Chic Brasile: Rio, Buzios & Trancoso

Rio de Janeiro unfolds along a jagged coastline where mountains cloaked in Atlantic rainforest plunge straight into the ocean, in one of the most spectacular urban settings on Earth. The "Cidade Maravilhosa" thrives on the contrast between the rhythm of its beaches and the grandeur of its geography. Its symbolic heart is Corcovado, crowned by the statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) watching over the city with open arms, while the Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) is reached by cable car for a sweeping view across Guanabara Bay. At its feet stretch the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, with their wave-patterned Portuguese mosaic promenades, kiosks, beach football and the unmistakable sunset from Arpoador. The historic centre preserves a colonial and imperial legacy: the Theatro Municipal, the colourful Selarón Steps and the bohemian neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, explored aboard the old tram (bondinho) among artists' studios and period villas. The Jardim Botânico and the urban Tijuca Forest offer lush natural escapes minutes from downtown, while the modern Museu do Amanhã has reshaped the revitalised port. Rio is also a capital of Brazilian popular culture: the samba born in its terreiros, the world's most famous Carnival with its parades at the Sambódromo, and live music in Lapa beneath the arches of the aqueduct. Its cuisine blends feijoada, churrasco, fresh seafood and the ritual of açaí and caipirinha. From here the coastal villages of Búzios and the islands of Angra dos Reis are within easy reach. Rio de Janeiro is not merely visited: it is lived, between sea, mountains and the irrepressible joie de vivre of its carioca people.

Búzios stretches across a jagged peninsula east of Rio de Janeiro, where more than twenty beaches alternate in small coves of pale sand and turquoise sea. Once a fishing village made famous by Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s, it is now a refined seaside town with a chic yet relaxed atmosphere. The cobbled, pedestrian Rua das Pedras comes alive in the evening with boutiques, restaurants and bars overlooking the little harbour. Beaches are chosen by mood: Geribá for surf and the young crowd, Ferradura for calm waters, Azeda for quiet. Between a swim and a boat trip, you savour fresh fish and a sunset caipirinha. Búzios is the promise of an elegant, maritime Brazil, perfect for those seeking tropical dolce vita.

Trancoso rises atop a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the south of Bahia state, and is today one of the chicest, most bohemian retreats on the Brazilian coast. The heart of the village is the Quadrado, a wide grassy esplanade lined with colourful cottages and crowned by the whitewashed church of São João Batista, with sweeping views out to sea. Trails lead down to unspoiled beaches such as Praia dos Coqueiros and Praia do Espelho, considered among the loveliest in the country, with natural pools among the rocks. Evenings unfold slowly amid refined restaurants and Bahian cuisine built around fish and coconut. Trancoso wins hearts with its barefoot elegance, suspended between forest and ocean.