Brazil - Wikivoyage, the free collaborative travel and tourism guide - Brésil — Wikivoyage, le guide de voyage et de tourisme collaboratif gratuit

Brazil ​((pt)Brasil)
Flag
Information
Capital city	Brasília
Area	8 510 000 km²
Population	190 000 000 hab. (2010)
Density	22,33 inhab./km²
Form of State	federal republic, representative democracy, presidential system
Official language	Portuguese
Change	real (BRL)
Electricity	127-220 V/60 Hz, N type plug
Telephone prefix	55
Internet suffix	.br
Flow direction	Right-hand drive
Spindle	UTC-2 to UTC-4
Location
10 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ S 53 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ W
Official site
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The Brazil, in long form Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country inSouth America, border of theUruguay, of the'Argentina, of Paraguay, of the Bolivia, of Peru, of the Colombia, of Venezuela, of Guyana, of Suriname and some France (Guyana).

Understand

Geography

Weather

History

Population

Holidays and public holidays

Dated	Last name	Remarks
Saturday, January 1, 2022	New Year's Day
Thursday, January 20, 2022	Saint Sebastian, patron saint of Rio de Janeiro	at Rio de Janeiro only
Tuesday 25 January 2022	São Paulo Foundation	at São Paulo only
Tuesday, March 1, 2022	Carnival	it is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday and the three days preceding
Friday, April 15, 2022	Good Friday
Thursday, April 21, 2022	Tiradentes
Saturday, May 1, 2021	Labor Day
Thursday, June 3, 2021	Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi)
Tuesday, September 7, 2021	Independence Day
Tuesday, October 12, 2021	Our Lady of Aparecida	Patron Saint of Brazil
Tuesday, November 2, 2021	Day of the Dead
Monday, November 15, 2021	Proclamation of the Republic
Friday December 24, 2021 and Saturday December 25, 2021	Christmas
Friday, December 31, 2021	New year's eve	a bank holiday afternoon

Regions

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and is divided into five regions, each with several states linked economically and culturally:

Cities

Northern brazil

• -3.1-60.0166671 Manaus  – In the middle of the Amazon, a good starting point to visit this region. (last update Feb. 2018)

Northeast Brazil

• -3.781389-38.5888892 Fortaleza  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -8.053889-34.8808333 Recife  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -12.970833-38.5108334 Salvador  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -7.083333-34.8333335 João Pessoa  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -9.665833-35.7356 Maceió  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -5.795-35.2088897 Native  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -8.008889-34.8558 Olinda  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -10.29-36.5858339 Penedo  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -12.970833-38.51083310 Salvador de Bahia  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -16.45-39.06511 Porto Seguro  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -2.53-44.30277812 São Luís  – Undoubtedly that of Maranhão. There are at least 10 "Saint Louis" in Brazil (last update Feb. 2018)

Central West Brazil

• -15.793889-47.88277813 Brasília  – Capital of Brazil, architectural spectacle. (last update Feb. 2018)
• -20.468611-54.62222214 Campo Grande  – In the west of the country, can be used as a starting point to see the Pantanal (last update Feb. 2018)
• -19.008889-57.65277815 Corumba  – "Capital" (although very small town) of the Pantanal. On the border with Bolivia. (last update Feb. 2018)
• -15.595833-56.09694416 Cuiabá  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -22.487778-53.35083317 Taquarussu  (last update Feb. 2018)

Southeast Brazil

• -22.908333-43.19638918 Rio de Janeiro  – The "wonderful city", famous for its beaches, the natural beauty of the city, the statue of Christ, its lifestyle and so much more ... (last update Feb. 2018)
• -23.550394-46.63394719 São Paulo  – The largest city in Brazil. Very cosmopolitan, with strong Japanese, Italian influences, etc. (last update Feb. 2018)
• -19.891667-43.94777820 Belo Horizonte  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -22.746944-41.88194421 Buzios  – Unless 200 km north of Rio, seaside resort. (last update Feb. 2018)
• -22.739444-45.59138922 Campos do Jordão  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -20.385278-43.50361123 Ouro Preto  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -20.318889-40.33777824 Vitória  (last update Feb. 2018)

Southern brazil

• -27.593281-48.55304725 Florianopolis  – city ​​located on an Island, connected by a bridge to the mainland, in the State of Santa Catarina. Magnificent beaches. A popular destination for Argentinian tourists. (last update Feb. 2018)
• -30.032778-51.2326 Porto Alegre  (last update Feb. 2018)
• -29.378889-50.87388927 Gramado  (last update Feb. 2018)

Other destinations

• Iguacu falls  – Not to be missed, on the border withArgentina. Natural wonder listed as World Heritage by UNESCO since 1984. Spectacular. (last update Feb. 2018)
• National parks of Brazil  (last update Feb. 2018)

To go

Formalities

For a tourist stay of three months maximum, several nationalities are exempt from visa.

By plane

Direct flights from Paris to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo

On a boat

By car

Importing your own vehicle is a real challenge.

The customs pass is only accepted for a land entry (and not maritime ...). Large deposits are required (up to 60% of the value of the vehicle ...) and a "laissez-passer" is issued by the customs administration against a commitment to re-export your vehicle within a defined period.

Circulate

By plane

Even individually, the plane is the most practical way to see as many places in Brazil as possible. Learn about pass which allow you to complete a loop in the country. The only condition is not to retrace your steps, for example: Rio-Iguaçu-Brasília-Santarem-Belem-Bahia-Rio. In Brazil, you take the plane like the bus in Europe. Even if you have made prior reservations with your pass, you can always change your dates if, for example, you like the area and you want to stay a few more days.

By bus

Wherever you want to go in Brazil, it is possible to go there by bus (onibus in Brazilian Portuguese). Travel times are immediately longer but obviously much more affordable without being less comfortable. There are also night buses, which are very practical for getting from one city to another at a lower cost. Buses are on time most of the time. It is strongly advised to arrive in advance at the bus station to find a seat on the bus, otherwise there is always the central corridor!

Excellent site to have all times and prices BrasilbyBus

By train

By car

The international driving license is not required to rent a car.

Signage does not fully reflect the European model, which can be confusing at first.

Vehicle rental is possible from the age of 18

Speed ​​limits:

• Route: between 70 and 110 km / h
• City: between 30 and 40 km / h

Be careful when driving at night where many vehicles are driving with all lights off.

Speak

The official language of Brazil is Portuguese.

• The pronunciation is different from the pronunciation in Portugal.
• Unlike Portugal, tuition is not widely used in Brazil. We address someone by the unique formula você.
• There are words that mean different things in Portugal and Brazil, for example camisola :
  • "sweater" in Portugal,
  • "nightgown" in Brazil.
• The words can also differ: a pineapple is said pineapple in Portugal and abacaxi in Brazil.

Spanish speakers can talk to Brazilians, but it is more difficult for a Spanish speaker to understand Portuguese, due to the variety of sounds. Many Spanish words lose the 'l', the 'n' or a syllable in Portuguese, for example salida bECOMES saída (output) and general, general.

It is better to avoid speaking Spanish here except as a last resort, Spanish speakers having long despised Portuguese speakers.

• Brazil Guide is a travel guide allowing you to choose your cities and regions of interest to better prepare your trip and bookings with a handy Franco-Portuguese dictionary of the most common expressions.

Buy

The currency of Brazil is real, in the plural reais. Prices are often displayed with the abbreviation R $, used in this page. A real divides into 100 centavos. A posted price of R $ 1.50 therefore means 1 real and fifty centavos.

The different banknotes are: 100 R $ (blue), 50 R $ (orange), 20 R $ (yellow), 10 R $ (red or red / blue laminated), 5 R $ (purple), 2 R $ (blue ), 1 R $ (green, being removed), and the coins: 1 R $ (silver with golden border), 0.50 R $ (silver), 0.25 R $ (bronze and silver), 0, R $ 10 (bronze and silver) and R $ 0.05 (copper and silver).

Foreign currencies like euros and US dollars can be exchanged at major airports and luxury hotels (unfavorable rate), exchange offices and major branches of the Banco do Brasil (but not the other banks). The latter generally offers the best rates but you must show your passport and immigration form.

Banks like Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Citibank, BankBoston and HSBC often have an ATM that accepts foreign cards. Banco 24 Horas is not a bank but has a network of distributors for foreign cards with, however, user fees.

The withdrawal limit is usually R $ 600 (Bradesco) or R $ 1000 (Banco do Brasil, HSBC) per transaction, and in any case R $ 1000 per day. Most ATMs will only give you R $ 100 after 22 h.

In small towns, it is difficult to find an ATM for foreign cards. Provide sufficient cash.

Travelers checks are difficult to cash outside of major airports.

Majority of stores now accept cards VISA and MasterCard but are sometimes limited to cards associated with an account in Brazil.

Eat

The food is based on beans and rice. The meat is mainly beef, of excellent quality. The prices for Europeans are very interesting. An originality: in some restaurants, the sale of food by weight bufê por quilo or all-you-can-eat packages rodizio.

• Afro-Brazilian dishes:
  • Xinxim de galinha (chicken with shrimps) Bahia
  • Camarão à baiana (Bahian-style shrimp, tomatoes, peppers, coconut milk and dendê: palm oil) shrimp fritters (sold in the streets of Salvador)
  • Moqueca de peixe (fish, tomatoes, coconut milk, dendê)
• North East Region:
  • Lagosta com leite de coco (lobster, tomatoes, coconut milk)
• Amazonia:
  • Fishes: pirarucu-tucunaré. Pato (duck) or peixe (fish) no tucupi
• South and South-East:
  • Churrascaria: excellent quality beef at will.
  • Numerous Japanese restaurants (result of the waves of immigration at the beginning of the 20th century)
• National dish" :
  • Feijoada (made from black beans and pork) served on Saturdays. It was the day when the "masters" gave their leftover pork to the slaves who thus could eat meat once a week.
• fast food
  • Empadas: turnovers stuffed with meat, shrimp, chicken (sold everywhere)
  • Pasteis: pastel is a donut filled with meat (carne), cheese (queijo) or other.
• Countless and very sweet desserts.

To drink

• Alcoholic
  • Caipirinha: made from Pinga (Alcohol better known as Cachaça, Brazilian rum) and lime.
  • Beers (cerveja): is usually drunk near freezing point. Sold in a can (lata) or in a bottle (longneck). Recommended brands: Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Bohémia.
  • Batidas (cachaça and fruit juice): batida de limão, maracuja, coconut ...
• Soft drink :
  • Guaraná (extract of plants from the Amazon). Recommended brands: Antartica, Taí, Jesus (specific to the state of Maranhão)
  • Sucos: fresh fruit juices and vitamins (fruit and / or vegetable juices).
  • Coffee: the cafezinho (small café) is self-service in all shops.

Housing

For travelers, there are many pousadas in Brazil which are similar to guesthouses or homestays in France. They are generally cheaper and smaller than hotels (hence a certain user-friendliness).

To work

Manage the day-to-day

Time zones

Time zones can be confusing in Brazil. The country covers four standard time zones from UTC-2 to UTC-5, in Brazilian terms Brasília -2 to Brasilia 1 time. As a rule, central and southern states observe daylight saving time, others do not. Visitors to the Northern Hemisphere should also remember that Brazil is south of the equator and therefore daylight saving time is used at a completely different time of year, from October to February, compared to in Northern Hemisphere summer time.

• Brasilia Time 1 (UTC-2): Fernando de Noronha and a few other small islands in the Atlantic. This time zone does not respect daylight saving time.
• Brasilia Time (UTC-3): South East and South, Northeast, Goiás, Distrito Federal, Tocantins, Para, Amapá. Daylight saving time is observed in Goiás, Distrito Federal and areas South East and South.
• Hour of time -1 (UTC-4): Roraima, east of the state of Amazonas, Rondonia, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul. The last two states observe daylight saving time.
• Brasilia Time -2 (UTC-5): Acre, western state ofAmazonas. This time zone does not respect daylight saving time.

security

• As a general rule, beware of people who approach you straight away to suggest sightseeing tours, direct you to a hotel or a pousada. Even if they don't have bad intentions, this kind of middleman picks up a commission wherever they take you, so you'll pay more.
• Avoid parks after dark. Follow the illuminated roads, and don't stop on the way at night, even in a busy place.
• Rio de Janeiro: Rio is a pleasant city as long as you follow a few tips of caution. Don't flaunt too much wealth when you walk around like valuable jewelry stacked with cameras, cameras, etc. It is not recommended to walk alone at night, especially on Copacabana beach. It is also safer to only use official taxis.
• Salvador de Bahia: While it is always necessary to pay attention to pickpockets, the historic city center offers itself without fear to night walkers.

Government travel advice

• Belgium (Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation)  (last updated Apr 2018)
• Canada (Government of Canada)  (last updated Apr 2018)
• France (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)  (last updated Apr 2018)
• Swiss (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs)  (last updated Apr 2018)

Respect

On the beaches, swimsuits are tiny, but removing the top is frowned upon. If the thong is legion, the monokini provokes the riot, being a practice resulting from the history of the country: it was the slaves who wandered topless. Likewise, it is very frowned upon for men to get on a bus topless.