Coming from a girl who just traveled from Rio, to Paraty and Ubatuba, and ended in Sao Paulo. This is the most important first blog post I could write.

Despite my hangovers and bank account telling me to stop partying, when I travel, I will shut those voices up and just plow ahead, vodka soda in hand. I could, and will, write more guides about Brazil, but honestly I think this guide will be the most helpful in the meantime, as it was exactly what I wish I had before going to one of the best countries I’ve ever been to. So, after spending over a week in Brazil, here are my tips for going out safely.

To start — in general, as a woman, I felt safe the entire time I was in Brazil, primarily because I followed the below tips and recommendations. You can find every bar (and restaurant, beach, hotel, etc.) I recommend in my Brazil Google Map Guide HERE!

If any local Brazilians or visitors who have been to Brazil multiple times have any other tips or advice, leave them in the comments!

Find the Main Streets with Bars & Restaurants

… and bar hop from there! We found that the main party streets in Rio and São Paulo had so many people out and about, drinking in the bars, restaurants, and spilling out into the streets, that it made us feel safer.

In Rio, that street was Rua Dias Ferreira in Leblon. There are tons of restaurants and bars and people hanging out into the streets to drink. Servers were even taking orders in the street and bringing out food that you could pay for without stepping near a cash register. Every drunk’s dream.

In Sao Paulo, we went out in R. Aspicuelta. Very similar vibe! Long street with lots of bars and restaurants. Almost every bar had a Brazilian band playing and the energy was so fun. Our favorite bar was Armazém Piola. There was no cover, a live band, and a ton of fun young people. Definitely worth a stop!

In either city, I recommend starting at one end of the street and walking down to the other end, making pit stops for drinks along the way.

A photo I barely remember taking at Armazém Piola in São Paulo

Uber Everywhere

I got this advice from tons of other creators, friends, and people I met while in Brazil. Uber there is super cheap and safe and if you’re leaving the main tourist bar areas, it’s worth it to just hop in a car to bring you wherever you need to go, even if it’s just a few minute walk, which, as a New Yorker, hurt my soul, since I walk EVERYWHERE.

On the streets I mentioned earlier, we just had our Ubers drop us off at one end and walked our way down the entire street, but never left the main part and we felt safe the entire time.

The Drink Ordering Process is Not What You’re Used To

For the majority of the bars we went to, we couldn’t just go to the bar and open a tab and get drinks. We had to go to a separate ticketing station, order our drinks, pay there, get a ticket, and then bring those tickets to the bartenders. It was a lot of walking back and forth but my drunk ass definitely needed the exercise.

We could open a tab with the person running the register, but we chose to close out each time for the most part. Some bars will charge a cover, and won’t let you leave until you provide a ticket with proof you paid your tab at the end, which we didn’t love but it seemed to be pretty common, especially for some of the more clubby bars.

Ask the Locals Where the Parties Are At

This is how we ended up at an electronic club in São Paulo (Crema Club) with a bunch of Brazilians we just met with whom we communicated with entirely via Google Translate and to a Dawn Patrol party in the mountains in Rio. We also heard that BOSQUE in Rio is another fun club, although we never made it out there.

When you get the name of the after parties, check online to make sure it’s legit, and have a sense of where you’re going so you know you can always leave via Uber if you aren’t feeling it, or if you’ll old like me and get too tired and need to go to bed before you implode.

Make a Reservation at a Beach Club and Party at the Beach All Day

While you can definitely rent beach chairs from the many tents along the beach, which will be pretty cheap and easy, there’s something about having more space and options at a beach club.

In Rio, we went to Classico Beach Club, and although there was a wait, we enjoyed having more space, a free bottle of wine with our reservation, and drinking for hours; somehow our tab was only $100 USD. In New York or Miami, that would have been $500+ easily (which is why I don’t go to them at home). I recommend making reservations in advance if you can. They had DJs and food service as well!

In Ubatuba, we went to Hou Ubatuba Beach Club right when they opened at 9am, rented a day bed for the day, had drinks and food, and somehow our tab was only $50 USD. Brazil is truly the best country on earth.

Moral of the story, wherever you’re at in Brazil, look for the nearest beach club and plop your ass down there for the day.

Learn SOME Portuguese — or Have Google Translate at the Ready

More often than not, most people in Brazil do NOT speak English. It was honestly great and humbling to be in a place that didn’t cater to English speakers, as it forced us to learn a few phrases and be more on our feet.

While hotel and some restaurant staff will likely know English, almost no one else will. Learning a few phrases like “where’s the bathroom”, “check, please!”, and “I’m a dumb American who never learned another language outside of English”, will help you out a bit, but make sure you have service for Google Translate. It was our saving grace during our trip.

Credit Card is Accepted at MOST Places

If I’m honest, I thought I would need more cash than I did in Brazil. Most bars, restaurants, even beach tents and kiosks all accept credit card. If you’re looking for a new travel credit card, I highly recommend the Chase Sapphire — no international transaction fees baby!! And I always recommend Charles Schwab accounts for when you DO take out cash; they always refund any international ATM charge. My friend told me this trick years ago and now it’s just my vacation account.

Leave Your Jewelry at Home and Mind Your Phone

I heard from a lot of people to remove any flashy jewelry, and while I only wear a few small rings and necklaces, I removed those, along with my Fitbit, while I was in Brazil. If I’m honest, I don’t think it would have been a big deal to keep them on since they are pretty small, but hey, better safe than sorry.

In terms of my phone — I had it out to take videos, photos, and text, but I always made sure to keep it securely zipped in my sling bag across my chest when I wasn’t using it. I had no issues.

Bonus Tips!

Brazilians do NOT understand the concept of a vodka soda. As a white girl, that’s my go-to drink and we could not figure out for the life of us how to order one, so we would always end up with a shot of vodka and a bottle of soda water and would make it ourselves. If anyone in Brazil can tell us the proper way to order one, please let me know.
You CAN gesture your hand to get a server’s attention; in America, this is definitely considered rude, but it’s a bit expected in Brazil. We wouldn’t have gotten our checks or drink refills had we not known this!

No matter where you go, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts. But as someone who has partied all over the world, I’d say I felt just as safe in Brazil as I did anywhere else, including my home city of NYC.

For everywhere I went in Brazil, check out my Google Map guide HERE.

Let me know if there are any questions and follow for more!

The Ultimate Guide to Partying Safely in Brazil