Language · 11 published
Country guide
Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest on earth, with over 213 million people, 26 states and a Federal District built to hold the capital, Brasília. Its Atlantic coastline runs 7,491 kilometres and it borders every country on the continent except Ecuador and Chile. Most of the Amazon basin is Brazilian, including the world's largest river system and the most extensive virgin tropical forest left standing; the same country also holds wetlands, savanna, plateau and low mountains. São Paulo is the most populous city and Rio de Janeiro the second. The distance between any two of these is the planning problem.
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Thomas Hobbs · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photograph · Rafael Rabello de Barros · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
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Tijuca National Park is a protected area within Rio de Janeiro, designated as a national park under Brazilian federal conservation management. The park encompasses Atlantic Forest biome territory and is recognized as one of the largest urban national parks globally.
Paulista Avenue is São Paulo's signature thoroughfare, stretching approximately 2.8 kilometres through the city centre. The avenue functions as a cultural and commercial corridor connecting multiple neighbourhoods.
Estádio do Maracanã is Brazil's most famous football stadium and a landmark of global sporting history. Located in Rio de Janeiro, it has hosted two FIFA World Cup finals and numerous historic matches.
The Santa Teresa Tram, known locally as Bondinho de Santa Teresa, is a historic tramway system operating in Rio de Janeiro. It serves the hillside neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, connecting it to the city centre.
Liberdade is São Paulo's historically Japanese-Brazilian district, the largest such community outside Japan. The area developed through twentieth-century immigration and retains distinct cultural markers in its streetscape, commerce, and public spaces.
Christ the Redeemer, known locally as Cristo Redentor, stands atop Corcovado mountain as Rio de Janeiro's most iconic monument. The Art Deco statue depicts Jesus Christ with outstretched arms, symbolizing welcome and protection over the city.
Edifício Altino Arantes is a prominent skyscraper in São Paulo, Brazil. It stands in the city centre and has been a significant part of the skyline since its completion.
The Museu Nacional is a museum located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is situated within the Quinta da Boa Vista park in the São Cristóvão neighbourhood.
Edifício Itália is a prominent skyscraper in São Paulo, Brazil. It stands as one of the city's most recognizable landmarks in the downtown district.
Sugarloaf Mountain, locally known as Pão de Açúcar, is a prominent peak situated on a peninsula at the mouth of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Ibirapuera Park is São Paulo's flagship urban park and its most concentrated modernist cultural landscape. Located in the southern zone of Brazil's largest city, it occupies a significant portion of the Moema, Paraíso, and Vila Mariana districts.
São Paulo Cathedral, known locally as Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo or Catedral da Sé, stands as a monumental neo-Gothic structure marking the geographic heart of the city's historic centre.
Corcovado is a mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, famous worldwide for the statue of Christ the Redeemer crowning its summit. The peak rises within Tijuca Forest, a national park setting that frames the monument against dramatic Atlantic rainforest.
The Copan Building, known locally as Edifício Copan, stands as one of São Paulo's most distinctive architectural landmarks.
The São Paulo Museum of Art, usually called MASP, is a private not-for-profit museum founded in 1947 by Assis Chateaubriand.
The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, known locally as Museu de Arte Contemporânea, is a prominent art museum located in Niterói, a city across Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro.
The National Library of Brazil, or Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil, stands as a major cultural institution in Rio de Janeiro.
Valongo Wharf, known locally as Cais do Valongo, is a historic archaeological site in Rio de Janeiro's port zone. It served as the main disembarkation point for enslaved Africans arriving in Brazil during the 19th century.
Mirante do Vale is a skyscraper in the historic centre of São Paulo, Brazil. It stands among the tallest buildings in the city and offers a commercial observation deck on its upper floors.
The National Museum of Fine Arts, locally known as Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, stands as Brazil's premier institution for visual arts. Located in Cinelândia, central Rio de Janeiro, it occupies a monumental building that anchors this historic cultural square.
The Pinacoteca de São Paulo stands as the city's oldest major art museum, housed within the restored Luz building. This institution holds nationally important significance for Brazilian art, serving as a cornerstone of São Paulo's cultural landscape.
The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, locally called Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, is a historic scientific garden in Brazil's famous coastal city. Established in the imperial era, it serves as a major center for botanical research and conservation.
The Sambódromo da Marquês de Sapucaí is a purpose-built parade avenue in Rio de Janeiro designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.
The Municipal Theatre of São Paulo is the historic centre's principal opera house and a defining Belle Époque landmark. Built during the city's rapid early twentieth-century growth, it represents Brazil's aspiration toward European cultural sophistication.
The National Historical Museum, locally known as Museu Histórico Nacional, occupies a former colonial fort and arsenal complex in central Rio de Janeiro. Its buildings represent layered military and imperial history spanning several centuries.
The Museum of Tomorrow, known locally as Museu do Amanhã, is a science museum situated on the Mauá waterfront in Rio de Janeiro's Porto Maravilha district.
Paço Imperial is a historic palace in Rio de Janeiro's Centro district, facing Praça XV de Novembro. It served as the colonial vice-regal residence, later becoming the seat of the Portuguese royal court and the Brazilian imperial family.
The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura is a neo-Manueline library in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1837 by Portuguese immigrants, the institution preserves cultural ties between Brazil and Portugal.
The Monastery of Saint Benedict is a historic Benedictine complex in Sao Paulo's old city center. It anchors one corner of the old-city triangle, a zone of significant historical concentration.
Luz Station is a monumental railway station in São Paulo, Brazil, known locally as Estação da Luz. It serves as an architectural anchor for the Luz museum district in the city's historic centre.
Pedra da Gávea is a massive coastal monolith rising dramatically from the Atlantic rainforest on Rio de Janeiro's western edge.
The Arcos da Lapa is a colonial-era aqueduct in Rio de Janeiro's Lapa neighbourhood. This monumental structure comprises two tiers of arches that originally served as a water supply system for the city.
Monument to the Bandeiras is a monumental granite sculpture by Victor Brecheret located in São Paulo, Brazil. The local name is Monumento às Bandeiras. It commemorates the bandeirantes, 17th-century Portuguese Brazilian explorers and fortune hunters who expanded Brazil's territory.
The Latin America Memorial is a civic-cultural complex in São Paulo designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer. It was conceived as a space dedicated to Latin American culture, integration, and identity.
Parque Lage is a public park at the edge of Tijuca Forest in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It centres on a historic mansion that houses a visual-arts school, the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage.
The São Paulo Botanical Garden, locally known as Jardim Botânico de São Paulo, is a historic botanical garden in Brazil's largest city. It preserves significant Atlantic Forest collections and maintains formal landscaped grounds.
Quinta da Boa Vista is a historic public park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It occupies former imperial grounds that once served as the residence and gardens of the Portuguese royal family and later the Brazilian imperial family.
Ilha Fiscal is a small island in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, notable for its distinctive neo-Gothic palace that formerly served as a customs house.
Pátio do Colégio marks the foundational site of São Paulo, established by Jesuit priests Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta in 1554. The name references the original Jesuit college courtyard where the city began.
The Municipal Market of São Paulo, locally called Mercadão, is a historic public market in the city centre. Built in the early twentieth century, it occupies a prominent building with distinctive architecture.
Flamengo Park, known locally as Parque do Flamengo, is a vast bayfront landscape in Rio de Janeiro designed by Roberto Burle Marx. The park stretches along Guanabara Bay, connecting multiple districts through green space.
The Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro is Rio de Janeiro's principal opera house and one of the defining Beaux-Arts monuments of the Cinelândia district.
Independence Park, known locally as Parque da Independência, is a monumental public landscape in São Paulo. The park encompasses the historic site where Brazilian independence was proclaimed in 1822.
The Lasar Segall Museum, known locally as Museu Lasar Segall, is an artist's house-museum and modernist cultural centre situated in the Vila Mariana neighbourhood of São Paulo, Brazil.
The Martinelli Building, known locally as Edifício Martinelli, stands as São Paulo's pioneering skyscraper and a central-city architectural landmark. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it represented a dramatic shift in Brazilian urban architecture, introducing skyscraper technology to the city.
Casa das Rosas is a preserved mansion on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo, Brazil. It serves as a cultural center devoted to poetry and literature.
The Candelaria Church, known locally as Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelária, is a monumental domed church marking the northern approach to Rio de Janeiro's historic centre.
Praça XV de Novembro, known in English as Fifteenth of November Square, is a historic public square in Rio de Janeiro's Centro district.
Two Brothers Hill, known locally as Morro Dois Irmãos, is a prominent mountain peak in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone. The summit rises above the Vidigal favela and offers panoramic vistas of the city's famous coastline.
The Museu do Ipiranga is a Brazilian history museum located in São Paulo. It stands as the anchor institution of Independence Park, a monumental green space in the city.
The São Paulo Museum of Modern Art, known locally as Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM), is a leading institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art.
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha is a prominent Catholic pilgrimage church perched atop a granite outcrop in the Penha neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.
The Selaron Steps, known locally as Escadaria Selarón, comprise a world-famous tiled staircase connecting the Lapa and Santa Teresa neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro.
Campo de Santana is a historic central park located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The space has served as a significant public square throughout Brazilian history, witnessing major political and social events.
Aclimação Park, known locally as Parque da Aclimação, is a traditional public park situated in the central-south region of São Paulo, Brazil. The park centers around a lake and features landscaped grounds typical of neighbourhood green spaces in the city.
Viaduto do Chá is a historic viaduct in central São Paulo, Brazil. Built in the late nineteenth century, it spans the Vale do Anhangabaú and connects the old city centre with the newer downtown area.
Passeio Público is Brazil's oldest public park, situated in Rio de Janeiro at a strategic junction between the historic neighbourhoods of Lapa, Cinelândia, and Glória.
Sugarloaf Cable Car is the aerial route through Parque Bondinho Pão de Açúcar, connecting the ground station at Praia Vermelha with Morro da Urca and Sugarloaf Mountain.
The Afro Brazil Emanoel Araujo Museum is a separately entered institution located within Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo. The museum is dedicated to preserving and showcasing Afro-Brazilian culture, history, and artistic production.
The Museum of Modern Art Rio, locally Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, is a modernist museum and gardens forming a major arts complex beside Flamengo Park.
The Museum of the Portuguese Language is an interactive museum dedicated to the Portuguese language, located inside the historic Luz Station in São Paulo. Its Portuguese name is Museu da Língua Portuguesa.
Vale do Anhangabaú is a rebuilt civic promenade situated in the historic centre of São Paulo, Brazil.
Colônia Crater, known locally as Cratera de Colônia, is a large meteorite-impact structure situated in the Parelheiros district of São Paulo, Brazil. It ranks as a protected geosite of significant geological interest.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Brazil’s scale makes 10–16 days appropriate for one region rather than a national circuit. Build around a single gateway such as Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, then add one coherent coastal, nature or cultural extension.
Visa information is maintained by Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its consular portal. Eligibility depends on nationality and visit purpose; use the ministry’s current table instead of relying on a past visa waiver.
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro handle major international and domestic connections. Flights bridge the country’s long distances, coaches cover many regional corridors, and national passenger rail is not a general substitute for either.
Brazil has no single best month because Amazon, northeast-coast, Pantanal and southern conditions differ. April–June and August–October are broad shoulder periods, but the chosen region’s rainfall and access cycle should decide the dates.
The Brazilian real (BRL) is the unit used for prices. This guide does not record current bank fees or acceptance patterns; check the displayed total and conversion currency before authorising a card or cash transaction.
Brazil separates emergency services: 190 police, 192 ambulance and 193 fire. Type N sockets operate at either 127 or 220 V depending on location, and national tap-water suitability is Not recorded.
