Iguassu Falls, Brazil.
There are several places to visit near Rio de Janeiro. You can either choose a tourist destination that is one, two, three, or four hours away by car/taxi/bus, or you can fly two to four hours by airplane.
Brazil is giant — approximately the size of USA (excluding Alasca), and roughly the size of Europe (excluding Russia). Brazil is the largest country is South America, and the 5th largest in the world.
So, you need to decide whether you want to travel on the road to places where Cariocas (natives of Rio) frequently drive to on regular weekends and on long public holiday weekends, or if you want to fly a few hours to popular destinations in Brazil.
If you want to travel on the road (or ocean) and stay in the Rio de Janeiro State, here are some of the choices you have:
Petropolis
This is the closest place to Rio de Janeiro, roughly one hour and twenty minutes from Copacabana/Ipanema. Petrópolis is the only imperial city in South America, with a great historic value. Most tourists go there for a day and come back to Rio the same day.
Buzios
Vista from the excellent presidential suite at Costa do Sol Boutique Hotel in Buzios.
Búzios is one of the greatest beach destinations in Brazil; only 2 ½ hours by car/taxi (3 hours by bus) from Copacabana/Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro. This small fishing village has more than 20 beaches, vibrant nightlife (especially in the summer [December/January]), great dining, and a real vacation atmosphere in the air.
Paraty
This is the farthest most popular tourist destination departing from Rio de Janeiro. Paraty is one of the most charming colonial cities in Brazil, and it is about 3½ hours drive (4 hours by bus) from your hotel in Rio.
Ilha Grande
This is the closest island to Rio de Janeiro with infrastructure for the nature, beach, and eco-tourism lovers. You can easily spend two or three nights in the island. Mangaratiba is the closest town to Ilha Grande (“big island”, in Portuguese). To get to Ilha Grande, you need about 1 ½ hour drive, then about 1 hour on ferry-boat.
If, instead of traveling on the road, you want to fly and visit other nice destinations in Brazil, here are some options:
Iguassu Falls
A giant waterfall located about 2-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro. This is the attraction that foreign travelers visit the most in Brazil, after Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugar Loaf. For a more comprehensive tour, you need to see the falls from both the Argentinian and the Brazilian sides.
Salvador
Colonial houses in Pelourinho, Salvador.
It is located in Bahia State, in the Northeast of Brazil, a 2-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro international airport (GIG). Salvador is the second most visited major city in Brazil, after Rio. The city combines colonial architecture (especially in the Pelourinho area), Afro-Brazilian nightlife, spicy local food (such as Acarajé), and good beaches (that don’t beat at all Rio’s ones such as Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Leme, Arpoador, and others).
Manaus
Manaus is the capital of the Amazonas State, in the North of Brazil, 4 hours direct flight from Rio de Janeiro. From the city of Manaus, you proceed by hydro plane or by boat to a lodge in the Amazon, where you can stay two or three nights.
Pantanal
This is one of the largest freshwater wetland areas in the world. Pantanal is a paradise for fauna and flora lovers. The region is situated in the Central-West in Brazil, a couple of hours flight from Rio de Janeiro.
There are many other great touristy and non-touristy destinations in Brazil. To visit them all adequately, you would need several weeks of traveling throughout Brazil. The listing above is just to give you a tiny overview.
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