I spent about a week in Rio all up but besides flying out for day trips to games doing the tourist sights getting pissed and watching the occasional game didn't really accomplish that much there that was unique
Got back from my travels 2 weeks ago. Embarked on 3 months in Europe after the World Cup. What a time I had. And of all the 4 months abroad, World Cup was simply the best. Flew into Sao Paolo then on to Cuiaba -> Porto Alegre -> Florianopolis -> Curitiba -> Rio 1) Rio de Janeiro- Amazing sites, amazing food, amazing nightlife, amazing atmosphere, amazing people. Great bars, nightclubs, good underground metro. Beautiful looking city. Just loved it. Favourite city I visited in all of the 4 months of travel I embarked on. 2) Cuiaba- Admittedly, it wasn't the most attractive city. However I sensed it was a very real Brazil. Was run down somewhat, however the people here were arguably the friendliest people I have ever met. Made us Australians feel very much at home... Can tell they really embraced the World Cup. Good street parties, great fan fest. Some great food. Marauding through the city was brilliant, just embracing the little 'hole in the wall' restaurants. 3) Curitiba- Great nightlife, very organised city, friendly people, great food. Just generally a very nice city. Clean, good vibe, happy. Reminded me of my hometown in Australia, Canberra. 4) Sao Paolo- Unfortunately was only here for 2 days as Australia had a game very early on. So didn't see much, but from what we did see it was a pumping city, very crowded but enjoyed it greatly. Need to go back one day to get a genuine feel for it. 5) Porto Alegre- Whilst the nightlife was brilliant and the World Cup made it still an unforgettable experience, just didn't enjoy it as a city compared to the above places. Felt a bit edgy for us unlike the other cities we visited. Game day was great, great vibe within the place, but I dunno just lacked a bit of something. Florianopolis was wonderful too. Just what was needed after a fair bit of partying and such after Sao Paolo, Cuiaba and Porto Alegre. Good place to just relax yet still enjoy the best of Brazil. All in all, had the absolute time of my life. Miss it so much. Doubt I'll ever experience 3 weeks like that again, even when and if I go to Russia for the next World Cup. It doesn't get much more ideal than going to a World Cup in the country of Brazil. Such an amazing country, amazing people, amazing food, amazing nightlife. Obrigado Brasil. I'll be back.
I went to 9 cities: 1. Manaus: I just love that city, its tucked in the amazon rainforest and feels like a different country even. I just loved seeing parts of the Amazon Rainforest, and it was cool kind of living around there. Also thats the only game we won, if that counts as a reason. 2. Salvador: Also a great place, a little smaller city in terms of population, and a little quieter beaches than Rio de Janeiro. Also in general Brazil has a lot of crime but I felt safer in Salvador than any other place except Manaus. Salvador is also the first city I saw when I arrived. I went through Rio de Janeiro Airport but than streight on to Salvador. Also three games there with tons of goals, though I only saw 2 of them in person. 3. Fortaleza: Lots of water activities, and I love the shopping malls there as well. Great Food. And its where my favorite moment of the whole world cup happened: Robben diving against Mexico and getting a penalty. 4. Belo Horizonte: I love the food and nightlife there. Also my favorite game happened there: Brazil vs Germany. 5. Sau Paulo: Nothing really special I did in this city other than the games, but I felt english and italian was better understood in this town, and I could communicate the best with other people here. So it was nice to be in a town when people could understand what I was saying. 6. Rio de Janeiro: Great nightlife and beaches, but I didn't feel very safe there and was really concerned on where to go in that city, if I was in a safe place or not. 7. Brasilia: Nothing Special I did here, I just went here to see Brazil vs Netherlands 8. Recife: Boring City. I didn't like it that much. 9. Natal: Boring like Recife, but I liked Recife better because in Natal I saw my team get robbed. If you wanted to know my schedule as well: Here it is. June 11: Arrived in Salvador June 12: Explored and did activities in the morning, Was at a pub watching the opening game. June 13: Saw Spain vs Netherlands. Left right after that and went to Manaus. June 14: Explored parts of the rainforest in Manaus, and then Saw England vs Italy. June 15: In the morning I finished exploring my favorite city, then back to Salvador June 16: Saw Germany vs Portugal, and relaxed the rest of the day/ June 17: Relaxed June 18: Went to Recife. June 19: Explored a bit. June 20: Saw Italy vs Costa Rica, then the second half of Switzerland vs France in my hotel room. June 21: Went to Natal June 22: Relaxed June 23: Explored a bit June 24: Saw the worst game: Italy vs Uruguay. June 25: Went back to Recife June 26: Saw USA vs Germany June 27: Went to Fortaleza June 28: Explored a lot and did activities June 29: Saw Netherlands vs Mexico June 30: Shopped in the Fortaleza Malls June 31: Relaxed in Fortaleza on the beaches. July 1: Went to Rio de Janeiro July 2: Went to the beaches July 3: Relaxed in my hotel room. July 4: Saw France vs Germany July 5: Went to Belo Horizonte July 6: Relaxed July 7: Explored Belo Horizonte July 8: Saw Brazil vs Germany, went to Sao Paulo right after that. July 9: Saw Netherlands vs Argentina July 10: Explored Sao Paulo July 11: Went to Brasilia July 12: Saw Brazil vs Netherlands July 13: Relaxed and then saw the final at a pub: Germany vs Argentina July 14: Explored Brasilia July 15: Went back home
I wish I hadn't listened to the people who said São Paulo was shit. The few days I spent there were awesome.
I didn't like Sao Paulo at all, but Rio is like my favorite city that I've ever been to in the world. I was also impressed with Curitiba it vas very clean and felt more like a European city.