On a whole, Rio is great all year round, due to hot weather (78F/25C during a day in winter).
High season in Rio starts in December, extending to the end of March, with the peak being New Year's Eve and Carnival (Feb 28th - Mar 3). The low season is the rest of the year, with the months of July and August as mid-seasons, partly due to national school mid-year holidays and a bumb from European/US tourist coming during their summer vacation.
Coming during the low season will save you about 20% off high-season rates on lodging, where coming during NYE or Carnival will cost you almost double.
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How long to stay:
Rio really needs at least 9 days to be properly explored, without considering the near-by attractions like Buzios or Ilha Grande. This of course is counting non-sitting-at-the-beach days. Considering the fact that most like to unwind for a few days at the beach before sight-seeing, and that most get curious about the various nearby attractions, 14 days would be the minimum to leave Rio feeling like you did all the essentials.
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How much to bring:
An american dollar tends to last 2 1/2 times what it lasts in Europe or the US: a Sprite on the street sells for US$ 0.70, a hot-dog for US$1, a dinner entree at a trendy restaurant for US14. Most american tourists spend about US$70 on average per day, including tours, meals, gifts, transportation and social (beer), but not including lodging. Meanwhile, back-packers manage to spend under $30, amazingly. On the other extreme, if you want to go all out and blow some cash around the city (helicopter tours, boat rentals, all out dinners, chauffer service ) you can calculate US$300/day.
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Where to visit in Brazil:
Brazil has 130+ destinations with at least a "good enough" infrastructure to accomodate first world tourists. Given the diversity and quantity of options, it can take time to consider what would be best for your desires. The most common attractions in Brazil apart from Rio are:
Salvador
Foz do Iguassu
Manaus
Sao Paulo
Porto Seguro
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Bonito
Recife
Natal
Buzios
Ilha Grande
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Fortaleza
Florianopolis
Brasilia
Ouro Preto
Fernando de Noronha
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The given the options and all the factors to consider are overwhelming, it is easier to approach your travel agent and tell them what you want, what your mood is, when you are going and how much you want to spend.
Instead of trying to piece a trip together by finding your own airfare/lodging/ tours etc, ask for packages, as these tend to be much more economical.
We recommend RioCharm as a starting point to travel to Rio or around Brazil.
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Paper-work and red tape:
Americans need a visa before entering Brazil. To get the visa, you'll need to contact the closest Brazilian consulate or a visa-expediting company such as Brazil Fiesta Services (www.brazilianvisas.com)
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Where to Stay:
While
business visitors try to stay at a hotel close to their
work, vacation tourists tend to look to Ipanema or Copacabana,
as both have attractive beaches, active nightlife, great
restaurants and other tourist services.
Most tourists stay in hotels, but if you are looking to bring guests back to your room for the night, you'll be better off renting an apartment, as most hotels have a no-guest policy, or an additional fee per guest.
Find
a hotel or apartment for
rent.
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Reservations and bookings before coming:
There are tons of tours, services, trips you may want to do while in Rio. Some are in high-demand or for some reason need to be scheduled in advance. If you any of the tours below seem interesting, please contact them with at least a week notice so they can have you scheduled.
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What you'll need to bring:
Click here to read our printable clothing and packing list.
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Although it may be irrealist to take portuguese courses just for your Brazil vacation, it is extremely usefull to know a few basic words to help your trip go swimmingly. We developed our own portuguese course called "Portuguese For Tourists", a 1 hour audio course designed to cover the very basic in various situations you are boung to find yourself in. Simple words such as "how much?" "bill please", "stop the car here"," bathroom" etc are all covered with non-drowsy teaching techniques.
