South America

Popular tourist stop, but generally disliked by most native Brazilians. But has hidden charms.

Salvador is widely known as a dangerous big city, ugly, with annoying sellers at the beaches. Most Brazilians will say you should visit only the old town part to take some tourist photos and immediately go off to other (better) cities in the Bahia region/state.

And I agree with half of it. That yes…Salvador does have a “nice” colorful old town area with tourist value, and is super dangerous. And that yes, the beaches have tons of annoying sellers who come by every minute.

But I would also say that Salvador DOES have its charm if you know where to go. The people who DO like Salvador are usually locals who grew up here or people from big city Sao Paulo who like the warm people and accessible beaches here (Bahia region in general). They prefer it over the more excessively contrasty (and “superficial”) Rio de Janeiro.

While the old town Pelourinho can be seen in 2 days, to enjoy the everyday local life in Salvador…you’ll need to spend a couple more days at least.

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Beautiful raw “roots” type of beach-town with dozens of amazon beaches and the best magical beach vibe in the world.

I don’t know how to begin describing it. And part of me doesn’t want to because I’m hoping you won’t find it and ruin it. After seeing what happened to Tulum (Mexico), I’m deathly afraid of that happening here. Itacare really is one of the most perfect places in the world. I’ve watched people come here and get stuck…extending their stay 3 times and constantly changing flights and crying when they had to leave. It’s THAT GOOD.

You can try to book 5 days, but hahaha…trust me. You’ll probably get stuck and want to do at least 2-3 weeks. I highly recommend not being silly and planning anything less than 5 days. You will absolutely regret it with every bone in your body.

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Small cute colonial town in Northeast Brasil.

Go here because it’s got some personality and vibe, rather than the big city Recife nearby. It’s relatively safe, cheap, and some interesting viewpoints. Easy to spend just 2 days to see all main parts…or spend 3 or 4 if you want to relax.

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My own personal idea of what’s worth seeing in north-east Brasil.

I didn’t go everywhere so you shouldn’t take my word for it. But from my researching and also firsthand experience of places I’ve already been…this is how I felt:

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Sao Paulo is a big livable non-beach city (Brasil’s biggest)…loved by some, hated by others.

Haters say it’s boring, no beach, no “vibe”, nothing to do, they hate the sprawling. Those who love it (like myself), appreciate that it’s very safe (not dangerous atmosphere like Rio), has many livable neighborhoods to explore, so much more partying (numerous streets of fun bars/clubs unless sporadic lone spots in Rio), feels more local and not full of tourists, feels like everyone enjoys the city (not like a haves-vs-havenots in Rio).

Not only that but there’s just more people in Sao Paulo. Even the people who live in SP (but hate it) can’t help but still live there as it’s nice to live. Those who don’t like Rio can easily leave immediately because it doesn’t offer much other than naturally-beautiful scenery of beaches and rock mountains.

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Big beautiful beach city with rock landscapes, and also a bit dangerous…

For others, Rio de Janeiro is a magical place…full of beauty, wonder, and festivities. And it certainly seems that way when you look at the beautiful beaches with rocky islands and towering mountain silhouettes in the distance. There’s no other major beach city I’ve seen like this, with towering rock formations in the distance. As with everything Brasilian, it’s always sexy!

But for me, Rio was bittersweet. It is a beautiful place and fun…but it is not safe. I hated having to look over my shoulder constantly. Having to not bring my phone to certain areas because I didn’t want to risk getting robbed. Also it not being a good place to wander around solo (which I often like to do). It was easily the most dangerous feeling of the 20 countries I visited during that year. So let’s cover all the highlights in the safest way possible.

3 days is enough for main tourist highlights. 5 days if you want to enjoy more beach days and night life, also hikes.

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