Is Rio Carnival Worth it? A Complete Guide to the Worldโs Biggest Party
Welcome to one of the most chaotic and exciting events in the world- the carnival of Rio de Janeiro! Is Rio Carnival worth it though? We've had a bunch of mixed opinions on this one.
I've been to Rio de Janeiro 5 times, and clearly have fallen in love with it. I've also been to Brazil on 4 separate occasions for carnival, in multiple locations across the country. So after all of the different experiences, I can confidently give all the proper tips and info for experience the carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro.
In this guide I'm going to outline everything you need to know for visiting Rio Carnival, what to expect, and whether or not Rio Carnival is worth it. Let's party!
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Is Rio Carnival Worth it, and What is it Exactly?
Carnival is one of the world's biggest celebrations in the world, and Brazil has the biggest parties out of all of them! We like to think of it as a mix between Mardi Gras and Halloween, where there are endless parties on the streets, and everyone is dressed up.
The most famous carnival is the Rio Carnival. It is quite different than the other carnivals in Brazil though, which is why we're going to explain the difference, and to see if Rio Carnival is worth it for you.

Rio Carnival is an annual celebration with big parties and parades.
๐ When is Rio's Carnival?
Rio de Janeiro actually has the longest carnival out of the whole country! This is important to know, because if you plan on experiencing other carnivals in Brazil, then you may want to save this on for last, since it ends after the rest of the celebrations throughout the country.
Rio's carnival dates are dependent on the religious calendar, ending each year the week of Ash Wednesday, and starting the weekends before. The celebration in Rio begins on a Friday, and goes for a week, going through the weekend after. In 2025 carnival will start on February 28th.
How to Get to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most popular cities in Brazil, so it's actually quite easy to get there from other places in Brazil, as well as plenty of other international cities.
โ๏ธ Flying to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro has two different airports. The biggest one is the Rio de Janeiro/Galeรฃo Airport (GIG), which is a half hour to the center of Rio de Janeiro, and about 45 minute- an hour away from the main beach area. The other airport is RJ Santos Dumont, which is located right next to the city center of Rio de Janeiro.
๐ What Cities Fly Direct to Rio de Janeiro?
RJ Santos Dumont has direct flights from Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Campinas, Campos dos Goytacazes, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Goiania, Jundiai, Macae, Navegantes, Porto Alegre, Recife, Ribeiro Preto, Salvador, Sao Paulo, and Vitoria.
Rio de Janeiro Galeรฃo has many of the same domestic flights as the other airport, but is where you'll also find all of the international arrivals.
Domestic cities that fly to Rio de Janeiro include Aracaju, Belem, Brasilia, Campinas, Fortaleza, Foz do Iguacu, Joao Pessoa, Maceio, Manaus, Natal, Porto Seguro, Recife, and Sao Paulo. International Cities that fly direct to Rio de Janeiro include Amsterdam, Atlanta, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Dubai, Houston, Lima, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Mendoza, Miami, Munich, New York, Panama City, Paris, Porto, Rosario, and Santiago.
Flight Tip: Using Skyscanner you can use the calendar option to see which are the cheapest dates to fly to Rio.
Search for a flight to Rio de Janeiro:
๐ Getting from the Airport to the City of Rio de Janeiro
There are a number of ways to get from the airport to the city of Rio de Janeiro. If you are flying into Santos Dumont you can easily grab a taxi, Uber, or 99 (which is the local Uber). If you are flying into Galeรฃo than you can also opt for taking the metro, which goes into the city center.
๐ Other Ways to Get to Rio de Janeiro
If you're already in Brazil, you can easily get to Rio de Janeiro from a number of destinations by bus! If you decide to go last minute to Rio Carnival than this may be the choice for you.
Here are a few bus routes that you can take to Rio de Janeiro:
Entry Requirements for Brazil
Before traveling to any new destination, it's important to put into consideration any of the requirements that you may need to meet in order to visit. Here are both the visa and Covid requirements to keep in mind when traveling to Rio Carnival.
๐ Visa Entry Requirements For Brazil
The first time that I traveled to Brazil I actually had to have a visa to visit. The last time I went though, I brought my visa, only to find out that US nationals no longer actually need them.
The different nationalities that are exempt from tourist visas in Brazil include Andorra. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, The Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Another thing to note is that those from the Mercosur region don't need to bring their passport to enter Brazil, as they can simply carry their ID card. The countries which are included in Mercosur are Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

