Brazil: Rio, São Paulo, Iguaçu, Salvador, best time to travel, getting there and costs 2026

Brazil suits you if you want to combine big cities, waterfalls, historic old towns and the Amazon region and plan domestic flights for it. The country covers about 8.5 million km², and UNESCO lists 26 World Heritage Sites here (as of September 2026).

Since 27 July 2026 the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus and the Theatro da Paz in Belém have been on the World Heritage List. For Brazil's North region, it is the first cultural heritage on this list. On 22 September 2026 the aviation authority ANAC revised its rules on delays and cancellations.

Brazil is a poorer fit if you want to cover long distances on the ground: according to the operator Vale, there is only one long-distance route in the whole country on which a passenger train runs every day. You also have to plan for rain depending on the region, in São Paulo mainly from December to March, in Salvador from April to July.

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 483,109 passengers whose last known destination was Brazil boarded at the 22 main German airports. That is 36th place among 211 destination countries abroad (our own analysis of Destatis table 46421-09, excluding those changing planes abroad). São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU) led with 255,576 passengers and Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (GIG) with 92,978, far behind them Porto Alegre, Salvador, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte.

Most departed from Frankfurt (303,641), Munich (71,576) and Berlin Brandenburg (51,556). From January to July 2026 the table counted 300,605 passengers from Germany, 13.1% more than in the same period of 2025 (our own analysis).

São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU): train, bus or taxi

The Aeroporto–Guarulhos station is not at the terminal. The CPTM's Expresso Aeroporto runs via further central stations to Palmeiras-Barra Funda, and along the way you can change to other lines in the metropolitan area.

At the airport the taxis are provided solely by the Guarucoop cooperative, around the clock and at prices from a fixed table. From Terminal 2, bus line 316 runs to Avenida Paulista (as of September 2026).

Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (GIG): BRT, metro or taxi

From the Galeão Tom Jobim 1 and 2 stations, the BRT express buses “Transcarioca Parador” run daily from 4:00 to 0:00. At Vicente de Carvalho you change to metro line 2. With the Jaé card, BRT and metro together cost R$ 9.70 if you change within 120 minutes. The metro runs Monday to Saturday from 5:00 to 0:00 and on Sundays and public holidays from 7:00 to 23:00 (as of September 2026).

Taxis wait in Terminal 2 on level 0 and charge by taximeter or a city table.

Salvador (SSA): metro line 2

To the Aeroporto metro station in Salvador you walk only a short distance from the terminal; if you do not want to walk, take the operator's free shuttle. Line 2 (Azul) runs over 12 stations and 21 km into the centre, daily from 5:00 to 0:00. A journey costs R$ 4.10, and R$ 5.90 with a change to a bus or BRT (as of September 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

“—”: no documented downside. Rainfall figures: INMET, 1991–2020 normals.

The cable car up Sugarloaf in Rio runs in two stages via the Morro da Urca. The ticket costs from R$ 205 and is valid for a whole day in the park. It is open daily from 8:30 to 21:00, and the last ascent starts at 19:30 (as of September 2026). A train to the statue of Christ on Corcovado has run from Cosme Velho since 1884; for the visit day of 27 September 2026 it cost R$ 134.00 with the statue.

With the ticket for Iguaçu National Park, the park bus takes you to the roughly 1 km walkway at the falls, and lifts and viewpoints are included. According to the operator, the usual circuit takes about two hours. Only nationals of Brazil and four neighbouring countries get a 10% discount. Half-price tickets for students or seniors do not exist in federal parks (as of September 2026).

The Theatro da Paz in Belém opened in 1878, the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus in 1896, when rubber made the city rich. You can visit the Teatro Amazonas only on a guided tour, Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00, and on Sundays and public holidays until 13:00. Admission costs R$ 20.00 (as of September 2026).

To Fernando de Noronha, 545 km from Recife, you fly from Recife daily in about an hour. The environmental fee TPA is charged per day of stay. With a credit card issued abroad you do not pay it online but only at the counter in the island's airport (as of September 2026).

The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park with its dunes and freshwater lagoons has existed since 1981.

Best time to travel

1991–2020 normals from the weather service INMET: São Paulo, Mirante de Santana station (785 m above sea level), and Salvador, Ondina station (47 m, closed since July 2025). In brackets are the days with at least 1 mm of precipitation.

In São Paulo, December to March are the warmest and wettest months, from June to August it rains little, and at night it cools to about 13 °C. In Salvador most rain falls from April to July, and December and January are the driest. In Manaus the mean daily highs are between 31.1 and 34.1 °C all year round, and in August only 56.1 mm of rain falls there.

Getting around the country

Train and bus

According to the operator Vale, a long-distance train runs daily only on the Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas. The 664 km line runs from Espírito Santo to Minas Gerais, and night trains run only in the holiday months of January, July and December. From Pedro Nolasco near Vitória to Belo Horizonte, the Econômica costs R$ 87.00 and the Executiva R$ 125.00 (fare since 10 December 2025).

From the bus terminal at Guarulhos airport, long-distance buses run to Santos and Curitiba, among other places, and to the north coast of the state of São Paulo, for example to Ubatuba and Ilhabela (as of September 2026).

Domestic flights

Domestic tickets bought in July 2026 cost an average of R$ 703.52 per leg, excluding airport charges and extras such as baggage or seat selection. On 22 September 2026 the ANAC decided new rules: you are entitled to meals after a two-hour delay, and if you have to stay overnight, after four hours also a hotel including the journey there and back. They take effect 30 days after the Official Gazette has published them.

Driving and roads

In Brazil you drive on the right. Without signs, the limits for cars are 110 km/h on dual-carriageway highways and 100 km/h on single-carriageway ones, and in town 30 to 80 km/h depending on the road. For alcohol the limit is zero per mille; violations cost ten times the fine and a twelve-month driving ban (traffic law, 2026 version).

With a foreign driving licence you may drive for up to 180 days from entry, according to the traffic council CONTRAN (resolution of 1 December 2025). For licences from states party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, which includes Germany, it additionally requires the International Driving Permit, plus ID and proof of entry (our own derivation).

Money and costs

Payment is in reais (R$, ISO code BRL). The central bank's instant payment system Pix runs via current, savings or prepaid accounts and was used by about 80% of the population (as of May 2026).

Practical information

Brazil has four time zones and has had no daylight saving time since April 2019. Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador and Foz do Iguaçu are on UTC−3, five hours behind German summer time and four behind CET. Under the time zone law, Manaus is on UTC−4 and one hour further behind, and Fernando de Noronha on UTC−2 and one hour closer to German time (our own classification and calculation).

The official language is Portuguese. Emergency numbers: 190 for the military police, 192 for the SAMU ambulance service, 193 for the fire brigade (as of September 2026). The sockets follow the national standard NBR 14136; the grids supply 110, 127 or 220 V, most commonly 220 V (as of December 2022). The EU rule “Roam like at home” does not apply in Brazil.

Fixed national holidays are 1 January, 21 April, 1 May, 7 September, 12 October, 2 November, 15 November, 20 November and 25 December. In 2026 Good Friday, 3 April, was also a public holiday, and the states have their own holidays.

What applies to entry, safety and health is on the German Foreign Office's country page.

Who Brazil is not for

• Anyone who wants to travel without planes: Brazil covers about 8.5 million km², and according to Vale a passenger train runs daily on only one long-distance route.
• Anyone who expects dry weather everywhere: São Paulo has 292.1 mm of rain on 17 days in January, and in Salvador 302.2 mm falls in May (1991–2020).
• Anyone who wants to head spontaneously for the Iguaçu Falls: Tickets are available only online with a fixed time slot, and there is no half price for students or seniors at all.
• Anyone who wants to save money on Fernando de Noronha: The environmental fee alone costs R$ 1,536.12 per person for 14 days in 2026.