Brasilia in 7 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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7 days is enough for the civic core plus a real Chapada dos Veadeiros overnight
This route spends four days on the Eixo Monumental’s civic core, Lake Paranoá, and Brasília National Park, then dedicates Days 5-6 to a Chapada dos Veadeiros overnight before wrapping up back in the city. Only have half the time? The 3-day itinerary covers just the core. Prefer a closer day trip over an overnight? See the 6-day itinerary , built around Pirenópolis instead.
Book these before you go
- A Congress or Itamaraty tour slot for Day 1: Itamaraty is guided-tour-only and Congress access can tighten around legislative sessions
- A rental car for Days 5-6, from around €13.29/day (verify the BRL conversion); a car is close to mandatory for Chapada dos Veadeiros, where a local guide is also required inside the park (roughly R$100 per group of up to 10, plus about R$10 per attraction, verify current rules)
- A hotel booked ahead if your dates land near 21 April or the first week of September, when the anniversary and the Independence Day parade both push rates up: check rates on Booking.com
Day 1: Praça dos Três Poderes and the Cathedral
Start at Praça dos Três Poderes, Costa’s “cockpit” framing the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary, free and always open, with Alfredo Ceschiatti’s A Justiça outside the Supreme Court and Bruno Giorgi’s Os Candangos honoring the workers who built the city. If it’s Sunday, walk up for the 9:30am-2pm Planalto tour before the plaza gets busy; any other day it’s exterior-only. A short rideshare away, the Cathedral of Brasília’s stained-glass nave sits mostly below ground behind a dark entrance tunnel you pass through before the reveal, best visited around midday for the strongest color.
| Day 1 cost (BRL, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 181 | 437 |
| Breakfast | 10 | 20 |
| Comida por quilo lunch | 20 | 60 |
| Três Poderes / Cathedral | 0 | 0 |
| Rideshare (2 hops) | 25 | 50 |
| Dinner | 25 | 60 |
| Day 1 total | 261 | 627 |
Day 2: Itamaraty, Alvorada, and the Orla JK
Itamaraty’s exterior reflecting pool and Bruno Giorgi’s Meteoro sculpture are worth the stop even if the guided interior tour timing (Mon-Fri 2-4:30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-3:30pm, verify) doesn’t line up. Palácio da Alvorada, the president’s lakeside residence, is exterior/drive-by only, no pedestrian access, so pair it with a longer loop around Lake Paranoá. Close the day at the lakefront strip locally called the Orla JK (Setor de Clubes Esportivos Sul), watching the sun set behind Ponte JK’s three asymmetric arches.
| Day 2 cost (BRL, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 181 | 437 |
| Breakfast | 10 | 20 |
| Lunch | 20 | 60 |
| Rideshare (Itamaraty + Alvorada + Paranoá loop) | 45 | 90 |
| Dinner at the Orla JK | 40 | 90 |
| Day 2 total | 296 | 697 |
Day 3: JK Memorial, TV Tower, and Dom Bosco
The JK Memorial, Niemeyer’s white marble mausoleum for Juscelino Kubitschek (Tue-Sun, 9am-6pm; likely a small fee, verify), sits along the same Eixo Monumental stretch as the TV Tower, whose 75m deck (Tue-Sun, 9am-7pm, verify) gives the best one-stop overview of the whole axis; time it for a weekend to catch the Feira da Torre craft fair at the base. Santuário Dom Bosco’s blue stained glass, a short rideshare away, is worth it even with the Cathedral already checked off.
| Day 3 cost (BRL, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 181 | 437 |
| Breakfast | 10 | 20 |
| JK Memorial (verify) | 0 | 20 |
| TV Tower deck (verify) | 0 | 20 |
| Lunch | 20 | 60 |
| Rideshare (3 hops) | 35 | 70 |
| Dinner | 25 | 60 |
| Day 3 total | 271 | 687 |
Day 4: Brasília National Park
Brasília National Park, nicknamed Água Mineral and ICMBio-run since 1961, is the largest park inside an urbanized area in the world at 423.83 km², with spring-fed pools and cerrado trekking trails (current hours and fees, verify). Use today to also pick up your rental car for tomorrow’s drive; Days 5-6 are far easier with one in hand than arranged last minute.
| Day 4 cost (BRL, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 181 | 437 |
| Breakfast | 10 | 20 |
| Park entry (verify) | 0 | 20 |
| Lunch | 20 | 60 |
| Rideshare (round trip to the park) | 50 | 90 |
| Dinner | 25 | 60 |
| Day 4 total | 286 | 687 |
Day 5: The drive to Chapada dos Veadeiros
Chapada dos Veadeiros, a separate UNESCO Natural World Heritage site (2001) from Brasília’s own 1987 listing, sits about 230km/3h out via BR-010/GO-118/GO-239 to the base town of São Jorge; a long-distance bus runs to nearby Alto Paraíso instead, about 20km short (verify current schedule). Check yellow fever vaccination guidance at least 10 days before you travel (verify). Check into a guesthouse in São Jorge or Alto Paraíso, rates vary by season and aren’t included in the table below, budget it separately, then use the rest of the day to settle in before tomorrow’s hike.
| Day 5 cost (BRL, per person, excludes Chapada lodging) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Rental car day rate (verify BRL) | 75 | 90 |
| Breakfast (Brasília, before departure) | 10 | 20 |
| Lunch (on the road or in São Jorge) | 20 | 50 |
| Dinner in São Jorge | 30 | 60 |
| Day 5 total (lodging separate) | 135 | 220 |
Day 6: Rio Preto Falls and Vale da Lua
A local guide is mandatory inside Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, roughly R$100 per group of up to 10 plus about R$10 per attraction, hours 8am-5pm (9am-6pm during daylight saving, verify current rules). The signature hike leads to Rio Preto Falls, a 120m drop; Vale da Lua, a roughly 20-minute walk from São Jorge, is separate private land with its own entry fee (verify). Split the guide fee across your group; four people at R$100 works out to about R$25 each.
| Day 6 cost (BRL, per person, excludes Chapada lodging) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Guide fee (split 4 ways, verify) | 25 | 100 |
| Park/attraction entry (verify) | 10 | 30 |
| Vale da Lua entry (verify) | 0 | 20 |
| Lunch (pack or village) | 20 | 50 |
| Dinner in São Jorge | 30 | 60 |
| Day 6 total (lodging separate) | 85 | 260 |
Day 7: Back to Brasília and departure
Drive back the same 230km/3h route, returning the rental car in Brasília. If there’s time before your flight, the Jardim Botânico de Brasília (526 hectares, Tue-Sun 9am-5pm, verify) is a free-to-cheap closer; otherwise the Conjunto Nacional mall near the Rodoviária covers a last budget meal and any souvenirs.
| Day 7 cost (BRL, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Rental car final day / drop-off fee (verify) | 75 | 100 |
| Breakfast | 10 | 20 |
| Garden entry (verify) | 0 | 15 |
| Lunch (food court) | 15 | 35 |
| Day 7 total | 100 | 170 |
Getting around on this 7-day plan
Days 1-4 stick to rideshare; the civic core, Lake Paranoá, and Brasília National Park are close enough that a rental car mostly adds parking hassle. Days 5-7 flip that math completely: Chapada dos Veadeiros is a genuine road trip, and a rental car picked up on Day 4 and returned on Day 7 is close to mandatory rather than optional. Full transport detail, including bus fares and the airport transfer, is in the main Brasília guide .
Book the Chapada guide slot before you drive out. Sources cite roughly R$100 per group of up to 10, so ask your guesthouse to help split it with other travelers if you’re not arriving with a full car.