Brazil Blog

Brazil Talk!

Cruise from Sao Paulo

Filed under: Brazil General - October 16th, 2006

Your Questions:

How far is the cruise terminal from the airport?

Is the cruise terminal near the city centre?

Are there hotels near the cruise terminal that do free transfers?

Could you recommend a website to enable us to book a hotel?

I would also like to know as much as I can about Brazil could you recommend good informative websites and books?

Our Reply:

The cruise terminal in Brazil is not in the city of Sao Paulo. Since Sao Paulo city isn’t on the coastline you will have to drive approximately 1-2 hours in order to get to the port. Santos is the name of the city where the terminal is.

In order to get to Santos, assuming the cruise line doesn’t provide that transportation an option is to either rent a car, or catch a shuttle bus from the airport to the bus station called Terminal Tiete. From the terminal you are able to catch a bus to Santos. Once in Santos you will arrive at the bus station there, and take a taxi to your hotel.

The Port is in more of an industrial zone, so I wouldn’t recommend staying in a hotel in that area. Santos has a beautiful beach, and I would recommend staying in a hotel right on or near the water. I have found a couple hotels and pousadas, but I had to search in Portuguese because there were only about 3 hotels with English sites, and those are quite expensive hotels. A pousada is similar to a hotel, but usually not quite as large. The name of a Pousada I found is Pousada Sao Marcos. Its website is in Portuguese, but it is very affordable at approximately $80 Reals per night, which is approximately $30 US.
Here is the URL for the pousada.
Here is another link hotels in Santos that will take you to an option of other hotels. This is in Portuguese, but if you contact them (contato is what the link will say for you to write them a message), they will most likely have someone who speaks English that will be able to help you make reservations.

As for books on Brazil, when I was in Brazil I found the most useful book to be the lonely planet book on Brazil. If you follow this link for Brazil Stuff and click on Books on Brazil found about half way down the page you can buy the book right online through Amazon. This book has a lot of helpful hints as well as great ideas of things to do while down in Brazil.

Feel free to read up about Brazil on our site, and as for other sites it really depends on what kind of information you are looking for. If you want information about the people, places, etc I would suggest simply doing a search on google with the key words being what you are looking for and hopefully you will find what it is you want. Also, feel free to ask any other questions you may have in order to get all the information you wish before your travels to Brazil.

Travel Brazil

Filed under: Brazil General - July 31st, 2006

If you are looking into booking your next vacation, and are tired with the same places you go every year, try something new. Brazil is become more and more popular each year. What more could you ask for, the beautiful weather, the people, the sites you will see. Brazil has everything and more than most other countries that are frequented by tourists.
The language in Brazil is Portuguese, but don’t let that stop you from going. There are plenty of English speaking people and places throughout Brazil. The currency is Reals. In the past few years 1 Real has been equivalent to about 50 cents US currency.

The people of Brazil are amazing. Of course as in any country, you must be careful with what you wear and who you talk to, but a majority of people in Brazil will go out of their way to help you with anything you might need.

Brazilian beaches are also something not to miss. The temperature in places such as Rio reach 40 degrees daily during the summer months, and drop down to about 25 in the winter months, which is still quite warm. Beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema are among the tourist favorites.

Brazil is a very large country and can take many trips to see a majority of what it has to offer. Weather you have already been, or are thinking about going for the first time, don’t miss out. Brazil is a beautiful country full of beautiful places and interesting cultures. Now is the perfect time to visit the tropical destination.

Visa Procedure

Filed under: Brazil General - June 5th, 2006

Your Question:

I live in Pakistan and I want to visit Brazil(uberlandia)city. I have some friends there and I want to meet them. Please tell me the whole procedure; how can I enter Brazil from Pakistan. What is the procedure regarding my visa etc..

Our Reply

Many countries require visas in order to get into Brazil. Every country will have their own procedure, and most countries have a Brazilian Consulate that you will need to mail in order to find out what the procedure is for your country. I would love to help you and go into the website, but unfortunately I most likely wont understand as it wont be english;). I recommend that you go into some of your government sites, with keywords being getting a brazilian visa or something similar. There you will most likely be given the instructions in order to obtain a visa. There are a few different kinds available, well at least coming from my country there were, but find the one that best suits your needs, and you may possibly have to mail your passport to the consulate, or visit the consulate for an interview.

The best advice I can give is to somehow get ahold of a Brazilian consulate in your country if one exists and ask them how to go about getting a visa for Brazil.

Also, make sure that if there are any medical requirements you get them done before going to Brazil, it wouldn’t be fun getting turned away due to something you could have avoided.

Good luck!

You will have a great time in Brazil, especially since you already have friends to visit.

Thanks

Cities In Brazil

Carnaval 2006 - Champions

Filed under: Brazil General - March 1st, 2006

After enjoying 5 days of intense carnival celebration, it is now time to reveal the 2 samba schools that have won the Carnival competitions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro this year.

In Sao Paulo, Imperio da Casa Verde got the most points and has received the title of the champion Samba Shcool of the year. In Rio de Janeiro the championship was given to Vila Isabel.

Carnival is now officially over, but for one more night, the fans of these 2 samba schools will be partying all night to celebrate their victory.

To check the latest information on Carnival 2006, and also see pictures, videos e listen to songs, Click Here

Carnaval 2006 - Musics!!!

Filed under: Brazil General - February 24th, 2006

Here at Cities in Brazil you can find the best links to watch live Carnival Parades, listen to live carnival songs and also get to see wonderful pictures of the Carnival 2006.

The songs you will be able to hear were just performed by many famous brazilian singers during the first night of Carnival in Salvador.

If you are in Brazil, we hope you are having a great time; if you are coming here soon, be ready to be part of our brazilian party; if you are not coming this year, be sure to plan your next trip to Brazil during Carnival.

Brazilians are welcoming the Carnival tonight. We are more than happy to be able to share this with you!

Carnival 2006. The party has just started!

More Carnival Videos - Watch it here!

Filed under: Brazil General - February 24th, 2006

It is now time to take a look on the second samba school that will be performing in about 10 minutes. Are you in Brazil right now? If you are, just turn your TV on and enjoy this beautiful and magic party called Carnival.

For you outside the country, don´t get dissapointed, we have links to share this beautiful party with you. Watch Videos Here, when you get forward to the following page, you just need to scroll your page down a little bit and click in the word “veja o vídeo” meaning “watch the video”.

The samba schools are making the fans go absolutely crazy!! Fancy costumes and the intense energy brought by the members of the school are making Carnival 2006, one of the best Carnivals Brazil has ever had.

Don´t wait more. Joing our Brazilian party, sing along … Brazil Carnival 2006

Carnaval 2006 Videos

Filed under: Brazil General - February 24th, 2006

Carnaval is here again. Brazilians are once again celebrating the Carnival. The first samba school just started their perfomance half hour ago. The Sambodromo (place where the parade takes place) is completely packed with many fans.

Carnival is for sure the biggest party celebrated by Brazilians and foreigns tourists every year. Don´t waste any more time, click here and watch some live Carnavil Parade!!!

Brazil Welcomes the Carnival! You are invited to join the party, no matter where you are. Through cities in Brazil you will be able to keep yourself updated on all the news involving this beautiful party - Carnival

Rolling Stones in Rio - FREE concert

Filed under: Brazil General/ Lisa in Brazil - February 2nd, 2006

As many of you may have heard, the Rolling Stones will be going to Rio de Janeiro on the 18th of February. This concert will be free for anyone to attend, and will be held on the Copacabana beach. I have recently returned from Rio de Janeiro as you may have seen from some of my pictures, and I had a wonderful time. I saw the location where the concert will be held. It is right out from on the copacabana palace.

The Rolling Stones have been to Brazil many times and they have chosen to come back again and put on a free concert because they enjoy the people and the country so much.

If you are interested in going, make sure you look into it right away, the appartments and hotels are getting booked up fast.

Another problem that you should solve as soon as possible is getting your visa and passport ready. There are many countries that require a visa in order for the citizens to enter Brazil. In order to get a visa, you must also get a plane ticket first in order to show the Brazilian embassy that you have a return date.

I myself am hoping that I will be able to attend this concert. I know there are going to be so many people going since it is free. The Rolling Stones are very popular here in Brazil. It is being very well advertised so I would also suggest getting here a couple days in advance, and the day of the concert, show up a bit early so you can at least get a glimpse!

Hopefully everyone who wants to attend this concert is able to go, if you have any questions, dont hesitate to go to the ask us section of this website, and we will answer to the best of our knowledge.

Private Tour Guides in Rio

Filed under: Brazil General - December 29th, 2005

Your Question

hello, could you please tell me if there is an official register for tour guides/drivers in rio de janeiro? Many thanks.

Our Reply

While searching for tour guides and personal drivers for you in Rio de Janeiro I came across this website: Tour Guides in Rio.

If you are interested in hiring a personal tour guide on your trip to Rio de Janeiro, in this site they offer you a list with the profile of the tour guides available for hiring. You can also contact the tour guides directly for questions and making arrangements. Some of their tour guides can even help you to arrange accommodation and day trips outside the city. I have never used their services so I cannot tell you how good or efficient it is, but they seem to be clear when exposing their services on the site. I hope it helps you to find a tour guide for when you visit Brazil. Enjoy!!

Valentine´s Day in Brazil

Filed under: Brazil General/ Ask Us - December 29th, 2005

Your Question

Could you tell me anything about Boyfriends/Girlfriends’s Day in Brazil (Dia dos Namorados) or direct me to a web site that would give me the information. It would have to be in English. I am writing a short article on Valentine’s Day and would like to include this.

Our Reply

Valentines´s Day in Brazil is celebrated a little bit different from what you are probably used in North America. Here in Brazil, we celebrate Valentine´s Day on June 12, and the date is majority commemorated by boyfriends and girlfriends. It is not normal to give away chocolates to friends, or parents, or even wifes and husbands.

On June 12, it is normal to see girlfriends and boyfriends either having lunch or dinning out together. The environment for this celebration is very romantic, and after eating, they exchange gifts. What is most given in Valentine´s Day in Brazil is either flowers, clothes or perfurms. It is also very normal to see couples ending their Valentine´s Day celebration, going to a movie at night.