Traveling to Brazil!!!?

I plan on staying in Brazil for a while. I here that the northeast (Bahia) is differerent from the south (Rio) so where is the best place to go? What are the major differences between Florianopolis, Rio, Salvador, Recife? I know that there is a larger African influence in the north, but what I really want to know is how different are the people, the food, the culture, the Carnaval. Thanks everyone for your answers.

only RICH and POOR and lots of killing

forget about it not worth it go to RIO only

You have asked not a difficult question but one that needs time to answer properly.
1. Brazil is problably one of the most exciting countries in the world.
2. Yes they are killings , but the majority is drug related and more poor people get killed, but you carefull against muggings.
3. Rio is not only interesting city in Brazil Brazil , all four cities you listed are great places , and they are completely different,.

4. Florianopolis, locally known as "Floripa" , althought they like to call themselves "Ilheus , or Islanders
There the beaches are wonderful, with verdan mountains rise behind.The scenery is wonderful. Rio's Copacabana beach is beautiful to look at from a high balcony , but is actually rather dingy, with not so interesting shops, seedy nightclubs and lots of hookers .
Floripa is considered one of Brazil's premium surf spots.
Being in the south the people are more European looking , and barbecues are more inportant.

5. Rio . is the number one tourist spot in Brazil.
It's It has over 9 million people . Copacabana and Ipanema are two of the mostly densely populated neighborhoods in the world.

Rio is a Paradox it's of the most beautiful cities in the World , with , the energy is intoxicating , and most visitors love the city,

However, like many cities in Brazil , Rio has grave proverty, and it can be dirty and dangerous. But where the tourists tent to hang out , it's fairly well patrolled by police, as tourism is a big business.
The Cariocas (the people from Rio), love the beach and are preoccupied with their looks.
Rio is truly a mix
The food is not great in Rio, but people love the beer and snacks.
The music is Samba and Bossa Nova


Salvador do Bahia
Salvador is also a unforgettable city.
The city is hotter than Rio and Florianopolis. The city retains a laidback feeling, and Brazilians from other cities say that the Bahians are lazy, which has racist undertones, because it's has the largest African descendant population .
The city is Unesco Proctected and many of the old Colonial buildings are being turned into boutiques and small hotels.
The city claims to have 365 churches!
All the best Musicians came from Bahia.
Gilberto Gil , Maria Bethania, Caetana Veloso , Gal Costa.
The new generation of music is Axe, samba-Reggae, and Forro.
There also there is Candomble, a reliciaon which mixes Catholicism with African religions..
The food is unique inn Bahia, Acaraje is a bread made from mashed peas and deep-fried in dende oil( palm oil)
The other favourite meal is moqueca.

6.Recife has a Hugh problem , Poverty, which always breeds crime..
Also they have a problem of sharks on Boa Viagem beach.

The good side it will be cheaper to stay and has many good restaurants and is next to Olinda , a colonial gem.(30 minute taxi ride)
Less than 1 % of foreign tourists are North Americans.

The music is Forro. The best musicans turn during June, where many of northern towns have festivities

There are also great Colonial towns in Minas Gerias, and the northern towns are lal worth visitiing :

Forteleza , Natal, Sao Luis , plus the economic of Brazil, Sao Paulo, where the money is , and it's expensive , but the best restaurants, designers, museums ,Art Galleries are located

#1. How long is a while?
#2. Who are you traveling with? family or friends?
#3. What are your reasons for coming here? Party or sightseeing? I know you can do both but traveling around Brasil is not very easy, there's no train that can take you from one city to the other.
Sao Paulo is like NY City but without Times Square and no sightseeing.
Rio de Janeiro is where you want to go if you are with friends or family. I recommend spending the $$ on a hotel in Ipanema or Leblon. Copacabana is "sketchy", where there are tourists, there are hookers, where there are hookers there's drugs. . . .it's a bad cycle and it's only 2 minutes away in taxi. Sightseeing is endless. I have a list of 15+ most amazing places,sights to see and visit. You can spend 2 weeks in Rio and still be hungry for more.
Bahia, Salvador is beautiful, great city with great history, culture, beaches, food. You can see Bahia in 2-3 days, A city like this, if you don't have friends that live there you'll clear all the tourists spots in 2-3 days. Carnival there rocks.
Recife, Porto Galinhas, great spot for relighting the flame with your lover. Beaches, privacy, little city, very beautiful, could spend 5 days but can get slow if you have kids.
Brasil is amazing but has it's downsides also (like everywhere else too) but Brasil's poverty is real bad, and desperate people go to desperate measures to survive. It's a place where you are safe until you break out the Rolex watch or jewelry. You can find online safety tips of Brasil and traveling. I recommend going to Rio (which has it's dangerous side), but you can't let that stop you from living. Just use your heads and everything will be fine.
Don't walk late at night, like everywhere else. Take Taxis.
But believe me when I say, if you are coming here with friends or spouse/gf/bf you will witness an experience that will make you say, screw the Carribean, I just spent $15 on a steak that would have costed me $150 in the States.