We sellected the most famous attractions in Brazil and the links to book in advance.

Tailormade Itinerary

You have two options – Plan your trip yourself or buy with travel agency. In any of these cases, if you are traveling with children or want a personalized itinerary to help with day by day activities, let us know. Send a message to the email maripelomundo@gmail.com or WhatsApp

Our Travel Plan offers:
• Day by day activities description
• How to buy tickets and tours
• Where to stay, where to eat, shop and how to get around
• 40 minutes on-line meeting for Q&A
• PDF e-book with whole itinerary
• Price: US$ 160.00 (up to 10 days trip) – Payment via Pay Pal
Questionnaire to understand your travel style
If you want to plan on your own, here in the post with several tips and links to the official websites for ticket sales, accommodation and all the services you will need.

São Paulo City

They are pleasant neighborhoods to walk around in São Paulo with children without having any specific purpose such as shopping or gastronomy.

Pinheiros,
Vila Madalena,
Consolação,
Itaim Bibi,
Vila Olimpia and
Ibirapuera.

We already have some posts here on the blog with lodging tips and neighborhood tours . If you come to São Paulo, stay close to the places you want to visit. São Paulo City Tour: MASP, Paulista Avenue and More

Our tip: If you don’t drive or don’t want to worry about the road , schedule tours and excursions in São Paulo – buy online tours from verified companies with customer reviews – transfer and guide – Aparecida do Norte ( best seller ) – Campos do Jordão 🙂 – Embu das Artes city of crafts – São Roque wine route – Holambra city of flowers – Bairro da Liberdade Japanese immigration – Zu Lai Buddhist Temple – or schedule a free tour of São Paulo.

Walking itinerary in São Paulo

From Oscar Freire, going up Rua Augusta to Paulista.

You can leave the car or get off on the Oscar Freire metro and walk the entire street – there are branded stores, shops, cafes and restaurants. Oscar Freire has several collaborative spaces for handcrafted, funky products of all price ranges. The stores, as always, with beautiful decor and prices to match. Great tour! We ate at Tostado. Very good veggie burger.

The new CJ Shops – a more intimate, open and with the same luxury Garden City – is located at Haddock Lobo 1626, across Oscar Freire. Everything close by. The mall is in front of great restaurants and also has Gero on the rooftop.

Arriving at Rua Augusta, go up towards Paulista. It’s about 1400 meters. It is worth it. You will discover some galleries along the way, such as Vila San Pietro , which has shops and cafes in an environment surrounded by nature. A gem in Augusta. And for more tips on Rua Augusta, check here along with a great tip for a Japanese restaurant.

And if you want a route along Avenida Paulista, we’ve done several. We love this iconic avenue. Click here

A tour of Moema and Ibirapuera

Not only from Parque do Ibirapuera live the Paulistano and the tourist in São Paulo – although it is an unmissable place. And, in addition to the Park, there is the MAM and the Planetarium inside! How to visit MAM

In addition to the Park, a tip is to get to know a little more about the region and cross the bridge to the other side of Vinte e Três de Maio (on foot) and visit MAC USP . Amazing permanent exhibition (and the temporary ones too). At the moment you don’t need an appointment, but you have to take the proof of vaccine. Parking is free.

Visit the 7 floors, including the Vista Restaurant, and enjoy lunch admiring the Park. Or go down to the mezzanine and have a coffee at Vista Café.

By car, a few kilometers away you will find the Roller Jam. Recently opened, the space rents skates, has a birthday party and is all 80’s. Following the tips for children on vacation, we went skating in the best 80s style. The rink is super themed with neons and mirrored globes. The soundtrack is great, a trip back in time with all the hits of the roller era.

Skates can be rented on site and protective items (helmet..) are mandatory up to the age of 18. The staff is attentive and helps beginners. No one enters the track without first ensuring balance by walking off the track. There are also some games and a bar for snacks. Children, youth and adults of all ages were on the track yesterday. Unconventional parking close by. All very organized and with visible concern for safety. 👉👉 Roller Jam Moema Al. of the Nhambiquaras 1980 @rollerjammoema

Walking through downtown São Paulo and Liberdade neighborhood

We’ve been going to Bairro da Liberdade a lot. The Neighborhood is trending on Tik Tok. Lots of teenagers walking around the neighborhood behind WeCoffee and the shops. It has the Korean Market store with BTS products. Galvão Bueno is the one that is always crowded and has an exit to the Metro. I recommend getting to know the other streets around and taking a more cultural tour of Liberdade. See the tips in the Post here.

And in the very center, there is the Mirante do Vale (with the brand new Sampa Sky ) and the Farol Santander . There are also cafes, the São Bento monastery and the Copan building. All open to visitors. The walk is no longer so safe and pleasant, but the cultural richness is undeniable. Tour through downtown São Paulo

Pinheiros

Rua dos Pinheiros and Pedroso de Moraes . The Apothecary Lab is amazing. Beautiful decor and an attached cafe. Brasseurs also recently opened and this part of the street (along with Joaquim Antunes) came to life with Braz Elettrica, Le Jazz, Maní, Padoca do Maí, several new cafes, Baccio di Latte, Meats, Z Deli, Kez Bagel, Frida & Mina, Kotori, Cabana, Shops and Bars. And if you drink, don’t drive. Fradique Coutinho Metro Station comes out of nowhere in the middle of the bars.

For those who are assiduous, you already know Cantina Giggio and Nello’s, Gael, Pirajá…

A little further or further back (2.5 km) from there is the Instituto Tomie Ohtake, which I love. Always quiet space, with new exhibitions, almost always free. The traditional Ofner is at the front, but the novelty is Bario. A restaurant bar from the 80s, with a lot of Pinball machines, drinks, hamburgers and a decor that matches the Roller Jam. Pure neon. If you don’t like this style, there’s Botanikafé, Lanchonete da Cidade, Fábrica da Dengo (which has a video on youtube).

Two malls , the others you can consult in the post Best malls in São Paulo (in our opinion)

We went to see the Christmas decorations in the malls and the always classic Iguatemi chain. This year Tarte Maison opened a kiosk just for beautiful Christmas products. I really like these two malls, and you can take a combined tour:

Iguatemi + Museu da Casa Brasileira or
JK Iguatemi + People’s Park

And speaking of Shopping JK, some restaurants and stores closed, but a lot of news appeared. Explore calmly.

Book your tickets and transfer here

São Paulo City Tour: MASP, Paulista Avenue and More

From São Paulo: Santos, São Vicente & Guarujá Day Trip

São Paulo: Guarulhos (GRU) Airport Private Transfer

Rio de Janeiro

For a short stay in Rio, the tip is to stay at the Prodigy, which is located at Santos Dumont airport. Beautiful hotel, great value, and perfect location for a weekend away.

Novotel Santos Dumont – click to see availability and rates
Ibis Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont – click to see availability and rates

You can go walking to the Airport. Just cross the footbridge between the hotel and the airport. Very practical.

For a Luxury stay, try Copacabana Palace – click to read the post – click here to book

A beautiful and iconic hotel. It is worth staying at Copacabana and enjoying the hotel’s luxury, glamor and location in front of Copacabana beach. Bar and restaurant, swimming pool and all the additional services for a perfect stay in Rio.

Free downtown tour

We went to Largo da Carioca for the tour that started at 10:30 am. https://freewalkertours.com/ A group of foreign tourists were already waiting there. If you prefer, take the private tour just for your family, click here to schedule

Transfer

Airplane window

Buy your flight arriving in Santos Dumond SDU – in addition to being close to the center, it has this visually wonderful arrival. Window!

You can do a lot on foot, by rented bike or scooter. For longer distances and up to four people, you can take a taxi or uber. If you want a cost-effective private transfer to schedule several routes and tours let me know and I’ll give you the contacts of the ones I used in Rio and I really liked WhatsApp

I always prefer official taxis, especially when leaving the airport. Or the transfers I already know. There is heavy traffic at various times, so it is important to calculate this when traveling to and from the airport.

1. Copacabana Fort and Fort Museum

Army Museum and Fort of Copacabana – you can walk around it or do the full visit by purchasing the museum ticket. The fort was inaugurated in 1914. It is well worth the visit. Around the Forte there are two cafes and a beautiful view of Copacabana beach.

2. Beach Kiosks

For coconut water, fast food, ice cream, a juice… there are many beach kiosks. Make sure they are clean before ordering full meals.

3. Leblon

Leblon is a neighborhood where there are more expensive apartments and a great offer of restaurants and bars. There are two more elegant malls such as Shopping Leblon and Rio Design. Even so, depending on the day, the beaches that are usually quieter, are also crowded. The sunset in Leblon is a separate event.

Don’t forget sunscreen, water, a hat… the sun can be strong. There are chairs and umbrellas for rent on the beaches. Don’t skimp if you have kids. It is worth it.

4. Sights

Each item is worth a full post. But here’s the list:

Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (Pedalinhos and bike)
Selaron Staircase
corcovado
Sugarloaf cable car
Arcos da Lapa and old town
Aquarium
Botanical Garden – Parque Lage
MAM

Not every child enjoys taking a long walking tour. For the little ones, this can be a great option on a cool day. Anyway, the kids loved seeing Escadaria Selarón from the transfer window because they had already seen it on TV shows.

Urca is an old and very traditional neighborhood in Rio, for tourists, it is where the Sugar Loaf Cable Car, Praia Vermelha and Urca Mureta are located, among other beautiful corners. There are several bars near the wall and that’s why it became famous and instagrammable. If you have children, a juice on the wall or a boat trip.

The Sugar Loaf Cable Car is a tour that I recommend at least once in a lifetime. It is the symbol of Rio along with the corcovado and very iconic. Of course the kids love it. In the photo you can see the ticket price in January 2021. Set aside at least 3 hours for the full tour.

And returning by car or walking, you will see the aqueduct – Arcos da Lapa. Nothing to do there, but a historic spot. City tours always go there. Get in touch and we’ll give you some up-to-date information about a city tour in Rio.

Tours

5. Museum of Tomorrow

The Museum of Tomorrow, we have a complete post – so if you want to know more, go straight to the post. click here The Museum of Tomorrow is one of the symbols of the revitalization of the Port Zone of Rio. It was opened on December 19, 2015. It is located in Guanabara Bay, in front of Praça Mauá. It revitalizes five million square meters of the Port Region that was in the process of degradation.

Next to the Museum of Tomorrow is the Museum of Modern Art.

6. Boat trip on the river

We met Cassio and booked this tour. Nautical Tourism is starting to expand in Brazil. It’s not just for a select group. Send a message to the email maripelomundo@gmail.com or WhatsApp and we’ll send you the contacts for you to schedule.

This was my first experience on a sailboat. Cassio and his son Daniel are great, they give us all the instructions before the tour, boat equipped with gel alcohol, thermometer and utensils for the pandemic season, respecting social distance. Great ride for kids too, they work very safely.

7. Beaches

There are several, Flamengo, Botafogo, Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana, Arpoador, Vermelha, Barra, Recreio…. the best beach is the one closest to your accommodation, especially if you have children.

Beachs around Rio de Janeiro

8. Confeitaria Colombo, Café 18 do Forte and snacks

Two cafes at Forte de Copacabana: 1) One of them is Café do Forte (from the famous Confeitaria Colombo – over 125 years in Rio). A cleaner and smaller version, but in the same style as the Confeitaria downtown. It faces the city’s postcards, Copacabana Beach. 2) Café 18 do Forte: Brazilian food with veggie and coffee options, drinks and breakfast. Loved the coffee and the attentive service and a delicious cake.

There is no shortage of restaurants in the city. There are also malls with a food court. The list would be immense. It’s for a next post.

9. Water Sports

Copacabana beach has equipment rental for SUP and kayaking. In Leblon we saw surf lessons for children and a lot of Kite.

Experiences and Sports & hikings