Brazil is not only the crazy carnival in Rio de Janeiro, the impenetrable jungle of the Amazon and the thundering cascades of Iguazu, but also the famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, excellent hotels, excellent cuisine and cool football. All about holidays in Brazil: photos, tours and reviews.
The jungle of the Amazon, the gold of the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, the delicate aroma of coffee, the roar of mighty waterfalls – all this, like a magnet, attracts millions of tourists from all over the world to Brazil. In addition, the beaches in the country are all world-famous (Copacabana alone is worth something), the sea is warm and clear, and Brazilian cuisine, like Brazilian women, is invariably spoken by tourists with a breath. One thing is sad: only travelers with very voluminous wallets can get into this fairy tale (at least from Russia) – the high cost of tours to Brazil, which depends primarily on the cost of a transatlantic flight, affects.
Carnival in Brazil is another popular attraction for tourists. Travelers who go here for the sake of the carnival procession are more demanding on the quality of their vacation and usually book 5* hotels. But with children, they practically do not go here.
Cities and regions
The capital of the country is Brasilia. Resorts – Angra dos Reis, Buzios, Salvador.
A complete list of Brazilian cities is available on the Brazil Cities and Resorts page.
Sunny Brazil is located in 4 time zones: UTC−5, UTC−4, UTC−3 and UTC−2. At the same time, some regions (Central-Western, Southern and South-Eastern), moreover, switch to summer time.
Climate of Brazil
The climate in the country is typical for tropical countries, it varies greatly in different areas: from equatorial to subtropical. On the coast of Brazil, you can drive all year round. Winter happens only in the extreme south (Sao Paulo and below), and even then, winter here is when the temperature can suddenly drop below +10 ° C. The rainy season (in Rio – from January to March, in Salvador – from April to June) means, as a rule, not so much tropical showers as increased cloudiness, and also does not pose a particular hindrance to tourist trips. The “peaks” of the tourist season fall on the New Year and carnival (in February): hotels for this time are booked in advance, at least 4 nights – and cost several times more. See citypopulationreview.com for weather information.
The current weather forecast for the main resorts of Brazil for the coming days.
Brazil Hotels
Most hotels in Brazil are categorized from three to five stars. In Rio de Janeiro, almost all hotels are high-rise, urban. It should be noted that 3 * hotels in the country are of a quite good level. The main disadvantage is that many hotels are quite old. The quality of service is quite high, although there is some slowness in it, which, however, is characteristic of almost all areas of Latin America.
The voltage in the electrical network of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo is 110 or 120 V, in El Salvador and Manaus – 127 V, in Brasilia and a number of other cities – 220 V, frequency 50/60 Hz. An adapter can be obtained from the receptionist.
Banks and exchange offices in Brazil
The country’s monetary unit is the Brazilian real (BRL), in 1 Brazilian real there are 100 centavos. Current exchange rate: 1 BRL = 11.55 RUB (1 USD = 4.99 BRL, 1 EUR = 5.25 BRL).
Banks are usually open from 10:00 to 15:00-16:30 from Monday to Friday. You can exchange currency in banks (the most favorable rate), exchange offices at travel agencies and shopping centers, in hotels (only dollars are exchanged) or at the airport. Most major international credit cards are accepted for payment in large hotels, restaurants and shopping centers in large cities. Restaurants do not usually accept foreign currency and traveler’s checks. Traveler’s checks can be cashed at hotels, banks, travel agencies and most large stores, but the exchange rate is usually less favorable than when exchanging cash.
- What is the best currency to travel to Brazil with?
Shopping and stores
Shops are usually open from 9:00 to 18:30 (large – until 22:00) on weekdays and from 9:00 to 13:00 – on Saturdays.
As souvenirs from Brazil, you can bring hammocks and beautiful lace. Rio is not the best city for fans of “clothing” shopping: local styles are suitable only for mulattos with magnificent forms. But Brazil is the birthplace of many rare gems: citrines, tourmalines, diamonds. Here you can also buy quality leather goods: shoes, bags, belts and wallets.
The annual carnival is held not only in Rio de Janeiro. It takes place in all 5,000 Brazilian cities.
Brazilian Cuisine and Restaurants
Brazilian national cuisine was formed from three, at first glance, poorly combined components: European, African and Indian culinary traditions.
Popular in the country are “feijoada” (a kind of assortment of black beans, meat, vegetables, flour and spices), thick tutu puree from beans and meat, pickled and fried liver “sarapatel” with various sauces, sun-dried meat “carne- doo-sol.” In the Amazon, the cuisine is purely Amerindian, with little or no European influence, giving its dishes an original flavor.
Dozens of types of soft drinks from tropical fruits and fruits are produced throughout the country. Among alcoholic drinks, beer is popular (many connoisseurs consider Brazilian varieties to be the best on the continent), rum, cachaca vodka (more like moonshine) and lemon caipirinha cocktails.
Tipping in expensive restaurants and bars is up to 10% of the bill (although often it already includes a service charge), in cheap eateries – 1-2 BRL, it is not customary to tip in cafes on the beach, a porter at a hotel or airport is usually handed 1 BRL. Tipping must be left to hairdressers (10-20%), petrol station attendants, shoe shiners. In a taxi, the bill is rounded up (the newer the car, the wider the mathematical range the driver operates), and a separate fee is charged for turning on the air conditioner.
… First you will want to see the first capital of Brazil, the ancient and renovated city of Salvador de Bahia, to feel Pelourinho – the historical center, where there was once a slave market and where magnificent examples of colonial architecture are everywhere, carefully restored and partially adapted to combine useful functions with the proud role of world historical heritage…
Julia Poimanova
