Brazil is one of the most attractive destinations in South America. And not just because it is the largest country on the continent, occupying almost half of it. Brazil is legendary for its tropical paradise, exotic, with a total of 7400 kilometers of Atlantic coast, surrounded by golden beaches, with its wealth of mineral resources, lavish carnivals; and – last but not least – with an interesting and rich history. The famous gold from Brazilian mines still lined the churches of Portugal – the colonial power that ruled Brazil until 1822. Portuguese influence could not help but influence Brazilian architecture, visible in decorative arts such as glass tiles in churches and monasteries. And, of course – the language. Among this vast space, you want to taste the emotion of this lovely place to the maximum, so we have selected the 14 best places to visit in Brazil and things to do here, to fully experience your holiday in this attractive country:
1. Rio de Janeiro, Cristo Redentor and Corcovado
The statue of Jesus Christ in a city called the “January River” is as symbolic and must-visit as the Vatican in Rome. The great creation makes you fall in love and have deep respect. The arm span of the giant article is 28 meters and its height is 30 meters. To get to the monument to the Savior, called Christo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) in Tijuca National Park, know that there is a railway line that rises 3.5 kilometers to the top. The unique creation was completed in 1931. of the Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski and the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, who built it from reinforced concrete and soapstone. The pedestal is an eight-meter base with a chapel, which is a favorite place for weddings. Be sure to visit the Tijuca National Park itself, where you will find yourself in a dense forest that protects valuable springs, waterfalls, plants, butterflies, and many species of tropical birds.
| Tours & Tickets | Book here | Opened | 12 October 1931 | Height | 98 feet (30 metres) |
| Website | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_Redeemer_(statue) |
| Address | Parque Nacional da Tijuca – Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil |
| Map | Open in Google Maps |
2. Copacabana Bech, Rio de Janeiro
The most famous beach in Brazil is Copacabana, used as a backdrop to many movies and videos. Its unique appearance makes it interesting: a modern section in the center of Rio, Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana and a border on one side with four kilometers of white sand and water; and the lodge is separated from the buildings and traffic by a wide alley paved in black and white mosaic in a wavy pattern – and here it is influenced by the style of the streets of Lisbon (Portugal). The beach is perfect for everything: swimming, games, walks, delicious food, fancy shops, cafes, beautiful old buildings from the time when Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil. And do not forget to visit Copacabana Palace, a national monument with protected status.
3. Ipanema Beach
Ipanema is no less a popular name for an ideal beach in Brazil, with its magnificent white sands and clear waters. The design is similar to Copacabana – the sandy strip is separated from hotels, restaurants, cafes, art galleries, cinemas, and other places suitable for visitors of all ages. A little further from Ipanema are the beaches of Leblon, which are preferred by families with children. Here they find music, arts, antiques, and local specialties. Keep in mind that the waves in Ipanema and Leblon can be very powerful and unpredictable, so if you like to surf, head to the area between Copacabana and Ipanema, where it’s a little safer.
4. Pernambuco Beaches
These beaches are interesting even just to watch, and to visit them is a real thrill: crystal clear waters, tall palm trees, silver sand, and many things to do in Porto de Galinhas, considered the best beach in Brazil. Along the beach, there is a city that is both quiet and colorful, with everything for everyone, with low hotels. here you have the opportunity to go sailing, they will take you to pools at the top of the reef, where beautiful tropical fish will literally swim your feet in water to the ankles. Another choice is a boat to the lagoon, where small seahorses swim. You can also dive if you wish to see the amazing coral reefs or shipwrecks. The possibilities do not stop there, because you can kayak in the lagoons and estuaries, fly a kite, and surf.
5. Iguaçu Falls
The entire Iguaçu National Park, along with its waterfalls, is under the auspices of UNESCO. Its subtropical rainforests include more than 1,000 species of birds and mammals, including capybaras, otters, deer, and ocelots. And on the border between three countries – Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina stretches the Iguaçu River, which flows spectacularly in a semicircle of 247 waterfalls – a thundering mixture of formidable waters. Some of the waterfalls are more than 100 meters high and cover such a wide area that you will not be able to see them all at once. To reveal the widest panorama in front of your eyes, go from the Brazilian side.
6. Amazon Rain Forests
Amazon… A name that evokes the sweet thought of immersing oneself in dense greenery and a desire to rush into adventures in the wild jungle. About 20 kilometers southeast of Manaus, the waters of the Rio Negro (Black River) merge with the clear waters of the Rio Solimoes, and together they flow for about six kilometers before mixing as the famous Amazon River. Here you can rent a boat to walk from Manaus to this point called Encontro das Aguas or meet the waters. You can take other boat trips to go to the rainforests, rivers, canals, and lakes, again formed by the three rivers. In the rich ecosystem, there are monkeys, sloths, and many other exotic stories and animals. Reach the 688-hectare Janauari Ecological Park, where you can explore many different ecosystems, including a lake covered with giant water lilies that are found only in these places.
7. Visit Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro
The Maracana is a Brazilian open-air stadium located in Rio de Janeiro. The stadium was built in 1950 and is named after the Maracana region. It has hosted a number of football matches, including the FIFA World Cup final in 1950.
The government of Rio de Janeiro owns the stadium. The stadium, which is South America’s largest, underwent a comprehensive renovation in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
The project is owned by the Empresa de Obras Pblicas (EMOP) and the Secretary of Works. The renovation process began in August 2010 and ended in May 2013.
The stadium was open to the public for tours in April 2012, despite the fact that renovations were still underway. The total cost of the project was around $500 million.
| Opened | 16 Jun 1950 | Capacity | 78,838 |
| Website | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maracanã_Stadium/ |
| Address | Av. Pres. Castelo Branco, Portão 3 – Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20271-130, Brazil |
| Map | Open in Google Maps |
8. Carnaval, Rio de Janeiro
The carnival before Lent in Rio de Janeiro is one of the Brazil’s tourist attractions which is inimitable in color, sound, action, and abundance. And while it looks like a noisy street party, it’s actually a carefully organized exhibition where you can watch parades of competing samba dancers from a specially built stadium called Sambódromo – a long series of lodge stands providing space for the 700-meter parade route. where dancers and musicians from competing samba schools wear performance of brilliant costumes. Rio is not the only city in Brazil to have carnivals, but it remains the most famous.
9. Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro
The rounded rocky peak of Sugarloaf, which protrudes from a tree-covered promontory, rises 394 meters above the beaches and the city of Rio de Janeiro. Its peak is among the places to visit in Brazil, which leave lasting traces in the memory. Right here are the unique views of Rio and the harbor and the thrill of the gondola ride between Sugarloaf and Morro da Urca. Rio’s first settlement begins below these peaks, near Praia da Urca beach, and you can tour one of the three early fortresses there – Fort São João.
| Tours & Tickets | Book here/ | Elevation | 396 m (1,299 ft) |
| Website | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarloaf_Mountain |
| Address | Av. Pres. Castelo Branco, Portão 3 – Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20271-130, Brazil |
| Map | Open in Google Maps |
10. Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto is the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais and everything here testifies to its glorious days of the colonial period, starting with the interior of the churches, where entire walls are washed of gold that leaked along with diamonds from the mines around the city in 17th and the 18th century, and you come to cascading down a steep valley and surrounded by mountains steep streets and mountain scenery. The 17th-century Baroque and Rococo churches of São Francisco de Assis and Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Pilar are the most telling examples, but the whole city is so rich in colonial architecture that it is a World Heritage List of UNESCO.
11. Brasília’s Modernist Architecture
We come to the new Brasilia – Brazil’s city, which was cut down from the desert and completed in less than three years, to replace Rio de Janeiro in 1960 as the capital of the state. The city of Brasilia has also been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here is the avant-garde architecture, a symbol of a unified architectural concept. There are many things to do in Brazil and the capital is one of the places where you can see for yourself. Here you will not see the usual combination of residential and business areas, and the whole government consists of major architectural highlights, which are the main tourist attractions of the city: the Presidential Palace, the Supreme Court, the two contrasting congressional buildings, the Historical Museum of Brasilia, the Pantheon of Freedom, as well as the most famous building in the city – the round Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, with curved concrete columns that rise to support the glass roof. Another landmark is the Round Museum of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the Monumento JK, a monument to President Juscelino Kubitschek, the founder of Brasilia.
12. Salvador’sPelourinho
Another site in Brazil was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its exclusive collection of colonial buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. This is Cidade Alta (Upper Town). And the Pelourinho district is where you will find the most beautiful churches and monasteries in El Salvador, built at a time when Brazil was the source of Portugal’s wealth. The most beautiful of the churches in the city is Sao Francisco, built in the early 1700s. There are intricate carvings on it, covered with gold. It used to be the monastery church, and next to it is the church of the Franciscan Third Order. Do not miss the carved facade, covered with statues and intricate decorations, a real phenomenon of human art. Both in the escort and in the interior, the word is one – luxury.
13. Art Museums of Sao Paulo
São Paulo is another iconic city in Brazil, with some of the finest fine art collections in all of Latin America. The buildings in which the exhibits are housed are also architectural landmarks. One example is the Museu de Arte, which has the most comprehensive collection of Western art on the continent, 73 bronze sculptures by Degas and works by Renoir, Manet, Matisse, Van Gogh, Picasso, and others. The Museum of Art Displays a remarkable building designed by Oscar Niemeyer designed by the Pavilhão da Bienal de Artes in Ibirapuera Park. There are over 8,000 works of art here, which is one of the largest collections of Western artists in Latin America from the 20th century. And if you like other arts, don’t miss Batman’s Alley, an open-air street art gallery by local and international artists located in the bohemian Vila Madalena district.
14. Belo Horizonte
The capital of the state of Minas Gerais has given its first commissions to the great Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer for the construction of buildings that are still of interest to tourists and fans of modernist architecture. One of his most famous works is the parabolically curved church of São Francisco de Assis. Overlooking the great Praça da Liberdade in the city center is the curved residential building of Edificio Niemeyer, also famous for his work. At a later stage of its development comes a park with clean geometric lines – Palácio das Artes, as well as the postmodern Rainha da Sucata, or Queen of Scrap Iron, which currently houses the Mineralogical Museum.
Brazil tourist attractions seem infinite and boundless, and the places to visit in this amazing country are so many that you may think your whole life wouldn’t be enough. The trip there is unforgettable wherever you go, but keep in mind these 13 places we have marked for you to get acquainted with the most important features of Brazil and feel the nature, history, way of life, and character of the biggest country in South America and its population
