Without a doubt, Brazil is one of my favourite countries in South America. I mean, where else can you stand at the edge of waterfalls that stretch for miles, then hop over to beaches that look like they’ve been photoshopped? The first time you see Iguazu Falls or catch that view from Sugarloaf Mountain, you get why everyone makes such a big deal about this country.
These are the most beautiful places to visit in Brazil that’ll make your jaw drop. Not just the obvious spots either – though trust me, even those famous views are way better in real life than in photos.
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#1 tip to save money on your trip to Brazil
Let’s first cover some quick tips that will save you time and money on your Brazilian adventure.
- FLYING: If you haven’t already, I HIGHLY recommend signing up for Scott’s Cheap Flights (now called Going). Last summer, I flew to São Paulo for just $300 roundtrip thanks to their email alerts. The premium and elite version are even better!
- Food: Save by eating at por kilo restaurants where you pay by weight – perfect for trying different Brazilian dishes. Local padarias (bakeries) offer cheap breakfast and lunch deals. Small restaurants serving prato feito (set meals with rice, beans, meat, and salad) cost around R$20-30.
- Transport: Get a Bilhete Único card in São Paulo or RioCard in Rio for public transport. For intercity travel, book overnight buses through ClickBus – you’ll save on both transport and a night’s accommodation.
Brazil is relatively affordable once you’re there, but prices in tourist areas can shock visitors. If you follow the strategies above, you can explore this massive country for much less. Now, without further ado, let’s jump into the best places to visit in Brazil:
1. Rio de Janeiro
- 📍 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil
- 🏆 Best For: 🏖️ Beach lovers, 🎉 party seekers, 🏙️ urban explorers
- 📸 Top Experiences: Christ the Redeemer, Ipanema Beach, Sugarloaf Mountain
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: December to March ☀️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Yoo2 Rio de Janeiro – Stylish rooms with bay views and rooftop pool
Rio is more than just postcard views and samba beats, it’s a full sensory experience. You’ll hear music spilling into the streets, smell grilled queijo coalho from beachside vendors, and feel the buzz of a city that never really rests. The rhythm of Rio hits different whether you’re watching surfers at Arpoador or sipping caipirinhas as the sun dips behind the mountains.
Head up Corcovado to see Christ the Redeemer up close, but don’t rush back down. The view of the city sprawled between jungle and ocean is reason enough to linger. After that, hop on a cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain, where the bay lights up at dusk in a way photos never quite capture.
Whether you’re dancing in Lapa, hiking in Tijuca Forest, or just lying under an umbrella on Copacabana, Rio makes you feel like you’re in the center of it all.
- Read next: Best Airlines in Brazil
2. Iguazu Falls
- 📍 Location: Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná
- 🏆 Best For: 🌊 Nature lovers, 📸 photographers, 🌿 thrill seekers
- 📸 Top Experiences: Devil’s Throat viewpoint, boat ride under the falls, Iguaçu National Park trails
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: May to September 🌤️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Belmond Hotel das Cataratas – Elegant stay inside the national park
Standing at the edge of Iguazu Falls, you won’t just hear the roar, you’ll feel it rumble through your chest. This network of 275 waterfalls crashes through subtropical forest, and the Brazilian side offers sweeping panoramic views you’ll never forget. Devil’s Throat, the tallest and most dramatic cascade, is the main showstopper.
Take a boat ride into the mist for a soaked-to-the-skin kind of thrill. If you’re lucky, rainbows arch across the falls in the afternoon sun. Hike the park’s trails for views that shift with every turn, and keep your eyes peeled for toucans and coatis darting through the trees.
Staying inside the park means catching sunrise views without the crowds. Whether you’re into high-adrenaline experiences or quiet nature walks, Iguazu makes it feel like you’re inside a living postcard.
3. Pantanal
- 📍 Location: Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso
- 🏆 Best For: 🐾 Wildlife enthusiasts, 📷 nature photographers, 🐎 rural explorers
- 📸 Top Experiences: Jaguar spotting, birdwatching, boat safaris
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: June to October 🐆
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Pousada Araras Eco Lodge – Rustic, eco-focused lodge with expert guides
The Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland, and hands down one of the best places in Brazil for seeing wildlife up close. It’s not flashy like the Amazon, but the open landscape actually makes it easier to spot animals in the wild. We’re talking capybaras, giant otters, howler monkeys, and even elusive jaguars.
Between June and October, when the waters recede, the region becomes a hotspot for wildlife watching. Early mornings and dusk safaris are your best shot at seeing big cats lounging near riverbanks or flocks of birds coloring the sky.
What makes the Pantanal even better? The fazenda lifestyle. Stay at a working ranch where you can go horseback riding, fish for piranhas, and chill with locals over a home-cooked churrasco. It’s raw, real, and unlike anywhere else in Brazil.
4. Salvador
- 📍 Location: Salvador, Bahia
- 🏆 Best For: 🎶 Culture lovers, 🥘 foodies, 🎭 history buffs
- 📸 Top Experiences: Pelourinho walking tour, São Francisco Church, sunset at Farol da Barra
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: December to March 🎉
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Hotel Fasano Salvador – Stylish boutique hotel with ocean views and a rooftop pool
Salvador hits you with personality the second you arrive. The city feels alive with drumming, street performances, and bold colors around every turn. Pelourinho’s cobbled streets are lined with pastel buildings and baroque churches that feel like walking through a living museum. It’s loud, messy, beautiful, and totally unforgettable.
Food here is part of the culture. You’ll see baianas selling acarajé on street corners while the scent of moqueca simmers from small local kitchens. The São Francisco Church stuns with its gold-covered interior, but it’s the rhythm of the city that leaves the biggest impression.
As the sun sets, head to Farol da Barra where locals gather, music drifts in the air, and the whole coastline lights up. Salvador doesn’t try to be picture-perfect, it just is. And that’s what makes it one of Brazil’s most soulful places to explore.
- Read next: Best Places to Live in Brazil
5. Florianópolis
- 📍 Location: Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
- 🏆 Best For: 🏖️ Beachgoers, 🏄 surfers, 🍤 seafood fans
- 📸 Top Experiences: Praia Mole surf session, hiking to Lagoinha do Leste, exploring Ribeirão da Ilha
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: November to March ☀️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Pousada dos Sonhos – Cozy beachfront inn with hammocks and direct sand access
Florianópolis, or Floripa as locals call it, is basically Brazil’s island escape. It’s got over 40 beaches, each with its own vibe. Surfers head straight to Praia Mole, while the calm waters at Daniela Beach are made for slow mornings and afternoon naps. The air always smells a little salty, and life moves a little slower.
The island has way more than sand and sea. Explore Ribeirão da Ilha, a charming village where colonial buildings line quiet streets and fresh oysters are served right from the farm. If you’re up for a workout, hike to Lagoinha do Leste and discover a wild beach tucked between cliffs and forest.
At night, Floripa flips the switch. Beachfront bars fill up with live music, locals dancing barefoot, and the sound of waves in the background. It’s one of those places that blends chill energy with constant things to do.
6. Paraty
- 📍 Location: Paraty, Rio de Janeiro
- 🏆 Best For: 🖼️ Architecture lovers, 🛶 nature explorers, 🎨 artsy wanderers
- 📸 Top Experiences: Boat tour to Trindade, strolling the Historic Center, hiking to Saco do Mamanguá
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: May to September 🌿
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Casa Turquesa – Upscale colonial-style inn in the heart of the historic district
Paraty feels like a town paused in time. Its cobbled streets are car-free, its buildings splash every color in the paint store, and there’s always something low-key artistic happening, whether it’s street musicians, galleries, or a little bookstore tucked into a corner. The historic center is a dream for anyone who loves photography or just likes to wander without a plan.
Just outside town, the coastline gets wild and scenic. A short boat ride takes you to places like Trindade, where waterfalls flow into the ocean and jungle hikes lead to quiet beaches. Saco do Mamanguá looks like a mini fjord with mountains rising over a glassy bay.
Paraty also sits between two mountain ranges, so you’re never far from a trail or a waterfall. Evenings are best spent by candlelight at an outdoor restaurant, with seafood on your plate and colonial rooftops glowing under string lights.
7. Chapada Diamantina National Park
- 📍 Location: Bahia
- 🏆 Best For: ⛰️ Hikers, 💧 waterfall chasers, 🧭 nature adventurers
- 📸 Top Experiences: Poço Encantado, Fumaça Waterfall hike, trekking the Paty Valley
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: April to October 🌞
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Pousada Alto do Cajueiro – Cozy hilltop lodge with panoramic valley views
Chapada Diamantina feels like stepping into a giant natural playground. Think deep canyons, glowing blue caves, misty waterfalls, and trails that make your legs ache in the best way. It’s a favorite among backpackers and locals who come here to disconnect and breathe fresh mountain air.
The hike to Fumaça Waterfall rewards you with dizzying views as water disappears into a smoky mist. Poço Encantado is pure magic as sunlight filters through a cave and lights up a crystal-clear pool that glows blue from inside. Photos just don’t do it justice.
If you’re up for real adventure, the Paty Valley trail is a multi-day trek through cliffs, rivers, and hidden villages. You’ll eat home-cooked meals, cross stone bridges, and camp under the stars. Chapada isn’t about luxury. It’s about wide open skies, wild beauty, and moments that will wow you.
8. Ouro Preto
- 📍 Location: Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais
- 🏆 Best For: 🏛️ History buffs, ⛪ architecture fans, 🧳 cultural travelers
- 📸 Top Experiences: Exploring colonial churches, walking the cobbled streets, visiting local museums
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: April to October ☀️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Pousada do Mondego – Charming historic hotel right across from São Francisco Church
Ouro Preto is a city that practically wears its history on its sleeve. Every narrow alley and baroque church feels like a movie set. Pretty much just swap your phone for a quill pen and you’re in the 1700s. The town was once at the heart of Brazil’s gold rush, and it shows in the ornate architecture and gold-leaf-covered church interiors.
Wandering the streets feels like time travel. São Francisco Church, designed by the legendary Aleijadinho, is a must-see, but the entire historic center is packed with stunning facades and bell towers. Don’t be surprised if you stumble into a cultural festival or a live street performance.
For the full experience, climb up Morro da Forca for panoramic views of tiled rooftops and green hills. Ouro Preto is more than just a postcard, it’s a story and a slow-paced escape from the modern world.
9. Jericoacoara
- 📍 Location: Jericoacoara, Ceará
- 🏆 Best For: 🏖️ Beach chillers, 🪁 kite surfers, 🌅 sunset seekers
- 📸 Top Experiences: Watching sunset at the dune, floating in Lagoa do Paraíso, dune buggy tours
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: July to December 🌤️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Hurricane Jeri – Stylish beachside resort with hammocks and sea views
Jericoacoara, or just “Jeri” if you’re in the know, is that off-grid beach town everyone dreams about. The streets are made of sand, Wi-Fi is spotty, and the sunsets are so good they draw crowds to the same dune every evening like it’s a daily ritual.
By day, you’ve got options: chill in a hammock suspended over turquoise water at Lagoa do Paraíso, zip across dunes in a buggy, or windsurf on steady Atlantic breezes. Even if you do nothing, Jeri makes it feel like time well spent.
The vibe here is pure barefoot luxury. Flip-flops are the norm, seafood is fresh-caught, and nights are for forró dancing under the stars. Jericoacoara isn’t just a destination, it’s a different pace of life, and once you settle into it, you might not want to leave.
10. Manaus and the Amazon Rainforest
- 📍 Location: Manaus, Amazonas
- 🏆 Best For: 🌿 Wildlife lovers + jungle adventures
- 📸 Top Experiences: River cruise to the Meeting of Waters, jungle lodge stay, visit to Adolpho Lisboa Market
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: June to September ☀️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Amazon Ecopark Jungle Lodge – Rustic riverside cabins with full jungle access
Manaus sits at the heart of the Brazilian Amazon and is your main gateway to the rainforest. The city itself is a cultural surprise, with grand buildings like the Amazon Theatre and markets bursting with local flavor. It’s also where the famous Meeting of Waters occurs, where the Rio Negro and Amazon River run side by side without mixing right away.
Many travelers use Manaus as a base for multi-day tours into the jungle. River cruises and eco-lodges offer a chance to spot pink dolphins, sloths, toucans, and even jaguars. It’s one of the few places where you’ll wake up to the sound of howler monkeys and fall asleep under a canopy of stars.
Manaus blends city and jungle in a way that’s hard to explain until you experience it. If you want to connect with nature and culture in one trip, this is the place.
11. Brasília
- 📍 Location: Brasília, Federal District
- 🏆 Best For: 🏛️ Architecture fans + modernist design
- 📸 Top Experiences: Cathedral of Brasília, Paranoá Lake, Congress of Brazil
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: May to July ☀️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: B Hotel Brasilia – Stylish modern stay near Esplanade ministries
Brasília isn’t your typical scenic destination, but its futuristic skyline and layout make it one of Brazil’s most unique cities. Designed and shaped like an airplane from above, it’s filled with bold curves, dramatic spaces, and architecture that feels like it belongs in a graphic novel.
The Cathedral of Brasília is one of the most iconic stops, with glass and concrete sweeping into the sky. Walk along the Esplanade to see the twin domes of the National Congress or visit Itamaraty Palace, home to Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which floats on a reflective pool.
Despite its reputation as a political hub, Brasília surprises with parks, lakeside views, and a laid-back vibe. If you want to see a side of Brazil that’s often overlooked, this modernist masterpiece is worth the detour.
12. Fernando de Noronha
- 📍 Location: Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco
- 🏆 Best For: 🏖️ Pristine beaches + marine wildlife
- 📸 Top Experiences: Snorkeling at Baía do Sancho, hiking Morro Dois Irmãos, dolphin watching at Baía dos Golfinhos
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: August to October ☀️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Pousada Maravilha – Luxury eco-stay with oceanfront views
Fernando de Noronha feels like a hidden corner of paradise. This remote archipelago off Brazil’s northeastern coast is a UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its unspoiled landscapes and protected marine life. With strict visitor limits and sustainable tourism practices, it remains one of the most pristine places in Brazil.
The island’s crown jewel, Baía do Sancho, is consistently ranked among the world’s best beaches. You can snorkel through clear turquoise waters filled with sea turtles and vibrant fish or relax on the sand with dramatic cliffs framing the horizon. The short hike to Morro Dois Irmãos rewards you with one of the island’s best panoramic views.
Nature lovers will feel at home here. Spinner dolphins swim near Baía dos Golfinhos, and diving spots offer close encounters with rays and reef sharks. It’s peaceful, raw, and unforgettable.
