World Cup: Brazilians prefer mountain getaways to soccer

World Cup ticket holders have begun flooding Brazil’s soccer cities, but the locals may not be sticking around.

Brazilians will be avoiding Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo during their upcoming winter vacations, according to data analyzed by hotel search website Trivago.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup starts Thursday and continues through July 13 with matches in a dozen cities.

“Locals are headed to mountain getaway Campos do Jordao in much larger numbers than last year,” Trivago said in a statement. The company looked at where Brazilians were searching for hotels during the World Cup time frame and compared that data with 2013 findings.

Last year Rio took the top spot. This year, Fortaleza and Rio — both World Cup soccer cities — ranked third and fourth, respectively, as possible vacation choices for locals, Trivago said.

Campos do Jordao, a smallish town northeast of Sao Paolo in the Mantiqueira Mountains, was the top pick. It’s the highest city in the country (5,378 feet) and home to the old-growth Atlantic Forest.

Hiking and climbing are big draws for the town, as well as an international winter festival featuring classical music that’s held every July. The town is about 2½ hours by car from Sao Paulo and 4½ hours from Rio.

Hotel prices in Campos do Jordao average $170 a night, Trivago says, compared with $289 a night in Rio.

World Cup matches will be held in Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador, Brasilia, Cuiaba, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.