, near several beautiful places like: Chapada dos Guimarães with it's water fall "Véu de noiva", Curvelandia's caves and rivers, fishing in Barão de Melgaço.
• Gramado -- A very beautiful german-like city in the highlands of Rio Grande do Sul, known for its wonderful "Natal Luz" (The Christmas-Light), the most impressive Christmas festival of the Latin America. It's also known for the Film Festival.
• Fortaleza -- A good base for exploring the beaches of the northeastern coast, including Jericoacoara.
• João Pessoa -- The easternmost Brazilian city, where the sun rises first. Nicknamed "Jardim das Acácias" (Acacia Garden), rather unexplored, with a warm climate, good-hearted people and beautiful beaches.
• Maceió -- One of the many northeastern coastal cities, with Caribbean-blue beaches.
• Manaus -- The capital of the Amazonas State. The best place to go to visit the Amazon Forest. Also features the Army Zoo, where wild fierce animals are kept (for soldier training purposes, but open to public visit), and the unique indian-influenced cuisine.
• Natal -- Sunny beaches and dunes. Has the reputation of being the sunniest Brazilian city.
• Olinda -- A colonial town, popular for its culture and arts scene and a Carnival that rivals those of Rio and Salvador. Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its XVI and XVII-century buildings.
• Ouro Preto -- Another colonial town, with the largest sample of the baroque art in Latin America. It was once the financial center of Brazil, during the gold rush. The entire city is part of the World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
• Penedo -- A small town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, near the border with São Paulo. The city was settled by finns and both languages - finnish and portuguese - are spoken in this city.
• Porto Alegre -- An urban destination in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. Has a very active nightlife.
• São Luís -- Founded by the French in the 17th century and soon taken over by Portuguese forces after a quick Dutch occupation, São Luis is a fascinating town that managed to preserve its Portuguese influenced colonial buildings and is also known for its rich popular culture. The island also share cultural similarities with Jamaica and is known as the Brazilian reggae capital.
• Vitória -- Midway between Rio and Salvador, it is a beautiful city between the mountains and the ocean.
• Taquarussu -- Located in the hills near Palmas (Tocantins) it's famous for its waterfalls.

OTHER DESTINATIONS

• Parque Nacional Chapada dos Veadeiros – Cerrado (tropical savanna) wildlife and stunning waterfalls.
• Iguaçu Falls - The world-famous waterfalls.
• Itatiaia National Park - The first Brazilian Nacional Park, located on the Itatiaia Massif between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
• Minas Gerais - A rugged inland state rich in colonial history, including the historical mining towns such as Ouro Preto, Mariana, Congonhas do Campo.
• Pantanal - The world's largest wetland hosts lots of eco-tourism and vast biodiversity, including crocodiles and piranhas.

Popular Brazil destinations

SAO PAULO

Dusk falling over São Paulo

São Paulo (Portuguese for Saint Paul) is the capital of the state of São Paulo in the South East of Brazil. It is located at 23°32′36″S, 46°37′59″W

The city has an area of 1,523.0 square kilometres (588 sq mi) and a population of 11,016,703 (2006 IBGE estimate), which makes it the most populous in the southern hemisphere (metro area: about 19 million).

People from the city of São Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulista designates anyone from the whole of São Paulo state, including the paulistanos. The city's Latin motto is Non ducor, duco, which translates as "I am not led, I lead". A famous nickname for the city is "Sampa".

São Paulo is also known for its smog, the sheer size of its helicopter fleet, unreliable weather, and multitude of skyscrapers, holding the 7th position in the skyline ranking and with the 3rd biggest skyline, first and second which are New York and Hong Kong.

RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro ("River of January") is a major city in southeastern Brazil and the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The city was once the capital of Brazil (1763–1960) and of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821). Commonly known as just Rio, the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa - "The Marvelous City".

It is famous for its spectacular natural setting, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema, paved with decorated black and cream swirl pattern mosaics, and also for its huge social disparities, shanty towns, violence and drug traffic. Some of the most famous local landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, which has recently been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival; and Maracanã stadium, one of the world's largest football stadiums. Rio also boasts the world's largest forest inside an urban area, called Floresta da Tijuca, or 'Tijuca Forest'.

RECIFE

Recife

Recife (Portuguese for reef), 2005 population 1.515.052 (3.646.204 in the metropolitan area) is the second largest city in the Northeastern Region of Brazil, the largest metropolitan area and one of the most important cultural, economic, political and science-minded city in this Region. It is the fifth largest metropolitan area in Brazil and the capital of Pernambuco. Recife is also where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. Recife is served by Guararapes International Airport.

Recife has a typical tropical climate, with warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity all throughout the year. However, these conditions are relieved by a near absence of extreme temperatures and pleasant trade winds blowing from the ocean. January is the warmest month, with mean maxima of 30°C and minima of 25°C and more sun; July experiences the coolest temperatures, with mean maxima of 27°C and minima of 22°C and more rain.

BRASÍLIA

Brasília

Brasília is the capital of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 2,383,784 as of the 2006 census estimate, and is the seat of the main federal government: the president (residing in the Palácio do Planalto), the Brazilian supreme court, and the Brazilian parliament. Brasília is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Building of the city began in 1956 with Lúcio Costa as the principal urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as the principal architect. In 1960, it formally became Brazil's capital. When seen from above, the city's shape resembles an airplane or a butterfly.

Brasília is located in the Federal District, which has the same borders as the city. The federal district is surrounded by the Brazilian state of Goiás. The city is not a traditional municipality by Brazilian law.

SALVADOR, BAHIA

Salvador, Elevador Lacerca

Salvador (in full, São Salvador da Baía de Todos os Santos, or in literal translation: "Holy Savior of All Saints' Bay") is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. The city was for a long time also known as Bahia, and appears under that name (or as Salvador da Bahia, Salvador of Bahia so as to differentiate it from other Brazilian cities of the same name) on many maps and books from before the mid 20th century, including Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719) and Jorge Amado's Gabriela, Cravo e Canela. Salvador is the 3rd biggest brazilian city, after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and it is the biggest city in Northeastern Brazil, being a cultural and architectural center, not only for Brazil, but also for Latin America. The Pelourinho, as its historical district is known, is the biggest baroque architectural center of the Americas. Its metropolitan area is the richest of Nordeste. Salvador is the epicenter of negro culture in Brazil and, at 80% of the population, has the highest percentage of African origin of any city over one million residents outside of Africa.

CURITIBA

Curitiba is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. In 2005 its population was approximately 1,788,559 people. Its metropolitan area comprises 26 municipalities with a total population of over 3.5 million (2006 IBGE estimate). Curitiba is the largest and one of the most important cities of Southern Brazil, being a cultural, political and economic center. Curitiba's main airport Afonso Pena International Airport is one of the most modern Brazilian terminals and the second most important airport in Southern Brazil.

BELÉM

Belém is a city in the northern part of Brazil. It is the capital and also the biggest city of the state of Pará. Its metropolitan area has approximately 2.09 million inhabitants. It is the entrance gate and, together with Manaus, the most important city in the Brazilian Amazon region. It is also known as Cidade das Mangueiras (city of mango trees) due to the number of those trees found in the city. Belém is served by the Val de Cães International Airport (BEL) that connects the city to the rest of the country and other cities in South America. Brazilians often refer to the city as Belém do Pará ("Belém of Pará") rather than just Belém so as to differentiate it from Belém (Bethlehem) in the West Bank.

PORTO ALEGRE

Porto Alegre (lit. "Joyous Port") is one of the largest cities in Brazil, and the capital city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre is one of the most important cultural, political and economic centers of Southern Brazil. Porto Alegre held the best standard of living among all Brazilian capitals for many years and it was the only Brazilian city listed on Jones Lang LaSalle's World Winning Cities. It is also home to such famous football clubs as Grêmio and Internacional.

MANAUS

Manaus is a city in north-west Brazil (nevertheless, according to the country's official regional division, it is part of the North of Brazil) and capital of Amazonas State. Located on the Negro River near its confluence with the Amazon, it is the chief port and a hub for the region's extensive river system. Its population is estimated to be around 2,000,000.

Manaus is a cosmopolitan city, and, because of its location next to the Amazon rain forest, it attracts a substantial number of Brazilian and foreign tourists, who can find plenty of boat and land trips into the surrounding jungle. A great diversity of wildlife can be found even in the surroundings of Manaus. It is also home to one of the most endangered primates in Brazil, the Pied tamarin.

BELO HORIZONTE

Belo Horizonte (a Portuguese name meaning "beautiful horizon") is the capital of Minas Gerais state, located in the southeastern region of the country. It is the third largest metropolitan area in Brazil. Belo Horizonte — or "Beagá" as it is more familiarly known from the sound of its initials BH in Portuguese — has a population of almost 2.4 million and over 5.3 million in the official metropolitan area.

Belo Horizonte's climate can be classified as tropical altitude, with yearly average temperature between 18-19 and 22-23°C. The Köppen climate classification of the region is Cwa (Tropical on high altitudes, humid/warm summer and a dry/cool winter).