Vaccines – Top
Brazil does not require an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis for entry into the country. Travellers are encouraged, however, to ensure their routine immunizations are up to date (as recommended by their country of origin), since it is an effective and safe measure for the prevention of various diseases.
Source: http://cglondres.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/vaccinations_when_travelling_to_brazil.xml
It is important that travellers get a yellow fever vaccination 10 days before visiting forested areas or participating in ecotourism or rural tourism activities. A list of places for which yellow fever vaccination is recommended (marked in gray) can be found at: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/pdf/yellow-fever-vaccine-recs-brazil-2014.pdf
Few cases of malaria transmission have been reported in Brazil; such areas can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/travel-static/yellowbook/2014/map_3-23.pdf (Note: No transmission at Iguassu Falls.) If you plan to visit those areas (e.g. the Amazon), it is better to check with your physician about medications for malaria chemoprophylaxis.
Banks and ATMs – Top
Banks are open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are closed on weekends and public holidays. Automated teller machines (ATMs) can be found almost everywhere. Some machines provide 24-hour cash withdrawal (in Brazilian Real, BRL) facilities for major credit cards.
Unfortunately, there have been several incidents related to ATMs being tampered with by hackers, who gain access to the cardholder’s access information. For this reason, it is recommended NOT to use ATMs at airports – rather, choose ATMs inside bank facilities.
If possible, use the currency exchange facilities at the airport to exchange some money for small expenses in cash, and prefer to use credit cards for your shopping, meals, and other large expenses.
Shopping hours – Top
Street stores are usually open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday; they are closed on Sundays.
Shopping malls are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and some stores are also open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
Tipping – Top
Hotels: Usually hotel bills include service fees.
Restaurants: You are not obliged to tip, but most frequently, 10% is added to the bill and you are expected to pay, unless service has been really bad.
Taxis: Taxi drivers do not expect tips, but passengers are expected to round up the bill or pay a little more (e.g., 10%) if they are satisfied with the service.