Self-Tours in Salvador, Maceio, Recife, Rio de Janeiro

[Josephinefleetwood]

Hi, We are taking our first cruise and would like to have some ideas of what to see in Salvador, Maceio, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro. Do you think that we are safe to tour by ourselves? Can we walk to town from the ports? Are there taxis available at these ports? Thank-you in advance for all of your help and information.

[Mary Ellen]

We were in Rio this year. I wouldn't walk around on our own there. We had a great guide for two days of touring before we boarded the Rotterdam

[leoandhugh]

Unless you are fluent in Portuguese, I would not venture out on my own in any city in Brazil. Because of the abject poverty of some and particularly in port cities like Recife and Santos, crime is rampant among the young. You are far better advised to go either with a guide or bite the bullet and take the ship's excusions. And even then, be very alert for pickpockets, do not wear expensive or showy jewelry, and keep your money and credit cards deep in your front pockets or in a money belt.

[LML]

I was in Rio last year for three days during Carnival. I don't speak Portugese, and and did my own thing. We took a the free shuttle offered by the jewelry stores to Ipanema, walked around the hippy market then took a taxi to Sugarloaf. Next day we took a taxi up to Corcovado, then had him drop us at Copacabama Beach for a few hours. I used common sense, and didn't feel any less safe than anywhere else. We went to the Carnival parade one night, and the other night we went to a street carnival close to the cruise ship. Had the time of our lives. It was close to 100 that night, so we had to drink lots of beer to avoid dehydration, which eventually resulted in us dancing in the parade!

We also stopped at Buzios and another town in southern Brazil (can't think of the name right this second). We walked around on our own and it was fine.

[cdkempton]

Josephinefleetwood,
When are you going? We have a roll call going for the Apr 4 sailing from Rio. Go over to the roll call boards and look for Rotterdam, then Rio to Lisbon then on to Athens Apr 4. Tons of information there. Also, if you go to the Ports of Call, South America, you will find information from all different cruise line sailings.
Cheers, Colette

[hammybee]

You might want to check out the S.A. Ports Board. Here is a link to it:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=76

[Jsipes]

You might want to check US State Dept warnings before you take off on your own... I was in 4 different cities on a Veendam cruise and felt safe, however Sao Paulo and Rio can be hazardous......there is terrible poverty there.....makes africa look wealthy !!!

[Josephinefleetwood]

Thank-you to everyone who took the time to post information. All of the travel tips are very helpful.

I must admit it can be a challenge to decide what is safe, what is smart, and what is over cautious.