Vlog: Travel Off The Beaten Path in Brazil – Rio de Janeiro to São Gonçalo

We woke up early to a glorious sunny day, opened the beautiful rustic wooden doors to our bedroom and stepped out onto the wide veranda that overlooked the sparkling city of Rio de Janeiro below us.

ADVERTISEMENT

Almost magical you could say… If we hadn’t been eaten alive by mosquito’s and sweating like pigs all night, wondering what the point was in having fancy fans attached to the ceiling that were absolutely useless.

Nonetheless, I could have stayed longer… Much longer… But unfortunately our one night stay in the vibrant, quirky and artistic neighbourhood of Santa Teresa was only a quick (and accidental) detour before we headed off the beaten path and onto somewhere a lot more… Dusty.

ADVERTISEMENT

São Gonçalo wasn’t initially somewhere we planned to visit but with the invite from a friend who lived in the area, we thought we’d give it a go. Being a slightly more remote town, there really wasn’t a lot to do in São Gonçalo other than eat, so we took a whole day to explore Niteroi which is located about a third of the way back towards Rio de Janeiro. This city is also connected to Rio via a 13.29 Km bridge, the longest in the Southern Hemisphere.

If you are travelling in Brazil and plan to visit Rio de Janeiro, we definitely recommend visiting Niteroi for the beautiful beaches and alternative views across the city. You can jump in a mini-van at the main bus station in Rio and it will take you across the bridge and into the city centre. From there you can go shopping, visit the museums or catch another bus to one of the lively beaches.

ADVERTISEMENT

Later on in our Rio de Janeiro vlog series, we take you further into Niteroi to explore some more of the beaches and sunsets…

… But for now, sit back, relax and enjoy watching Dan roll around in a paddling pool.

A little bit behind? Catch up on some of our latest travel vlogs here.

A Rio Story Vlog #8: Travel Off the Beaten Path in Brazil – Rio to São Gonçalo


Out of curiosity, how would you travel in Brazil? Would you go off the beaten path or stick to the well known tourist hotspots?

By the way, we’re still in Brazil so if you want to meet up, please do get in contact with us!