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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Typical visit duration
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.
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 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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Parque Burle Marx is a landscape park in São Paulo preserving a garden designed by Roberto Burle Marx, the renowned Brazilian landscape architect.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian, known locally as Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Rio de Janeiro.
The Ibirapuera Auditorium is a concert hall designed by renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. It forms part of the larger Ibirapuera Park modernist ensemble in São Paulo.
The Monastery of Saint Benedict, known locally as Mosteiro de São Bento, is a hilltop Benedictine monastery in Rio de Janeiro. Founded by Benedictine monks, it stands as one of the most significant colonial religious institutions in the city.
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.
