Explore Brazil
Since you’re coming all this way, why not extend the trip? Here are eight places we love — three just a few hours’ drive from Rio, and five worth a flight.
By car, from Rio
Petrópolis
1h15 de carro
The imperial mountain city, with a mild climate, the Imperial Museum and Santos Dumont’s charming house. Great for a day trip or a cool weekend.
Búzios
2h30 de carro
A peninsula of gorgeous beaches, with the buzzing Rua das Pedras full of restaurants and shops. The chic beach getaway near Rio.
Paraty
4 hours by car
The imperial mountain city, with a mild climate, the Imperial Museum and Santos Dumont’s charming house. Great for a day trip or a cool weekend.
by plane
Fernando de Noronha
3+ hour flight (via Recife or Natal)
A paradise archipelago of crystal-clear waters, incredible diving and some of the most beautiful beaches on earth. The perfect honeymoon spot.
Trancoso
2 hour flight (via Porto Seguro)
A charming, bohemian beach village famous for the Quadrado — a grassy square with a little white church, ringed by restaurants and boutiques — and gorgeous beaches like Praia dos Nativos.
2 hour flight + transfer
Caraíva and Praia do Espelho
A more remote and wild part of Bahia. The perfect spot to unplug, with pristine beaches and total peace.
The world’s largest open-air contemporary art museum, in Brumadinho (Minas Gerais): galleries scattered across a stunning botanical garden. Art and nature in one outing.
1 hour flight to Belo Horizonte + drive
Inhotim
2 hour flight to Salvador + road
Chapada Diamantina
The spectacular Iguaçu Falls, one of the world’s great natural wonders, on the border with Argentina. In April the falls are full and at their most powerful.
2 hour flight
Foz do Iguaçu
Canyons, waterfalls and spectacular trails in the Bahian interior. After the summer rains the waterfalls are even fuller — a great season for trekking.