10 Days in Brazil: Beaches, Cities & Sunsets You’ll Never Forget
Brazil: The Ultimate First Timer's Guide | Miyastravell
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Miyastravell · Brazil Edit
Brazil: The Ultimate First Timer's Guide
10 Days. Rio, Iguazu & Beyond.
Brazil is loud, sun-soaked and impossibly varied. Here's how to do it properly.
Brazil is the kind of country that overwhelms you in the best way. Vast, colourful, full of music and rhythm and a coastline that goes on forever. Ten days won't show you everything, but it will show you enough to fall in love. This guide is built for first timers who want the postcard moments (Christ at sunset, the Devil's Throat, Pelourinho's pastel streets) but also the lived in ones. Eating moqueca in Salvador, watching surfers paddle out at dawn in Floripa, or stretching out on Copacabana with a cold coconut.
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The Brazil Secret
Distances are huge, fly between regions. Brazil is bigger than mainland Europe and trying to do it by bus will eat your trip alive. Internal flights with LATAM, Gol or Azul are cheap if you book ahead, and they're the only sensible way to cover Rio, Iguazu, Salvador and Floripa in 10 days.
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Most international flights land in the morning, which works in your favour. Drop your bags in Copacabana or Ipanema and head straight to the beach. Rent a chair, order an água de coco, and watch the city wake up around you. Late afternoon, walk the mosaic promenade as the light turns gold. Have your first proper dinner at a botequim, the classic neighbourhood bars do simple, brilliant food. Order the picanha and a caipirinha. You're in Brazil now.
Day 2
Christ & Sugarloaf
Today is for the icons. Start early at Christ the Redeemer, the cog train up Corcovado is the classic way and going first thing means thinner crowds and softer light. Late afternoon, head to Sugarloaf Mountain for sunset. Two cable cars, two summits, and a panorama of Guanabara Bay that looks unreal even when you're standing in it. Time it so you're on the second peak as the sun drops.
Day 3
Old Rio, On Foot
Step away from the beach for a day. Santa Teresa is the bohemian hill neighbourhood, cobbled streets, art studios and slow lunches with views back over the city. From there, walk down to the Selarón Steps, the mosaic staircase by the late artist Jorge Selarón. Yes it's busy, but it's genuinely worth it. End in Lapa, Rio's nightlife heart, where samba clubs and live music spill out across the streets, especially Friday and Saturday nights.
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Honest Rio Tip
Don't carry your passport on the beach. A photocopy is fine. Use the small lockable bags vendors sell, or just take what you'd be okay losing. Rio is safer than the headlines suggest, but city smart rules apply. Use Uber or 99 (both work brilliantly), avoid empty streets late at night, and you'll have zero issues.
✦ Days 4 to 5 · Iguazu Falls
Day 4
The Brazilian Side
Fly from Rio to Foz do Iguaçu in the morning (flights run roughly hourly, around 2 hours). Drop your bags and head straight into the Brazilian side of the national park. This side is the shorter visit, around half a day, and gives you the wide panoramic views of the falls. The walking trail is a single 1.2km path that ends on a platform jutting out into the spray. You will get wet. That's the point.
Day 5
Devil's Throat, Up Close
Today, cross the border into Argentina for the second half of the falls. This side is bigger, more immersive, and home to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat) which you reach by a small park train and a metal walkway over the river. Standing at the edge of that drop is one of those genuinely speechless moments. Plan a full day, the Argentinian park has multiple trails and you'll want time for all of them.
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Border Crossing Tip
Book a day tour, don't DIY the border. Most first timers book a private transfer or small group day tour from the Brazilian side that handles the border paperwork. Doing it solo is possible but adds friction you really don't want on a tight schedule. The Macuco Safari boat ride that takes you under the falls is the classic add on and worth every penny.
✦ Days 6 to 7 · Salvador or Amazon
Day 6
Pelourinho & The Bahian Heart
Fly into Salvador, around 3 hours from Foz with one stop. Base yourself near Pelourinho, the UNESCO listed historic centre, a maze of pastel colonial buildings, baroque churches and cobbled streets. Spend the day walking it slowly. Visit the São Francisco Church (one of the most ornate baroque interiors in South America), watch a capoeira circle, and order moqueca for lunch (coconut and palm oil seafood stew, trust me on this). Tuesday nights, Pelourinho fills with live music and street parties. If your dates align, stay out for it.
Day 7
Coast or Culture
Two great options. Either head out to the beaches of Praia do Forte or Itacaré for a day of palms, reefs and quiet sand. Or stay in the city for the Mercado Modelo, the Bonfim Church (tie a wish ribbon, it's tradition), and an afternoon learning to cook moqueca in a local kitchen. Salvador rewards travellers who slow down, so don't try to cram everything in. Pick two or three things and let the rest happen.
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The Amazon Alternative
If your priority is jungle over culture, swap Salvador for the Amazon. Fly into Manaus, transfer by boat to a riverside lodge, and spend two days on guided wildlife walks, canoe trips and night excursions. It's a different country in two days, but it's also logistics heavy, so book the lodge package as a bundle rather than piecing it together yourself.
✦ Days 8 to 10 · Florianópolis
Day 8
Settle Into The Island
Fly into Florianópolis (around 3 hours from Salvador with one stop). The island, locally called Floripa, has a north and a south, and they're very different beasts. The north is more developed and family friendly. The south is wilder and surfier. Spend day one on a north side beach. Praia Mole for surfers and beach bars, Jurerê for the polished beach club crowd. Sunset drinks somewhere with a view of the bay.
Day 9
Lagoa & The Wild South
Drive (or grab a taxi) down to Lagoa da Conceição, the island's central lagoon and unofficial social hub, full of cafés, bookshops and live music bars. Spend the morning here, then continue south to one of the wilder beaches. Praia do Campeche and Praia da Joaquina are both within easy reach and both stunning.
Day 10
Slow Morning, Slow Goodbye
A final morning swim, breakfast at a beach café, and the transfer to the airport. You'll already be planning the next trip back. Brazil is bigger than ten days could ever do justice, but you'll leave knowing exactly where you want to come back to.
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Where To Stay In Floripa
Match your base to your vibe. Surfers and slow travellers, head south (Campeche, Praia Mole). Families and beach club types, north (Jurerê). First timers wanting a bit of everything, Lagoa da Conceição is the central pick and works brilliantly for getting around the whole island.
✦ Before You Go
When To Visit
Brazil's seasons are flipped from the Northern Hemisphere. December to March is summer, peak season, great weather but expensive and busy (and Rio Carnival hits in February or early March). April to June and September to November are the sweet spots. Warm, less crowded and lower prices.
Money & Cards
The Brazilian Real (BRL) is the currency. Cards are widely accepted in cities, but always carry some cash for street vendors, smaller restaurants and tips. Notify your bank before travelling, Brazilian transactions sometimes get flagged.
Language
Portuguese, not Spanish. English is patchy outside the main tourist zones, so download Google Translate offline and learn the basics. Obrigado / obrigada (thank you) and com licença (excuse me) go a long way.
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