COMING SOON Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Itinerary May 2024

COMING SOON Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Itinerary May 2024


ITINERARY: FOR HI RESOLUTION & PRINTABLE ITINERARY AND LINKS TO TOURS WE TOOK CLICK HERE: 

We combined this trip with Iguazu Falls (Argentina & Brazil side) Itinerary and Buenos Aires, Argentina Itinerary


PHOTOS: See photos here: Coming soon 

**BRAZIL E-VISA**: Starting April 2025, you must apply for an Brazil E-Visa for entry into Brazil from the USA. It's $81 usd/pp and takes about a week to receive. You will need passport photo page, itinerary & fee.  The hardest part was getting the headshot photo to the exact dimensions. (Originally, this visa was required by April 2024 . After paying and receiving visa, it was delayed to April 2025. We got our money back by doing a credit card dispute.)

AIRPORTS: 
The major international airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is Galeão International Airport (GIG) airport.

 For Iguazu falls, we flew Gol Airlines from Foz do Iguacu, Brazil (IGU) airport → Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GIG) airport. See our itinerary for Iguazu falls here:

FLIGHTS:
  • We took Delta Airlines from USA --> Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) International Airport and then Rio de Janiero (GIG) flight --> USA
    • Luggage: 
    • Customs: 
  •  Iguazu falls, we flew Gol Airlines from Foz do Iguacu, Brazil (IGU) airport → Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GIG) airport. See our itinerary for Iguazu falls here:
    • Luggage
    • Customs at IGU Airport: 
TRANSPORTATION: 
  • Private transportation: 
  • Uber:  
HOTEL:  We were recommended Palermo Soho or Palermo Hollywood areas. However, we stayed at Intercontinental Buenos Aires in the Monserrat neighborhood. This was close to popular places such as San Telmo market, Casa Rosada, Palacio Barolo etc. 

WEATHER: 

PAYMENT METHODS: 
  • Cash: 
    • We brought $50 USD worth of Brazilian Reals from Wells Fargo one month before the trip. You will need to use cash for the (1) Rio Botanical Gardens (2) Tip for any tours you may take. Otherwise, credit card accepted elsewhere. 
  • Credit Cards: Accepted most places including hotel & restaurants 
    •  Only use credit cards with 0% foreign transaction fee
SAFETY: Emergency phone number is 194. For Ambulance, call 192 in Rio de Janiero
  • Avoid anyone who comes up too close to you. Say no and walk away. don't give reason for someone to target you. Ex. Don't hold your phone out taking photos/google maps without having a firm grip on your phone, no expensive jewelry etc.
  • Belt bag - We wore a "belt purse" over one shoulder across chest to keep money / cell phone close
  • We felt safe and did not have any issues. Locals are helpful and friendly especially in touristy areas; however, we recommend uber only after sunset.
WHAT TO PACK: 
  • Passport & print color copies of passport to carry in wallet (just in case)
  • Brazil-specific plug converter needed coming from the USA 
Brazil specific converter from Amazon
  • Supportive shoes
  • Reusable waterbottle - bottled water only recommended if coming from USA
  • Medication: Motrin/Tylenol, anti-diarrhea pills, gas-x, tums etc. 
  • Clothing: shorts, pants, shirts - everything is acceptable. A light fleece jacket is needed for evenings. 
COMMUNICATION: 
  • If possible, try to learn basic Portuguese phrases:

    • Obrigada (if you are a woman) or obrigado (if you are a man): Thank you

    • Bom dia: Good day / hello

    • Boa Noite: Good night

    • Onde fica seu banheiro?: Where’s the bathroom?

    • Posso ter …: Can I have ….

    • Quanto custa isso?: How much is this?

    • We recommended downloading Google Translate App to help with translations 
    • If trying to negotiate or confirm payment amount, use the calculator app on your phone to show the number 
  • Download WhatsApp App to communicate with tour guide/groups/hotels: This is the main way we communicated with any shuttle/tour/hotels etc. 
  • We activated the international AT&T plan ($10 usd/day) for one smartphone. The other smartphone, we just used for photos. But, we have heard of buying a sim card in Guatemala and activating in an unlocked phone for a less expensive option
RANDOM TIPS: 
  • In bathrooms, grab toilet paper before entering the stalls and throw into the trashcan, not the toilet. 
  • Download Google maps offline for any city you will be visiting
  • If possible, avoid visiting any major tourist attraction on weekends / holidays due to heavy crowds and closures. Morning & weekdays are much better to visit. 
  • Traffic is a major issue in Rio de Janeiro - make sure to keep this in mind when trip planning. 
  • Time Zone: Brazil is one hour ahead of Eastern Time Zone 
VEGETARIAN/VEGAN FOOD: 



OUR RECOMMENDATIONS: 

(1) Take a day tour to cover the following sites: 
  • Christ the Redeemer
  • Sugarloaf Mountain - if doing on your own, be sure to buy cable car tickets beforehand due to long lines 
  • Escadaria Selaron Steps
  • Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian
  • Maracana Stadium
  • Carnival Temple
(2) Rio Botanical Gardens
(3) Parque Lage & Palace 
(4) Ipanema Beach
(5) Copacabana Beach 
(6) Olympic Boulevard - Etnias - Mural de Graffiti 


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