Brazil in 7 days: an itinerary through Rio de Janeiro and Salvador

Brazil can be explored in many ways, and this is one of the most complete for a first week: four days in Rio de Janeiro, with its mountains, beaches and neighborhood life, and three in Salvador de Bahia, the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture. It has an even pace, with time to walk, look around and sit down to eat well. Here is the full itinerary, so you can use it as it is or adapt it to the way you like to travel.

Where to stay in Rio de Janeiro?

Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel. An art deco classic facing Copacabana beach, still a byword for elegance and glamour. It has a large semi-Olympic pool, Michelin-starred restaurants and careful, personalized service.

Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro. On Ipanema beach, with a 1950s feel, an infinity pool and a rooftop bar that looks out over Morro Dois Irmãos. It suits travelers who appreciate good design.

Santa Teresa Hotel, MGallery Collection. Set in a former coffee estate from 1850, restored in the bohemian hills of Santa Teresa. It trades ocean views for gardens and mountains, and adds a private pool and a well-known spa.

Where to stay in Salvador de Bahia?

Hotel Fasano Salvador. It occupies a 1930s art deco building overlooking All Saints Bay, and blends classic elegance with Bahian heritage. It has a rooftop infinity pool, an underground spa and a restaurant serving Italian and Bahian cuisine, right in the historic center.

Day 1: arrival and the iconic mountains of the coast

Morning. You arrive in Rio de Janeiro and settle in near the beaches of Copacabana or Ipanema. To get into the rhythm, stroll along Avenida Atlântica, beside its famous seafront of black and white stones laid in waves. Stop at a beach kiosk for an ice-cold coconut or your first caipirinha, while you watch granite mountains meet the Atlantic.

Afternoon. Head to the historic Copacabana Fort and have lunch at Café 18 do Forte, with fresh pastries, Brazilian specialty coffee and light coastal dishes, facing the whole curve of the beach. Then take the glass cable car up Sugarloaf and stay until sunset, when golden light falls over Guanabara Bay and Christ the Redeemer.

Evening. Dinner at Braseiro da Gávea, a much-loved neighborhood restaurant, lively and unpretentious, known for its grilled meats with regional sides.

Day 2: views from above and contemporary art

Morning. Set out early for Corcovado to beat the crowds. The rack railway, more than a century old, climbs through the vegetation of Tijuca National Park to the top. Up there waits Christ the Redeemer, an art deco statue about 30 meters tall, with 360-degree views over the bay, Sugarloaf and the city's beaches.

Afternoon. To see Rio from the air, you can take a helicopter ride over green hillsides, golden beaches and unmistakable peaks. Then, in the renewed port area, the Museum of Tomorrow offers an interactive look at science and sustainability, and very close by is the Rio Art Museum (MAR), with contemporary shows that celebrate the city's social diversity.

Evening. A fine dining experience cooked over open fire at Oro, where chef Felipe Bronze turns local ingredients into small, striking creations, served in two different tasting menus.

Day 3: botanical gardens, seaside relaxation and samba rhythms

Morning. A quiet morning at the Jardim Botânico, a natural retreat of about 138 hectares founded in 1808. You walk among towering palms and tropical vegetation, eyes on the treetops, where toucans and marmosets appear. If your visit falls on a Sunday, stop by the Ipanema Hippie Fair, in Praça General Osório, with hundreds of stalls selling leather goods, hand-painted art and handmade jewelry.

Afternoon. Time by the sea. On the sand at Ipanema the locals play footvolley, and a little farther west Leblon offers a calmer, more refined beach day. As sunset approaches, walk to the Arpoador rock at the eastern end of Ipanema and join the local tradition of applauding as the sun sinks into the Atlantic.

Evening. Head up to the bohemian hilltop neighborhood of Santa Teresa or down to Lapa. Meet under the great white arches of the Lapa Aqueduct and continue to Rio Scenarium, where live samba fills an old multi-story warehouse packed with antiques.

Day 4: adventure in the heights and cutting-edge cuisine

Morning. If you like adventure, take off on a tandem hang glider from the wooden platform at Pedra Bonita. You fly over mountain forests and seafront homes before landing on the sand at Pepino beach. For a gentler alternative, ride the bondinho, the historic yellow tram that winds through Santa Teresa past cobblestone streets, 19th-century mansions and local artists' studios.

Afternoon. Have lunch at Maria e o Boi, a relaxed, contemporary steakhouse in Ipanema that reinvents Brazilian tradition with creative regional sides. The rest of the afternoon can go to the fashion boutiques of Ipanema or to a cocktail by the beach.

Evening. To say goodbye to Rio, dinner at Lasai, an intimate open-kitchen restaurant with a tasting menu that changes daily and is built from organic produce from the chef's own farms in the mountains.

Day 5: arrival in Salvador and the essence of Pelourinho

Morning. You fly north to Salvador de Bahia, the vibrant heart of Afro-Brazilian culture, on All Saints Bay. You check in at your hotel and settle in.

Afternoon. Start in Pelourinho, the historic center and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its cobblestone streets are lined with pastel colonial architecture, street artists and the sound of Olodum's drums. Step into the Church and Convent of São Francisco, whose interior is covered in gold leaf and intricate blue tiles.

Evening. Dinner at Restaurante Casa de Tereza, a space full of art that is both a museum of Bahian popular culture and a restaurant of traditional Afro-Brazilian cooking, with specialties such as moqueca, a seafood stew made with coconut milk and dendê oil.

Day 6: history, markets and sunsets over the Atlantic

Morning. Visit the Monastery of São Bento, founded in 1582 and considered the first Benedictine monastery in the Americas, to enjoy its serene architecture and historic legacy.

Afternoon. Ride the Lacerda Elevator, an art deco city lift about 72 meters tall that links the Upper City with the Lower City. Below, the Mercado Modelo awaits, a lively historic market with hundreds of stalls of lace, wood carvings, leather goods and traditional Bahian crafts.

Evening. Walk to Farol da Barra, one of the most emblematic spots on the city coastline, to watch the sunset over the Atlantic. For dinner, Amado serves coastal-inspired cuisine with a view of the bay, inside a restored historic warehouse.

Day 7: Afro-Brazilian rhythms and fine dining

Morning. Explore Salvador's musical identity, recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City of Music, on a guided walking tour of its rhythmic traditions, from samba-reggae and tropicalismo to afoxé processions inspired by candomblé.

Afternoon. A relaxed afternoon along the coast, in Barra or Ondina, watching traditional capoeira circles by the sea and trying street food. Then a late lunch at Coco Bambu, with a lively atmosphere and a wide choice of fresh fish and seafood to share with family.

Evening. The trip closes at Origem, with a seasonal tasting menu devoted entirely to regional Bahian cuisine, featuring indigenous ingredients, sustainably sourced seafood and local produce.

Summary: recommended hotels

• Rio de Janeiro: Copacabana Palace, Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro, Santa Teresa Hotel (MGallery Collection) and Janeiro Hotel.
• Salvador de Bahia: Hotel Fasano Salvador.

Summary: recommended activities

• Rio de Janeiro: Corcovado, Tijuca National Park, Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, hang gliding over Pepino beach, helicopter ride, Jardim Botânico, Ipanema Hippie Fair, Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Museum of Tomorrow and Rio Art Museum (MAR).
• Salvador de Bahia: Pelourinho historic center, Church and Convent of São Francisco, Monastery of São Bento, Lacerda Elevator, Mercado Modelo, a guided walking tour of the UNESCO Creative City of Music and Farol da Barra.

Summary: where to eat

• Rio de Janeiro: Oseille, Maria e o Boi, Miam Miam, Café 18 do Forte, Lasai, Oro, Braseiro da Gávea, Malta Beef Club, Haru and Pope Ipanema.
• Salvador de Bahia: Origem, Amado, Restaurante Casa de Tereza, Coco Bambu and Soho.

How do we tailor this trip to you?

This itinerary is a starting point. We can add days, change the order, choose other hotels or add a northeastern beach at the end. We take care of flights, transfers, reservations and where to eat, so all you have to do is enjoy. If you would like to plan it, write to us.