Carnival is celebrated all over Brazil, but the two most popular Carnivals are Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Bahia. What is the Best Carnival in Brazil? We offer both and It is extremely hard to pick which is better. In Salvador, you feel as you are in a huge non-stop party because there are millions of people on the street – dancing, drinking, following their favorite bands – it’s the largest street party in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In Rio de Janeiro, it’s one of the most amazing shows I have seen in my life – the costumes, choreography, music, passion – It beats the hell out of any Vegas Show (makes a Vegas Show look like a Highschool play).
If you are interested please contact TGW Travel Group IMMEDIATELY at leads <at> toursgonewild.com or toll-free 1-877-456-WILD or (786) 522-3667. It’s a can’t miss the event and we offer the following packages: Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Salvador Carnival, Ultimate Package (Combination of Salvador & Rio).
Below we have compiled a comparison of both Carnivals. If you have been to either one, PLEASE contribute and let us know what the Best Carnival in Brazil is to you.
| Factors | Rio | Salvador | Comment |
| Weather | X | X | It’s late summer in both destinations. Expect weather in the high 70s to high 80s |
| Flight Time | X | Rio de Janeiro is a much larger airport than Salvador and there are direct flights to Rio or Sao Paulo from all over the world. To get to Salvador, you would need to connect to another Brazilian city before getting there. The flight time between Sao Paulo or Rio and Salvador is 2.5 hours vs just 45 minutes from Sao Paulo to Rio. | |
| English Spoken |
X
|
Rio de Janeiro is a much larger city and English is spoken more in Rio, but generally, you will not find a lot of English speakers in Brazil in general. There will be TGW staff members in both cities so they will help you out as much as possible. | |
| Food |
X
|
Salvador cuisine is world renowned and delicious. If this was any other time besides Carnival, I would go with Salvador, but during Carnival, you will have a lot more options in Rio for food because it is a larger city. | |
| Beaches |
X
|
Salvador has a ton of beaches, but between both cities, you can’t top Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, especially because of the eye candy. | |
| For Singles | X |
X
|
The best carnival for singles is in Salvador. You have Brazilians from all over the country that go to this Carnival and the main slogan is “Solteiro em Salvador!”, which means Everyone is Single in Salvador! |
| For Couples |
X
|
X
|
If you want a more romantic experience, I would definitely go with Rio because there are more touristy things to do and the party isn’t as wild. If you are a crazy couple (and we’ve had a ton within the years), then you will enjoy Salvador Carnival. |
| For Families |
X
|
Hands down, Rio de Janeiro is the best carnival for families unless the kids are over 18. There are more things to do in Rio and the Samba Parade is jaw-dropping although it does end pretty late. | |
| For Brazilians |
X
|
Salvador is hands down the most popular Carnival for 18 – 35 year old Brazilians. You will meet people there from the South, Big Cities, Interior, Amazon, and Northeast. | |
| Age 20 – 30 |
X
|
Definitely Salvador, if your young and want to party, this is the place to be. | |
| Age 30 – 45 |
X
|
X
|
It all depends if you want a crazy party or a more sophisticated experience. |
| 45 Plus |
X
|
Generally, you will enjoy Rio de Janeiro more as it’s a little bit tamer, although don’t get me wrong, Rio de Janeiro, in general, is not at all tame, it’s just a bit tamer than Salvador Carnival. | |
| Party Atmosphere | X | X | About 5 years ago, the winner was definitely Salvador because of its huge street party, but now Rio has stepped up its game. It also offers street parties all over the city and carnival themed parties at night that are pretty exclusive. |
| Sophistication |
X
|
Rio is definitely more sophisticated than Salvador because it is a larger city and does have more exuberant parties like the Copacabana Palace Ball for instance. Although Salvador does have parties that are creme of the creme, like the Salvador Camarote. In both cases, all of the exuberant parties are very expensive. | |
| Show |
X
|
Carnival in Rio is the Greatest Show on Earth and beats any other show/parade in the world. | |
| Tourism – Sites |
X
|
Salvador has some historic sites, but during Carnival, everything is pretty much closed. If you do want to check some sites out, it’s definitely better to get there a couple of days before Carnival. | |
| Hotels |
X
|
Rio de Janeiro is the 2nd largest city in Brazil, so it is going to have way better hotels. There are some good hotels in Salvador but do not expect the 5 or even 4 star hotels you have at home. | |
| Music |
X
|
X
|
Axe (Salvador) vs. Samba (Rio). Samba is a world-renown and has some crazy beats. You definitely have to have a rhythm to dance. What I’ve seen is that the ladies usually get it and the guys just move their feet. Axe is a mixture of Brazilian pop, rock, and Afro-rhythms and literally, by the end of Carnival, you’ll know the words to a lot of the songs. |