I’m lucky enough to travel toBrazil for TEDGlobal, and will be taking a bit of extra time to visit Floripa where I hear is full of beaches and life, Rio where TED will be held, and then a quick visit to San Paulo which I hear is the NYC of Brazil and I can finally look into a post I had about A City Without Ads.
My exact plans are a bit unplanned even though heading over in a week, but after the jump I’ll provide a useful list of links my friend from Brazil provided…
If your in the know for something to do in Brazil, let me know.
First a simple map a chef friend in Boston sent me of food spots: Google Map here.
Then the larger list from another friend
IN RIO:
– Bar da cachaça (Location: LAPA)
it’s a popular and humble bar in downtown rio. Try some traditional and flavorful cachaça (my personal recommendation cachaça de banana).
– Rio Scenarium (Location: LAPA)
The Guardian name one of the 10 best bars in world. The owner collects a bunch of antiques that he uses to decorate the place. Good brazilian music.
– Bar Urca (Location: Urca)
Bar/Restaurant. People often go after the beach or late afternoon to get a beer and eat some bolinho de bacalho / pastel de camarão.
– Feira de São Cristovão (Location: São Cristovão)
This is an awesome fair that showcase the culture from the northeast, with typical food dishes as well as beer and cachaça, which flows in great abundance here. The best time to go is on weekends, when you can catch live bands and dance some typical forro.
– Santa Tereza (Location: Downtown Rio)
This is a typical neighborhood that has some great view of Rio. There is a lot of galeries and art studios around. I am not sure of specific ones, but some popular bars are: bar do mineiro and bar do gomes. One possible idea is to go to a hotel there and grab some breakfast.
– Parque Lage (Location: Jardim botanico)
Go have breakfast at one of the most beautiful parks in rio. There is a state Visual Art School inside this park, which is nice to take a look. There is also a historical building and is located in the heart of rio, 20min of any where (not counting traffic).
I dont know much about this, but my friends told me is really worth a visit. It used to be a chocolate factory and now its being rented by photographers and artists.
– Paquetá ( Location: Guanabara Bay)
It’s a small island 50min from Downtown Rio you need to take a fare boat to get there, which makes it a great trip outside the city stress. Rent a bike and spend an afternoon there, it’s great.
OUTSIDERIO:
– Paraty (Location: ~ 2h30min drive from Rio)
This is a historical small town close Rio. It’s a peninsula so you will find nice beaches and waterfalls. Also, sometimes there are really good festival depending on the year (I have heard a lot of good things about the book festival and the cachaça festival). Really good place to rest and to get to know more about Brazil’s history.
– Ilha Grande(Location: ~ 2h50min drive + boat from Rio)
Its the biggest island on Rio‘s coast. Long long time ago it used to be a pirate’s lair, later it became a prison. You will definitely be able to fish your food here. It’s also a place to relax on the beach and to do some hiking.
– Inhotim, Minas Gerais (Location: ~6h drive from Rio)
It’s the city/Museum for Contemporary art in Brazil. You will find huge outdoor sculptures, galleries and awesome gardens. I havent been there yet, but is definitely one of the next things I am doing when I go back to visit Brazil. More about it, here.
– Ibitipoca National park, Minas Gerais (Location: ~)
It’s a small village that holds one of the most beautiful national parks in Brazil. I came here once and it was amazing. Great place to relax, do some hiking, natural pools and to enjoy some waterfalls. It’s like a natural water park. It’s not so popular among tourists; I barely could find a tourist article about this.
As I mentioned at the bar, this is an awesome city to get some really typical cultural dishes, music, dance, capoeira, history, beach, …There is everything here. Salvador is the main city of this state. A lot of people go there for carnival, is one of the main places to visit during this time. From there you can travel by car to places that interests you the most, they are all pretty amazing. My point of view Bahia is much more exciting than any state on south of Brazil.