Marit77

My fiance and I are going to Brazil in September for our honeymoon. I'm trying to finalize our plans and am unsure on how much time we should spend in each location. We for sure want to spend at least 5-6 days in Rio. For the remaining 7 days should we split our time between Iguassu Falls and Buenos Aires or should we spend some time in Bahia or Buzios and then Iguassu Falls? What would make the most sense as far as transportation between these locations? Thanks!

Susan7

You would want to fly between any of these locations, particularly if you have 13 days in total. If it were me I'd choose to see more of one of the countries, rather than splitting up the time between two.

It might help to know what your interests are, for example, do you want some time on the beach? In which case in September maybe Bahia would be a good destination for you.

nydubgirl

Bahia would require a flight. We flew to Salvador and then transferred to the beach.
For Buzios you just need a taxi/bus - haven't been but I think it's 2 hours.
Maybe think about what type of accomodation, activity and style of beach trip you want for the 7 days and then choose between Buzios and Bahia. I would think that unless Bahia offers something extra then it is not worth the travel.
In terms of Bahia/Buzios vs. Buenos Aires, I would agree with previous post. The hassle of 2 currencies and 2 languages on a 2 week honeymoon wouldn't appeal to me (but we went with a very simple honeymoon ourselves - many people find themselves tired right after the wedding).
Didn't go to the Falls but only b/c we didn't want to get yellow fever shots, it does sound amazing and worth it.
Best of luck and enjoy the wedding!

msteacher

Iguassu is amazing and unlike anything you will experience elsewhere, so I would reccommend working it into the trip. Two days there is all you need... be sure you get to both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the falls. Yes, you will need to fly there. You would also need to fly from Rio to the other places you mentioned, except Buzios. If you're interested in lots of beach time, go there.

I have been to both BA and Salvador, and they are both wonderful in different ways. BA has more of an urban, big city feel. Good choice if you like museums, history, fine dining, etc. Salvador is more like a very large town, with a funky vibe. Good choice if you are interested in music, Brazilian history/culture, and beaches (more outside the city than right in the city.) Morro de Sao Paolo is an island near Salvador that you might enjoy for its beaches. You could spend a few nights in Salvador, then a few in Morro de SP.

So my reccommendation for 13 days would be something like this:
6 nights Rio
2 nights Iguassu
either 5 nights BsAs OR 2 nights Salvador and 3 nights Morro de SP.

No matter what you choose, you will have a wonderful trip. Enjoy!

Dondiega

IMHO Buzios is the perfect honeymoon destination, great little charming pousadas, beautiful beaches, nice little town with shops, restaurants and bars.

I would then do a 13 day trip like this:

Land in Rio stay 6 days.

Transfer to airport go to Iguassu falls 2 days.

Come back to Rio and take a taxi straight to Buzios and stay the remaining 5 days.

Then take a taxi back, 2 to 2.5 hours to international airport for return home.

This way you only have your original roundtrip from the USA to Rio and then all you need to purchase is a roundtrip Rio - Iguassu, makes it simple and you'll have a relaxing time instead of constantly packing and moving.

msteacher

Yes, the above poster is correct. If you are interested in limiting your travel time and maximizing beach time, Buzios will be a great choice. If you are interested in different cultural experiences, and don't mind more flying, then BA or Salvador would be good additions. So you really can't go wrong, you just need to decide what appeals to you most. But for a honeymoon, it seems like the Rio-Iguazu-Buzios plan would be the most relaxing choice.

billywinter

Some things to consider:
September is really still winter in Rio and Buzios, so you are not guaranteed beach weather in Buzios, Salvador would be much warmer. The dollar is actually still strong in BA, while in Brazil it is losing value every month! If you fly into brazil on TAM, you can get a decently priced air pass ticket enabling you to fly to 4 destinations for around $550.
If you want beach action, also consider Forteleza, Natal or Maceio.

Dondiega

Yes the above poster is correct, but while September can still be winter it is also the beginning of spring so most days will be high 70's to mid 80's.

True up north Brazil will be warmer.

True the Real is very strong and the dollar is very weak but still prices are like New York not cheap but not as expensive as Europe. September will be considered low season so you may be able to negotiate a better price on a hotel.

True you will get more for your money in BA but it's a different type of destination, not a beach destination.

Meanderer

Great country for a honeymoon -- my wife and I honeymooned in Brazil in 1989 and returned in 2004. But we had nearly two months on each of those trips.

For such a short trip I would recommend mostly Rio with a few sidetrips that you could accomplish by bus -- the long distance busses are great and the roads in that region of Brazil are good.

Parati, the well-preserved colonial era gold port is about a four hour bus trip from Rio. While there one of the day-long boat trips into the bay and around some of the islands of the Costa Verde is a must. Lots of coastal views on the bus ride between Rio and Parati as well. The town has a lot of colonial charm and cars are barred from the historic center. The streets flood a bit at high tide so you need to see Parati before global warming raises the sea level too far.

Ouro Preto -- the mining town the gold came from -- is also well preserved. Fantastic churches. I don't reacall the length of the trip -- most of a day from Rio.

We just used simple bands during our wedding and bought the stones for our wedding rings in Brazil -- imperial topaz.

We like the northeast as well -- the entire coast from Bahia to Fortaleza is enchanting -- but that is really a seperate trip.

Boa Viagem,
KST

AndreiaBrazil

Hi, Marit
msteacher is right. Do not worry about the weather. Here in Brazil is always warm, and Buzios is a town that is considered to be the town that less rains. It is super for a honeymoon. Bahia, you need to transfer by plane, but Salvador is a vey nice and tipical place. if you need any others suggestions let me know. I live in Rio.
have a nice trip

Riobound

A taxi to Buzios from Rio will not be cheap. try about 350-450.reais each way. A bus is best and only about 50-75.reais round trip, per person. Also you might want to look into staying in an apartment. They offer much more space, more privacy and are almost always much less expensive than a standard Hotel. We rented a very nice studio in Copacabana in March for 110.reais a night. Decent Hotels should start at about 160-180.reais a night.

EveIsambert

Hello Marit,
If you don't want to travel a lot between Rio and another destination, you can go to Paraty, something like 3 hours from Rio and it's gorgeous!
For your stay in Rio, you can have a look to this website : www.accommodationinrio.net
Bye

AndreiaBrazil

paraty yes indeed is gorgeous!!!! so is buzios!!!!