Brazil is a country in South America that is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east. It is the fifth-largest country by geographical area, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world.

Capital: Brasilia
Largest City: Sao Paulo
Geography: 3,287,597 sq mi

Entry Requirements:
All U.S. Citizens and Canadian nationals, including infants, must have both a passport that is valid for six months past the date of first entry into Brazil, and a tourist visa, which is obtained from the Brazilian embassy or nearest consulate. The visa is valid for five years.

Getting There:
Flying Time to Rio/Salvador from:
Los Angeles: 17 hrs 5 min
Atlanta: 13 hrs 45 min
New York: 13 hrs 50 min
Chicago: 15 hrs 35 min
Miami: 7 hrs
Vancouver: 20 hrs 10 min
Toronto: 13 hrs 55 min

Population:
Brazil: 183.888.841
Sao Paulo: 11,000,000
Rio de Janeiro: 6,100,000
Salvador: 2,700,000

Religion:
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Candomble (Animist)

Language:
The language of Brazil is Portuguese. English is spoken by some of the staff at hotels, and tourist businesses.

Currency:
The currency of Brazil is the real (R$). The real comes in coin denominations of R$1 and 50, 10, 5, and 1 centavos; bank notes of R$1, R$5, R$10, R$50, R$100.

Major Credit Cards are widely accepted. ATMs (MasterCard Cirrus and VISA Plus) are available.

Time Zone:
Brazil covers four time zones. The time in most of Brazil visited by foreign tourists is three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-3). This is true of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasiiía, Bahia, Minas Gerais etc.


Popular Shopping Items:
Indian Ceramic arts, Woven bags/baskets, Painted figures, and Lace.
Gemstones: Esperssartita, Tourmaline, Ametist, Greengold, Quartz, Topaz and Diamonds.
Leather:shoes, belts, wallets, purses, luggage and hats.
Other: hammocks, picture books, anything to do with the Brazilian football (soccer) team, Guarana products, and thongs.

Electricity:
In Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the current is 127 volts (60 cycles) but many of the larger hotels also offer 220 volts. Transformers to boost the current from 110 volts to 220 volts are available in most hotels.

Attractions in Rio de Janeiro!

Statues & Events

Corcovado and the Statue of Christ
Atop Corcovado mountain, at 2,330 feet, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer ranks among the world’s best known and most-visited monuments. Access starts in the Cosme Vehlo District, aboard a miniature train running through the steep Atlantic Rainforest up to the foot of the statue. The train ride provides stunning glimpses of Rio from assorted angles. A road also stretches up to the summit. The Statue, faced with a soapstone mosaic in art nouveau style, is reached via steep steps. The climb is worth it, with the view of Tijuca National Park spreading out below nothing short of spectacular. Corcovado is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Maracana Stadium
One of the world’s largest sports stadiums, this football arena has seating for 200,000, and attendance (even for non football fans) is worthwhile for the samba bands. Guided tours (in Portuguese) are offered of grounds and the museum.

Carnival
Rio Carnival is a wild 4 day celebration, 40 days before Easter. It officially starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday after which one is supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures. Carnival with all its excesses, celebrated as a profane event, can thus be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh. It usually happens in February, the hottest month in the Southern Hemisphere, when the Rio summer is at its peak.

Sambodromo
A center for Carnival activity, Sambodromo seats 60,000 and handles sporting events, conferences and concerts the rest of the year. The best boxes, reserved for tourists and VIPs, have seats closest to the parade.

Sugar Loaf
Without doubt, the most dramatic introduction to Rio is by sea, as Sugar Loaf Mountain comes into view for the many cruise ships calling. Once arrived at Sugar Loaf, the 887-foot belvedere is the only site for viewing the whole of Copacabana beach. Because the best time to visit Sugar Loaf is late afternoon or early evening, tours typically end here. The summit is reached by a two-step cable car. The first stage arrives at the Morro da Urca, at 550 feet, which has a restaurant, amphitheatre, and a good view of the Botafogo Bay and the Yacht Club. Stage two proceeds to Sugar Loaf itself, named for resemblance to loaves of sugar used by the Portuguese shortly after discovery. Sugar loaf is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

[Top]     [Back]

Beaches

Barra da Tijuca
The city’s largest and favored by the younger crowd. Unlike some of Rio’s other beaches, this one has no pollution and offers surfers, windsurfing, and jet skiiers strong waves, which also makes swimming a bit precarious.

Copacabana Beach
For sunning, relaxing and people watching, join the thousands who flock each year to this lively, world-famous beach lined with black and white mosaic sidewalks and lined with kiosks. Copacabana is a hot spot day and night with lifeguard posts, public showers, hotels, shops, hotels, bars and open-air restaurants.

Leblon
The beach offers many attractions to its tourists, mainly families with kids that come here to sunbathe, play and mold some impetuous white sand castles for the thrill and joy of their babies.Still young couples may enjoy the lively night life scene with its fascinating blend of beach, bars and boutiques. Leblon sands are the core attraction of the day for the joggers, cyclers

Ipanema Beach
Popularized by the song "The Girl from Ipanema," this world-famous beach features elite shops, restaurants, and luxurious apartment buildings and hotels. It is more subdued, and a bit more sophisticated.

Prainha
A surfers’ favorite, this beach is mobbed on weekends but nearly empty on weekdays.

[Top]     [Back]

Shopping

Shopping Rio
SAARA, the largest ethnic market in downtown Rio, dazzles with knockdown prices for clothing and exotic foodstuffs. Shopping malls are excellent for comfort and safety. Big sales take place in January and August. Bargaining for discounts is often practiced, yet success generally occurs only in the smaller, owner-operated shops or in the markets. Rio is known the world over for beach wear, towels and other summer accessories. Precious stones, from amethyst and aquamarine to topaz and tourmaline can be good buys.

Rio Sul Shopping Center (Mall)
Huge US-style mall near Copacabana/Botafogo with trendy shops and places to eat and drink. It was first opened in 2006 and features 150 units, 30 restaurants, and a cinema with 6 screens.

Copacabana Fair
Open air markets unfold at the end of the day on the Copacabana beachfront between Rual Miguel Lemos and Rua Djalma Ulrich.

Hippie Market
Sundays at the Feirarte, known as the Hippie Market on Praca General Osorio in Ipanema. A thriving antiques trade extends from jewelry to furnishings and carpets.

[Top]     [Back]

Nature

Botanical Gardens
More than 7,000 varieties of plants, herbarium, aquarium and a library are at these gardens founded in 1908. Bird-watchers are advised to show up early morning since 140 species have been spotted including flycatchers and tanagers, plus the American hawk. The 1992 Earth Summit spurred many improvements including a new Orquidario, an enlarged bookshop.

Tijuca National Park
You’ll find historical spots, spectacular views, a beautiful waterfall, a small chapel and unusual trees in this dense, tropical national park, probably best explored by jeep tour.

[Top]     [Back]

Museums

Amsterdam Sauer Museum
On Ipanema’s Diamond Row a block away from the Praca da Paz, this museum has a replica of a mine, and a variety of rough stones and gems in virtually every imaginable color.
Rua Garcia D’ Avila, 105 - Ipanema

H. Stern Gem Museum
One big sparkling attraction for gem lovers is the gem museum at the world headquarters for H. Stern. Workshop tours showcase intricate steps in transforming a rough gemstone into a gorgeous jewel. The museum, visited on request, features Mr. Stern’s private collection of tourmalines and a variety of other gemstones. Free tours can be arranged by hotel concierges or H. Stern representatives in hotels.

Chacara do Ceu Museum
Situated in a bohemian neighborhood, and providing great views of the bay from its hilltop location, this museum contains 20th century masterpieces by the likes of Degas, Matisse and Picasso as well as works by prominent Brazilian modernists.

Museo de Arte Moderna
A disastrous fire struck this spectacular building in 1978, forcing need for rebuilding the museum’s collection, and several countries have donated to the cause. Exhibits include contemporary Brazilian works by Candido Portinari from the 1940s and 1950s, along with drawings and etchings by Gregorio Gruber.

Museo Carmen Miranda
On display are a collection of gowns and head-pieces for the diminutive Brazilian songstress Carmen Miranda who was oft criticized by Brazilians for having become too “Americanized.” Her first major appearance in her famed baiana costume was in the 1939 movie Banana Terra, and from 1940 to 1953 she starred in 14 Hollywood productions.The entertainer who said all she needed to be happy was “a good bowl of soup and the freedom to sing” died of a heart attack at age 46 after collapsing on stage during a live Jimmy Durante show. She is buried at Cemiterio Sa Joao Batista in the Botafogo.

Museum of the Indian
Dedicated to native Brazilians, their art and culture, this museum showcases, pottery, wood, straw and feathers used by tribes from throughout the sprawling country.

Museum of the Republic
This was the Brazilian “White House” where presidents worked when Rio de Janeiro was the country’s capital. Now it encompases exhibitions, music, theater, cinema, video, a bookshop, and a restaurant. This is the first Latin American museum with an automated reference desk, giving access to more than 20,000 books and 80,000 documents.

[Top]     [Back]

Culinary (Local Cuisine to experience)

• Sopa Leao Velso (a knife and fork fish stew)
• Moquecas (spicy fish stews).
• Acaraje (dried shrimp and bean fritters)
• Moqueca de siri mole (soft-shell crab stew)
• Bob d de camarao (shrimp casserole)
• Cocada (a sweet coconut confection)
• Quindim (sticky coconut cupcakes)
• Ice creams and sorbets are a delight in tropical flavors such a guava, cupuacu and mango
• Feijoada (black bean cassoulet)
• Churrasco (or barbecue), an assortment of spit-roasted meat, such as beef, pork, chicken and sausages, complemented by salads and side dishes.

© Copyright 2000-2012 International Travel Warehouse All rights reserved.

[Top]     [Back]