Hi all just to let you know what happened . A Brazilian friend of mine used his Brazilian ID to sign up to a data only plan. 14GB for one month costing 120 reals

I found vivo to not be very accommodating for tourists/digital nomads but luckily found a solution

@phil.spyrou I am in Rio and went into a TIM store and got a monthly data plan. You may need some form of ID. I used my driving license.

• 3GB, 30 Days for BRL90
• 5GB, 30 Days for BRL110

Not sure about online. I don’t speak Portuguese so I don’t do any purchases online here - because I can’t dispute in Portuguese if something goes wrong and they have my credit card on file.

When you call do you get a recorded voice? I had TIM but I believe you have to register the number. For that you need some sort of Brazilian ID/fiscal number. I speak portuguese and the gentleman at the kiosk did it for me. Do you know someone there or go to a coworking space? Maybe a native can help.

Hi, guys. It appears that I will be in Rio on these days. So, I’ve decided to book tickets for Sambodromo event.
Which day is the most promising?
Do you have any recommendations as to the best seats? Grandstands, front box, special areas for tourists - too much information for a person, who have never experienced the Carnaval.
Also, is there any chance to take part in Carnaval?

You should definitely go to Olinda. I’m Brazilian and I’ve experienced Carnival in São Paulo, Rio and Olinda.
São Paulo (I lived there for 7 years) looks like a ghost city in carnival holidays. Rio (2 carnivals) is great but most part of the fun is watching to samba schools parade. In Salvador (had friends there) you can pay to join the parades, the music is mostly Brazilian pop music and you have to stay inside the band’s vip area, otherwise is very unsafe.
Olinda (my favourite spot, currently my home town) is very cultural with authentic music played by orchestras on the streets. You don’t need to pay anything to stay close to the presentation and all the fun. In my opinion, is the most traditional carnival in Brazil. Check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4PvCc-CZvk

We will be in Rio during Carnival and have a place in Copacabana. I hear great things about the festival and location. We will be having some digital nomad meetups during that time if yall are interested in joining us…PM me

Ipanema is by far the best area to stay in Rio. You’ll have lots of bars & restaurants, a great beach (Praia de Ipanema) at one side and Lagoa (lake) at the other.
Carnival in Olinda is great, less tourists vs Rio and more of a ‘authentic’ feel. Salvador is great party wise, but shady (and rather ugly). Also stay away from Salvador if you are looking for something more classy.

I’ve also heard good things about Olinda.

I live in Salvador, and this is the place to be if you like ENORMOUS street parties. Carnaval here is famous for the trios eletricos, giant trucks / floats / sound systems with famous bands performing on them and thousands of people following in the streets. For better or worse. (Don’t bring anything to the streets you wouldn’t want to lose).

Make sure to check the timing; the exact length of Carnaval varies in each city. Here’s an overview of Rio, Salvador, Olinda, and Sao Paulo. You can see that Rio’s events are mostly Feb 5-8, Olinda’s are Feb 5-9, and Salvador’s are Jan 31 - Feb 10 (yeah, they really stretch it out here ). There are often pre- and post- Carnaval parties, though, beyond the official processions.

Amazing info…I didn’t know about EasyTaxi…downloading it now

Think you have the most important sites.

Focus on Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana, Leme or Botafogo/Flamengo location wise. In that order . Ipanema and Leblon are by far the best areas to stay, with the nicest beaches, Lagoa (lake), bars and restaurants. Copacabana is ok. It’s cheaper, but more run down. Leme is a nice small neighborhood (at the end of Copacabana), but it’s quiet and further away from the metro. As you’ll probably be spending a lot of time in Ipanema/Leblon, I would stay in Ipanema/Leblon or somewhere close to the metro. Botafogo/Flamengo are nice in their own way. Botofago has a nightlife as well, but way more alternative.

Make sure to download Uber and Easytaxi. They are great! Get in touch if you have any questions. Spend over 3 years in Rio, so know know my way around & happy to help.

Thank you…much appreciation

I don´t know exactly in which FB group you are, but there are a couple of others:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/320637194747667/

Anyway, it´s a tough task to find a cheap and good accomodation in Rio =/

Indeed those are good options but I am just making the hypothesis that I am going to meet cool people that i won’t want to leave there.
I would have loved to use the student VISA but the courses there are quite expensive (Porto Alegre)

So I should use a bank like HSBC with low (or none) fees to internationally withdraw money every time?

Doing things in Brazil take tremendous long time. Doing anything bureaucratic on a tourist visa is hopeless. Opening a bank account can easy take 3+ months.

You should get a CPF number if you want to do anything (sim card, bank account, etc). This is easy to get though.

Ok so I will go for the ‘bad boy fine’, I know that you can’t do things like opening a bank account once the VISA is over.
Are there other vital things that I should do while my VISA is still legit?

As a Brazilian I don’t know how to apply for this visa. But I can sure that they will never kick you out, unless you make a really mess.

Overstaying in Brazil is the easiest thing. When you leave the country you pay a fine R$8,28 per day you overstayed, capped at 100 days (max fine R$828).

If you have a stomach for that.