Rio Grande do Sul is a state known for its beaches on the coast, its canyons and cities influenced by European immigrants, the ruins of the old Jesuit missions in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul and its rural culture, which has the gaucho (the typical South American cowboy) as a cultural icon. Due to being a state with a very strong rural culture, mainly inland, Rio Grande do Sul is sometimes referred to as the Texas of South America.

Rio Grande do Sul gets much less foreign visitors than its beach-famous neighbouring state Santa Catarina. However, its mountainous region of Serra Gaúcha north of the capital Porto Alegre, which contains the municipalities of Antônio Prado, Caxias do Sul, Gramado and Canela, is very popular among Brazilian tourists, due to its cool weather, beautiful nature, legacy of German and Italian immigrants, and excellent wineries. Still in the region of the Serras Gaúchas, the municipalities of Bom Jesus, Cambará do Sul and São José dos Ausentes still has its impressive canyons.

Outside the Serra Gaúchas, tourist infrastructure is limited, and it might be more difficult to enjoy what the region has to offer without speaking Portuguese or Spanish, or at least without having a local guide. It is, however, certainly worth visiting for those interested in the proud and unique gaúcho culture, including traditional dances and arguably the best BBQ meat (churrascos) of Brazil and the Chimarrão, the typical drink. South and west of the capital, a vast portion of the state is covered by the Pampas Gaúchos, a mostly rural area with culture more close to the neighbouring countries of Argentina and Uruguay, famous for the high-quality cattle production. A good point to get to better know the culture of the region is the city of Bagé, near the border of Uruguay, which hosts several gaúcho events such as the Festa Internacional do Churrasco.

The coast of the state is entirely lined up with sand beaches, but the state is not a famous beach destination due to the seawater, which is considered cold by the locals and has a brownish color (nicknamed by the locals "chocolatão", big chocolate). Only the city of Torres gets some fame from its beaches, due to its beautiful basalt cliffs. Finally, the capital Porto Alegre is also not a popular tourist destination, although it's a large, bustling metropolis, and there are plans to renew the city's under-utilised wharf and turn it into a lively promenade.

Due to its geographic location in the south, below the Tropic of Capricorn, most of Rio Grande do Sul has a humid subtropical climate, with defined seasons and rainfall distributed equally throughout the year, without a dry season. Winters are usually cold and often have frost. Average minimum winter temperatures are usually 10º C (50º F) on the coast and 9º C (48º F) inland, and maximum temperatures are usually between 17º C (63º F) and 20º C (68º F). However, there are times when temperatures are above 30ºC (86ºF) in mid-winter. This phenomenon is called by the locals "veranico" (Indian summer). In the region of the Serra Gaúchas, the altitude greatly decreases temperatures during winter, reaching less than 0ºC (32ºF). Summers are very hot and humid, making temperatures sometimes close to 40° C (104° F) in many cities, although in the Serra Gaúchas region, altitude makes temperatures cooler than that.

Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year and is sometimes intense, with average annual rainfall around 1200mm on the coast (47.2 inches) and 1700mm inland (66.9 inches). Cities with altitude between 900 and 1400 meters, such as Cambará do Sul, Bom Jesus and São José dos Ausentes, often have snow in winter.

The state has two types of winds: the pampeiro and the minuano. The pampeiro is a very strong wind that comes from Argentina, causes rain, quickly lowers the temperatures and causes frosts. The minuano is the most famous wind in the state. It is a wind of polar origin that occurs after the passage of cold fronts.

The best way to get to Rio Grande do Sul is to fly to Porto Alegre (Salgado Filho International Airport) from São Paulo-Guarulhos or Rio de Janeiro-Galeão airports, where most international flights to Brazil arrive. However, Porto Alegre also receives international flights from other cities in the Americas, such as Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago, Lima and Panama City.

From Porto Alegre you can get anywhere else in Rio Grande do Sul by rental car, or by taking a guided tour. From Salagado Filho International Airport, you can take the commuter train (Trensurb) to the Historic District of Porto Alegre or get off in the Rodoviaria Station (Central Bus Stations) from which you can continue to many other destinations - the buses are pretty safe and comfortable.

Rio Grande do Sul can be easily accessed by land from several roads coming from Argentina and Uruguay. Depending on the checkpoint, visitors may have to pass through two segregated immigration facilities (one to emigrate and another to immigrate), or they may be co-located. The state has two cities, Santana do Livramento and Chuí, which are in full conurbation with the respective cities of Rivera and Chuy in Uruguay. In these cities, as well as others on the Brazil/Uruguay border, people can freely cross the border between the countries as long as they remain in the conurbation, but are still required to pass through regular emigration/immigration formalities in order to venture any beyond that. For example, a visitor with legal permission to stay in Uruguay who is in Rivera can walk to Santana do Livramento and move freely there, but visitors who want to go to any other place in Brazil must pass through emigration/immigration formalities.

Buses are available from Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and other parts of Brazil. Porto Alegre is the big transportation hub.

As when you travel by car, if you are going from Uruguay to Brazil or vice versa, make sure to pass through the emigration/immigration checkpoints in both sides of the border. If you're taking a direct bus from Uruguay to Brazil, the bus company should take your passport and do the border formalities for you while you stay on the bus; if there are any issues they'll wake you up so you can address them. If you're taking a bus to a border town and then crossing the border and taking another bus from the other side, it's your responsibility to make sure you go to passport control. The bus driver should stop there for you if you ask.

The state is well connected by bus. Porto Alegre is the largest hub of road transportation, with a long-distance bus terminal (Estação Rodoviária de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre Bus Station) that serves several cities in the interior of the state.

Just like in the rest of Brazil, in Rio Grande do Sul, railway transport was being scrapped from the 1960s onwards. The only regular passenger railway line that operates in Rio Grande do Sul is a surface metro line known by the local habitants as Trensurb (abbreviation in Portuguese for "Urban Trains"), which is operated in Porto Alegre and the metropolitan cities of Canoas, Esteio, Sapucaia do Sul, São Leopoldo and Novo Hamburgo. There is also a touristic steam train line, called Trem do Vinho (Wine Train), which runs 23 km between Bento Gonçalves, Garibaldi and Carlos Barbosa, in the Serra Gaúcha region. This line hosts theatre and music presentations that tells the history of Italian immigration in the region, and here, it is possible to observe beautiful landscapes and wineries.

The state of Rio Grande do Sul has one of the worst road networks compared to the more developed Brazilian states, such as the state of São Paulo, or even the neighboring state, Santa Catarina. Few highways are duplicated (most of them federal highways close to Porto Alegre) and many can have a bumpy lane. This is especially true on state highways (which begin with the initials RS, e.g.: RS-118, RS-122, RS-020). Some may have potholes in the track or poor signaling conditions and may have sinuous curves, especially in the mountains of Serra Gaúcha. Highway traffic can also be high, particularly on long weekend holidays. Caution is recommended when driving on highways in the state.

Flying within the state may not be a viable option, as flight schedules are limited to a few flights per week and it can cost more to fly than traveling within the state in a comfortable, air-conditioned bus. The only airports of the state with regular flights departing from Porto Alegre International Airport are the airports in Bagé, Santa Maria, Santa Rosa, Santo Ângelo, Pelotas and Uruguaiana.