I'm planning a trip to Brazil and am going to buy an air pass so I can travel around the country. I am trying to think of cities I would like to see. I have already been to Rio and do not want to go back. So far I have come up with Brasilia, Sao Paolo, Florianopolis. I am trying to come up with some lesser known places that might be fun to explore. Was wondering if any of you might have some suggestions....
I am budgeting about 3 weeks for my trip if that helps. I am also willing to either ride a bus or rent a car.

Hi.In order to answer your question tell me if you're travelling alone,with kids,what are your interests,when do you intend to come here.Brasil is a very big country and 3 weeks is not enough,so you 'll have to make choices.

Go to Manaus and see the Amazon. The city is fascinating, also. I just thought it would be a jumping off point for our Amazon cruise, but the city tour was fascinating and I wish we had been able to actually hear a performance in the Opera House. The rehearsal was fabulous! The Hotel Tropical is a great place to stay there. Wonderful pool (part of it is a wave pool) and even a little mini zoo. The Amazon cruise with Amazon Clipper was fabulous. We did the 3 night itinerary on the Rio Negro (on the Dona Selly 2) and had the BEST time.

if you did not like the city life of rio then for sure you are not going to like sao paolo. they are both very similar. if you are looking for quite, chill and fun check out brasilia. i also visited carguatatuba (dont know if i spelled that right), i stayed at the tapatinga hotel which was really nice. i had more fun there than the bigger cities. i checked out a few of the islands also that you can take a ferry to. i hope that this kind of helps you out.

Sorry I was out of town...thank you for your replies.
I am traveling alone, no kids. I am flexible as to time of year as my job is very flexible in when I am able to take off. Im very aware of how big Brazil is...and my goal is not to see every imaginable place...I just want a nice taste of Brazil.
I like big city life and I like also a slow pace. I am very open minded and like variety. In my post earlier I said had already been to Rio...I just don't want to go there again..there simply are new places to see.
So thank you jcasale for mentioning Manaus..I will start doing some reading about the area.
Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Well,come here in summertime(dec to february).If you like parties come in Carnival,that's normally on february.Florianopolis is a very nice city and has many different beaches.Brasilia is the country capital,it's a planned city and not so interesting.Sao Paulo is the biggest city of the country,good nightlife,restaurants,shopping,etc.Do you like historic places?I'd suggest Ouro Preto and cities around,in the state of Minas Gerais.If you like nature then go to Manaus and the Amazon forest.There are many interesting beaches in non touristic areas,some very famous like Jericoacoara in the state of Ceara or Morro de Sao Paulo in the state of Bahia.In this last one there are no cars!
Enjoy

If you want to go off the beaten track I will suggest the "litoral Norte". This area is where most of Brazilians from the state of Sao Paulo spends their holidays time. Caraguatatuba has many nice beaches but I will suggest to go to Ilha Bela - just a great place. Amazingly beautiful! Go to Ubatuba, the town is not very nice but it has some many wonderful beaches. This places are on the 'Rio-Santos' road. It run along the coast from Rio de Janeiro to Santos (near Sao Paulo). It is one of the most beautiful roads I ever travelled.
But my favourite road 'estrada da serra' links Ubatuba with Taubate' (my hometown). VEry winding road and it can get quite foggy, but it is just amazing! On a clear day from the top of the Serra you have a magnificent view of Ubatuba below!

Hi, I just read your mail.

I have been to Brazil many times, as I used to live in close by (in Argentina). I strongly recommend you visit Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. Complete name of the city is Sao Salvador da Bahia. It is absolutely beautiful. Not only for the spectacular landscapes but also for the culture, the food, the people.
It was the first capital of Brasil (1549) and retains many wonderful examples of portuguese and dutch colony life, as well as being the cultural center of the country, embracing food, music and arts from its european past as well as from its slavery past (an estimated 1.3 million slaves were imported into Bahia before slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888, double the number imported into the entire US).
Try to: stay in a hotel a bit far from the city centre (Itapoa is a good place). Walk around the Pelourinho, the oldest neighbourhood, which has been declared World Cultural Patrimony by the Unesco. Take a boat day trip (or drive) to the north, to the cities of Santo Amaro and Cachoeira. Eat a lot of seafood and watch capoeira dance in the Mercado Modelo. Take a saveiro (fishing boat) to the island of Itaparica.
No trip to Brazil is complete without it, you will absolutely love it! Regards, Silvia

We visited Argentina and Brazil last August and the Brazilian airpass was great value for money.

We flew on Tam (collecting American airlines miles) Iguazu-Salvador-Manaus-Brasilia-Rio. When we were making the itinerary I noticed that Fernando de Noroha (sorry I'm spelling it incorrectly) was included which could be a good airpass destination.

If you only intend to visit a few cities it's also worth looking at some of the low cost carriers which offer cheap flights, however from what we could see the pass was the best option if your itinerary included Manaus, or if you were looking to really criss cross the country.

One of our favorite destinations was a lodge outside of Tefe which we reached by an additional 2 hour plus flight from Manaus. After the flight we went by boat for hours until we reached the reserve.We stayed at a wonderful lodge called Mamiarua...I highly recommend it.

We loved Rio and Brasilia was also a highlight, it's a facinating and unique place to visit though 2 nights was plenty.

I have a trip report here somewhere which may help.