By Gabriel Eronmosele, Erons Travel, Fargo, ND
Brazil keeps coming up when clients ask me where to go for big scenery, real culture and great food in a single week. Seven days is enough to do it well if you split the time between two very different cities: four days in Rio de Janeiro for the peaks, beaches and dining, then three in Salvador, the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture.
Here is how I would lay out that week, day by day, with where to stay, what to do each morning, afternoon and evening, and where to eat.
Image courtesy of Paulo Collares on Unsplash
Where to Stay
Rio de Janeiro
- Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel: the classic Art Deco grande dame on Copacabana Beach, with a huge semi-Olympic pool and Michelin-starred dining.
- Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro: mid-century style right on Ipanema, known for its rooftop infinity pool and bar facing Two Brothers mountain.
- Santa Teresa Hotel – MGallery Collection: a restored 1850s coffee estate in hilltop Santa Teresa, with gardens, mountain views, a quiet pool and a well-regarded spa.
- Janeiro Hotel: a design-led boutique on the calmer Leblon stretch, with eco-minded rooms, ocean views and a lively rooftop pool deck.
Salvador
- Hotel Fasano Salvador: a 1930s Art Deco landmark above All Saints Bay in the historic center, with a rooftop infinity pool, an underground spa and an Italian-Bahian restaurant.
Day 1: Arrival and Rio’s Iconic Peaks
Morning
Land in Rio and check in near Copacabana or Ipanema. Shake off the flight with a slow walk along Avenida Atlântica and its famous wave-pattern black-and-white mosaic sidewalk.
Grab a cold coconut or your first caipirinha at a beach kiosk and take in the granite peaks dropping straight into the Atlantic.
Afternoon
Have lunch at Café 18 do Forte inside the historic Copacabana Fort: pastries, Brazilian coffee and light bites with a view down the whole curve of the beach.
Later, ride the glass cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain and stay for sunset over Guanabara Bay, with Christ the Redeemer and the skyline lit up in gold.
Image courtesy of Diego Costa on Unsplash
Evening
Keep the first night easy at Braseiro da Gávea, a loud, friendly neighborhood favorite for grilled Brazilian meats and classic sides.
Day 2: Christ the Redeemer and Contemporary Arts
Morning
Go early to Corcovado and take the century-old rack railway up through the rainforest of Tijuca National Park.
At the top, the 98-foot Art Deco Christ the Redeemer gives you a full 360-degree view over the bay, Sugarloaf and the beaches.
Image courtesy of Shai Pal on Unsplash
Afternoon
Book a helicopter tour over Rio to see how the mountains, forest and beaches fit together from the air.
Then head to the revitalized port district for the Museum of Tomorrow, an interactive science and sustainability museum, and the Rio Art Museum (MAR) next door.
Evening
Dinner at Oro, where chef Felipe Bronze cooks Brazilian ingredients over open fire across two tasting menus. This is one to reserve well ahead.
Day 3: Botanical Gardens, Beach Time and Samba
Morning
Start in the Jardim Botânico, a 340-acre garden founded in 1808. Walk the avenues of royal palms and watch the canopy for toucans and marmosets.
On a Sunday, add the Feira Hippie de Ipanema at Praça General Osório for leather goods, paintings and handmade jewelry.
Afternoon
Spend the afternoon on the sand. Watch footvolley on Ipanema, people-watch along the promenade, or slide over to Leblon for a quieter beach day.
Before sunset, walk out to Arpoador rock at the east end of Ipanema, where locals applaud as the sun drops into the Atlantic.
Image courtesy of Willian Laureano on Pexels
Evening
Head to bohemian Santa Teresa or down to Lapa. Meet under the white arches of the Lapa Aqueduct, then go into Rio Scenarium for live samba in a multi-level antique warehouse.
Day 4: Hang Gliding and Rio Dining
Morning
If you like adventure, do a tandem hang-gliding flight from the Pedra Bonita ramp, gliding over forest and beachfront homes to land on Pepino Beach.
Prefer to keep your feet down? Ride the yellow bondinho tram through Santa Teresa, past 19th-century mansions and artist studios on cobblestone streets.
Afternoon
Lunch at Maria e o Boi in Ipanema, a relaxed modern steakhouse with creative regional sides.
Use the rest of the day for shopping Ipanema boutiques or a last cocktail by the beach.
Evening
Close out Rio at Lasai, an intimate open-kitchen room with a tasting menu that changes daily, built on organic produce from the chef’s own farms in the mountains.
Day 5: Salvador and the Soul of Pelourinho
Morning
Fly north to Salvador de Bahia on All Saints Bay, the center of Afro-Brazilian culture, and check in.
Afternoon
Explore Pelourinho, the UNESCO-listed historic center. Wander the cobblestones between pastel colonial facades, with street performers and Olodum drummers setting the soundtrack.
Step into the Church and Convent of São Francisco, covered in gold leaf and blue azulejo tiles.
Image courtesy of Ariel Foletto on Pexels
Evening
Dinner at Restaurante Casa de Tereza, part restaurant and part Bahian folk-art museum. Order the moqueca, the seafood stew cooked in coconut milk and dendê oil.
Day 6: Historic Heights, Markets and Atlantic Sunsets
Morning
Visit the Monastery of St. Benedict, founded in 1582 as the first Benedictine monastery in the Americas.
Afternoon
Ride the Elevador Lacerda, the 236-foot Art Deco elevator linking the Upper Town with the Lower Town (Cidade Baixa).
At the bottom, browse Mercado Modelo, a historic market full of lace, wood carvings, leather and Bahian crafts.
Evening
Watch the sunset at the Farol da Barra lighthouse, then have dinner over the water at Amado, set in a restored historic warehouse on All Saints Bay.
Day 7: Afro-Brazilian Rhythms and Fine Dining
Morning
Salvador is a UNESCO Creative City of Music, so spend the morning on a guided walking tour of its musical traditions, from Samba-Reggae and Tropicalismo to the Candomblé-rooted Afoxé processions.
Afternoon
Head to the coast at Barra or Ondina to watch capoeira along the seafront and try street food from local vendors.
For a late lunch, Coco Bambu serves big family-style seafood platters.
Evening
End the trip at Origem, where the seasonal tasting menu is all about Bahian cooking: native ingredients, sustainable seafood and local produce.
Quick-Reference Lists
Activities in Rio de Janeiro
- Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer
- Tijuca National Park
- Sugarloaf Mountain
- Hang gliding over Pepino Beach
- Helicopter tour
- Jardim Botânico
- Feira Hippie de Ipanema
- Copacabana Beach
- Ipanema Beach
- Museum of Tomorrow
- Rio Art Museum (MAR)
Activities in Salvador
- Pelourinho Historic Center
- Church and Convent of São Francisco
- Monastery of St. Benedict
- Elevador Lacerda
- Mercado Modelo
- Music walking tour of the UNESCO Creative City of Music
- Farol da Barra (Barra Lighthouse)
Where to Eat in Rio de Janeiro
- Oseille
- Maria e o Boi
- Miam Miam
- Café 18 do Forte
- Lasai
- Oro
- Braseiro da Gávea
- Malta Beef Club
- Haru
- Pope Ipanema
Where to Eat in Salvador
- Origem
- Amado
- Restaurante Casa de Tereza
- Coco Bambu
- Soho
Want this week in Brazil built around your dates, pace and budget? Contact Erons Travel and I will customize the hotels, reservations and flights from Fargo or Minneapolis for you.
This itinerary first appeared on Fora Travel.
Ready to plan your Brazil trip? Email Erons Travel at info@eronstravel.com for personalized hotel picks and a complete itinerary.
