Only 5 stars: Belmondo Copacabana Palace, Fasano, Fairmont, Emiliano, Windsor Miramar.
Total 4 stars: Windsor California, Windsor Lem, Lime Arena, Ipanema Arena.

When going on vacation to Brazil, please remember that this is a different country with its own culture, peculiarities and, unfortunately, dangers.

Do not leave your belongings unattended. Do not put phones, cameras, wallets on the table and in the back pocket, on the pareo and towel on the beach. You should not walk the streets with a phone in your hands, conduct live broadcasts, talk on the phone on the street or use it as a navigator. When calling Uber, do not stand on the street with the phone in your hand, it is better to remember the number of the car and wait for her on the sidewalk in the designated place, and put the phone in the bag. Do not keep your phone at an open window if you are in a car/bus. Most often, phones and cameras are simply snatched from their hands, back pockets, and tables. And it is almost impossible to catch a thief.

Your appearance will also tell a lot to the local smart residents: leave your gold chains, crosses, jewelry with precious stones at home or at the hotel. The simpler you look on the street, the less likely you are to get into an unpleasant situation.

When changing money at exchange offices, put it in your wallet, and the wallet in the bag is still inside, and not on the street in front of the exchange office.

There are several areas in Rio where tourists will be comfortable. It is best to stay in the areas of Ipanema or Leblon (Ipanema, Leblon). There are few hotels here, but there are quite a lot of apartments for rent. There are many very good restaurants, cafes and bars on Ipanema and Leblon. These beaches are also considered one of the best in the city. At the very beginning of Ipanema, at Cape Arpuador, and at the very end of Leblon, at the mountain of Two Brothers, surfers usually ride.

The most tourist area is Copacabana (Copacabana), there are most hotels of completely different levels, and it is conveniently located. But the area is much more chaotic, noisy and crowded than Ipanema and Leblon. This is an area with a large number of cafes, restaurants, bars of completely different levels from simple ones with plastic chairs to the Michelin level. Copacabana Beach is considered one of the most popular among tourists. It's always crowded here. I recommend choosing Leme Beach, which is located a little to the side: Copacabana begins with Leme. It's quieter here, since this is not a thorough part of Copacabana. At the very beginning of the Leme, you can often see surfers.

The Barra da Tijuca district is one of the newest in Rio. But it is located far from the main attractions. Therefore, when choosing this area, keep in mind that on the road you will have to go on average in one direction for 45 minutes more than going to the sights from Ipanema. In addition, the area is quite long and elongated, you will have to take a taxi to the main locations. But in Barra da Tijuca there is a very good beach, shopping centers and restaurants.

The districts of Jardim Botanico, Lagoa and Gavea are good in themselves, very wealthy locals live here and there are many good restaurants. But the big problem is the lack of tourist infrastructure and frequent traffic jams. Since these are travel areas, it is most often in them that traffic is most difficult on Fridays, at the end of the working day and on days of rain and football.

The districts of Botafogo, Flamengo, and Catete are extremely conveniently located, from here it is convenient to get to all the sights of Rio, beaches, and the city center, there are many shops, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, and bars. The beaches located along the districts are dirty, and swimming in them is not recommended.

The district Center (Centro) is better not to consider for tourists to stop at all. Since this area is, in fact, downtown, where work is in full swing from 9:00 to 17:00, after the office clerks leave their jobs, the area is empty. Shops, cafes, restaurants are closed, there are no people on the street, there is nothing to do there, and it is not safe.

The Santa Teresa area will appeal to creative natures, lovers of boutique hotels and views. The area is beautiful and has many good restaurants, bars and interesting shops. But do not forget that it takes about 40 minutes to get to any beach from Santa Teresa. In addition, the area is not the safest in Rio because of the narrow streets and the proximity of favelas.

Foreign nationals are allowed to import up to 10,000 reais (slightly less than 2000 US dollars) per person. We are waiting for an increase in this limit in the near future.

In the exchangers you can easily change Euros, US Dollars and money from neighboring South American countries (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay).

Almost all businesses in Brazil pay by credit cards, debit cards, and pay from phones via Pay Pass, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.

VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discovery cards are accepted in most places.

We recommend paying with cards in places that inspire confidence (restaurants, attractions, hotels, shops, etc.). When buying goods on the street with your hands (street food, souvenirs, water), pay in cash. In a taxi (Uber is not a taxi), always pay in cash.

The Rio Metro has a contactless fare payment system with bank cards. The metro is paid only at the entrance, at the time of passing through the turnstile.

Foreign currencies are not used in the country. They can be accepted for payment in hotels, taxis, restaurants, but exchange rates will most often be much worse than in exchange offices.

Each region of Brazil has its own climatic features. And sometimes it can be very difficult to combine some attractions in one trip, since the tourist season in one place may not coincide with the season in another. That's what you should focus on:

Rio de Janeiro: Summer is the hottest time in the city and state, from the end of December to the middle of March it will be up to +45, a lot of precipitation, sometimes very abundant. At this time, the most popular dates are New Year and Carnival.

Autumn in Rio is usually quite dry and comfortable. Temperatures vary from +24 to +35, there is little precipitation.

Winter in Rio is a very pleasant time. From the end of June to the end of September, the temperature can drop to +13, and rarely exceeds +30. There is precipitation in winter, but the rains are not abundant. The sun is gentle.

Spring in Rio is often rainy. Temperatures from +17 to +35. The sun starts to burn the skin.

Manaus and Amazonia: there are, in fact, only two seasons here. The high water season, from February to the end of May, is the period of ecotourism, when you can see a lot of local culture and natural features. The low water season is the period from July to February. At this time, fishermen come here for sport fishing. And many tourist activities are not available because there is not enough water in the forests.

The dunes of Lensois Maranensis: the most beautiful tourist season here is quite short. From June to the end of August, the "lakes" between the dunes are filled with water, and then the water begins to slowly leave and the lakes empty.

Pantanal and Bonito also depend on the water level and rains in the region. A short period of low water and little precipitation from September to the end of November is the best time to visit these reserves. With an increase in precipitation, the water in Bonito becomes turbid, and in the Pantanal it becomes more difficult to see animals, as the rivers overflow, and the animals hide under the branches of trees, there is no need to go ashore anymore.

Iguazu Falls are good at any time and any season. The water content of waterfalls depends on both local rains and rains in the central region of Brazil, as well as on dams and hydroelectric power plants built on the river.

For the sake of a beach holiday, it is best to leave Rio and go to one of the two "beach" regions:

Costa Verde, which is located south of Rio de Janeiro and includes Angra dos Reis, Ilha Grande, Paraty, Trindade. Costa Verde is known for its rainy weather. It rains more often here than in Rejiau dos Lagos. The water is very quiet and calm here, as the main beaches are located inside the Bay of Angra. Swimming here is a pleasure. Paraty is a historical, tourist, very beautiful town, around which there are many tourist activities and attractions. In the city itself, the beaches are not interesting, around – beautiful. Angra is the starting point for exploring the islands and beaches in the Bay of Angra region. Ilya Grande is a paradise island where you can disconnect from the big world and connect with nature, beaches, rainforest. Trindige is a small and simple town, near which there are many beautiful beaches.

Região dos Lagos is Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio, Buzios. It is believed that the weather here is always better than in Costa Verde and Rio. But the water is often colder than in the Bay of Angra, since the cities are located on the cape and the water here is open oceanic. Arrayal do Cabo has stunningly beautiful beaches and beautiful blue-green water. But the city itself is absolutely not interesting. Cabo Frio is popular with Brazilian tourists. Buzios is known all over the world thanks to Brigitte Bordeaux, there are many Argentines, French, Spanish-speaking tourists, Brazilians. Buzios has a huge number of beaches, a good choice of housing of any level, restaurants, shops. This is a classic resort town.