I can't decide if I should go to Sao Paulo or Salvador in Brazil or if I should go to Istanbul in Turkey. I plan to travel October 15-20.

I want to keep my costs low, and all three places, I understand, are relatively inexpensive trips in the end.

I don't want to spend more than $2,000 for everything (including pocket money).

Any suggestions? (Note: I found a flight to Istanbul for $600. Great price.)

Cheers,
Kali, from Washington, DC

Sao Paulo very expensive you might as well go to new york.

Salvador is nice less expensive good beaches

go for that in Brazil if you want a beachy vacation...

IST is more culturally interesting also pretty cheap but cool

go there for history architecture culture not beachy.

To me, a lot of it would depend on the weather. I loved Istanbul and would easily go back again. Don't know what the weather is like in Sao Paulo in October - would it be rainy?

I agree with qwovadis - SP is more associated with working, great nightlife, great restaurants, and you'll find anything you want at any time of the day or night (including traffic jams), but you'll never find any brazillian spending vacations there...Salvador is a more touristic destination, it lies in a costline with nice beaches and warm sea (same as all northeastern of Brazil), and good weather year round, several resorts, etc. So, I guess it all comes to the kind trip you like.

Salvador is a port, not really a beach destination. You would need to go further up the coast for good clean surf beaches. The attractions of Salvador are more cultural--it's a key city for Afro-Brazilian music, excellent Bahian food and there's very interesting Baroque architecture.

Sao Paulo has a really excellent range of museums and fantastic food. Again it's appeal is more cultural. The size of the city is mind-blowing.

Sao Paulo is not a tourist destination. It is a city to work in. It is not expensive but is also not cheap.

Salvador is cheaper and there are beaches like Itapoa, Jardim de Allah. However, if you enjoy beaches, and would rather spend little I would recommend Natal, a little further north. You always have Rio de Janeiro, of course.