7 days in Brazil: itinerary

The 7-day route runs Rio de Janeiro → Foz do Iguaçu, with one nonstop flight between them. Rio gives you beaches, mountains and samba; Iguaçu gives you the falls from the Brazilian side plus, if you have the time and the visa paperwork, a day on the Argentine side.

Do not try to add Salvador, Manaus or the Pantanal to a week. Each sits a flight away from Rio, and the transfer day plus the minimum useful stay (3–4 nights) does not fit. If those are your priorities, start from the 10-day or 14-day plans instead.

Book the Rio–Foz flight early for the best fares, and check whether your arrival airport is Galeão (GIG) or Santos Dumont (SDU) before booking a hotel.

Days 1–5, Rio de Janeiro. Give the city five nights. Two of them cover the icons: Corcovado for Christ the Redeemer and Urca for Sugarloaf, ideally on separate mornings because cloud often closes the views by afternoon. One day goes to the old centre and Santa Teresa, with the Selarón steps and Lapa's arches. Keep one day free for the beach and one for a day trip — Petrópolis for imperial history, or a guided visit to a favela if you book with a community-run operator.

Days 6–7, Foz do Iguaçu. Fly in the morning, drop bags and spend the afternoon on the Brazilian side of the falls: the trail is short, the panorama is the wide one, and you can walk out onto the Devil's Throat catwalk. Day 7 is the Argentine side if your passport and schedule allow — it needs most of a day and a border crossing — otherwise the bird park plus Itaipú Dam fills it comfortably. Fly out of IGU in the evening, or back via São Paulo.

Two hotel changes in seven days is the ceiling. Anything more and you spend the week in transit.

Fly between regions. Rio to Foz do Iguaçu is about 2 hours nonstop; by bus it is a long overnight-plus run, roughly 22 hours or more, which costs you a day of the trip. Domestic fares vary a lot by date, so book the internal flight when you book the international one.

Inside Rio, the metro covers Copacabana, Ipanema, Botafogo and the centre; use app cars at night and for Corcovado and Sugarloaf. In Foz do Iguaçu, local buses run to both falls entrances and the airport, and taxis are cheap by US standards.

Allow buffer time on the last day: IGU is a small airport but domestic delays are common in the rainy season.

In Rio, first-timers should base in Copacabana or Ipanema for the beach and metro, or Botafogo for better value and food. Santa Teresa suits repeat visitors and anyone who wants a quieter, hillside base. Book early for Carnival and New Year, when prices multiply.

In Foz do Iguaçu, stay in the town centre for restaurants and bus links, or on the Brazilian park road if you want to be first at the falls gate. Two nights is enough for either side of the falls.

Hostels, pousadas and mid-range hotels all exist in both places; the parent country guide ranks Rio as the classic first stop with 4–5 nights.

A mid-range 7-day trip in Brazil, excluding international flights, runs roughly R$6,000–9,000 per person (about US$1,100–1,650) in 2026 estimates. That covers two internal flights or one plus a bus, six or seven nights in mid-range hotels or private hostel rooms, park entries and food.

Budget travellers can halve the accommodation line with hostels and eat at kilo restaurants and per-kilo buffets. The two big fixed costs are the internal flight and the Iguaçu park tickets; everything else is flexible.

Prices are 2026 estimates; check current fares and park entry fees before you book.

Swap Iguaçu for the Costa Verde. Rio → Paraty → Ilha Grande fits seven days if you drop the falls; shuttle vans link the three, and you get colonial streets plus a car-free island.

Swap Rio for the Northeast. Recife and Olinda plus Porto de Galinhas make a beach-and-culture week with short drives, useful if you are flying into Recife rather than Rio.

Add days. The 10-day plan adds Paraty and Ilha Grande to Rio and the falls; the 14-day plan adds Salvador and the Amazon or the Pantanal. Both are better value per day than stretching this week.