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Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is no secret throughout the world and for good reason. Famous for it's carnival, beaches and
football, Rio de Janeiro is a one of a kind city that is a great introduction to Brazil. It's location makes
it one of the most scenic cities in the world. It's nestled between mountains, lush jungle and the vast
Atlantic Ocean. The lifestyle here is laid back and fun. The people love to spend afternoons at the beach
and nights dancing at clubs and gathering on streets. Here is my guide to ensure you have a great time in
Rio!
Christ the redeemer is considered to be one of the wonders of the world. Most of you
reading this have probably at least seen pictures of this statue. It's a very impressive sight definitely worth
seeing. The statue itself is enormous and the view of the city from up on top of the hill would be worth seeing
even if there wasn't a statue there. There are a few ways to get here. I went on a guided tour so we came on a
large bus to the entry point then went into smaller mini-vans to take us up to the top. There is also a train
that can take you up. You just need to go to the train station and get tickets. If possible try to go on a clear
day so that you can have an optimal view of the city.
Another great tourist attraction in the city is the Pao de Acucar cable car. This cable
car is in a part of the city called Botafogo which is kind of near Copacabana. I also arrived here as part of a
city tour which also included the Christ statue, Maracana stadium, Escadaria Selaron, the Sambadrom and some
other places. Basically, you arrive at the cable car terminal, buy tickets then get on the first cable car onto
the first mountain. From this mountain you can take another cable car up even further onto another mountain. You
have fantastic views of the city from the cable car and the mountains. There is also lots of jungle you can
explore. You may even see some monkeys!
Rio has some of the most famous beaches in the world. Ipanema and Copacabana are the most
popular beaches. They are typically full of tourists and locals. Brazil absolutely loves its beach culture. Here
you will see all sorts of activities such as water sports, volleyball, football, and just people enjoying the
sun. There are vendors selling everything from cold beer and caipirinhas to fried cheese. If you come to Rio you
have to at least have one beach day if not more. Such a large part of the culture here revolves around the
beach. We spent many of our days in Rio here enjoying the atmosphere, playing soccer and drinking caipirinhas.
Escadaria Selaron is a famous set of stairs in the Lapa/ Santa Teresa neighbourhood. They are the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claimed it as "my tribute to the Brazilian people". There are 215 steps that span a distance of 125 metres, which are covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world. The tiles are colourful and have unique designs and paintings on them. The steps are included on many tours throughout the city and can also be reached fairly easily by the metro. Also nearby the steps is Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. It's an impressive cone shaped cathedral (pictured below) that you can stop by for a quick picture.
Rio is famous for its nightlife and has some of the best I've ever experienced. The parties here basically never stop and you'll find people partying at all hours of the day in all areas of the city. During the daytime the locals commonly enjoy their time at the beach (if not at work) and at nighttime fill one of many eateries, bars or clubs throughout the city. My personal favourite area for nightlife was Lapa. Lapa is in the Santa Teresa neighbourhood of the city and features a very large amount of bars and clubs. I'd recommend only taking safe transportation to and from Lapa such as Uber and not walking at night time if possible. The area isn't quite as safe as Copacabana or Ipanema but I wouldn't let that deter you from going for a night out there. Of course there are plenty of options in Copacabana and Ipanema such as the popular Fosfobox club.
Carnival is a world famous event that happens in Rio de Janeiro every year usually in February or March. During this time up to 2 million people per day fill the streets of Rio. Beware if you're afraid of crowds. This is an event I actually haven't been to but it's certainly worth mentioning on a complete guide to visiting Rio. The typical Rio carnival parade is filled with revelers, floats, and adornments from numerous samba schools which are located in Rio (more than 200 approximately, divided into five leagues/divisions). A samba school is composed of a collaboration of local neighbours that want to attend the carnival together, with some kind of regional, geographical and common background. The main parade showing is at a place called the Sambadrome which is a street properly lined with massive bleachers for large audiences to watch. The festivities aren't limited to this area and the beaches as well as other areas of the city are filled with parties and events. It's certainly an experience I'd like to try once in my life if possible. It's also worth noting though that on top of being the most crowded time to visit it would be the most expensive.
Another popular activity for tourists is the Dois Irmaos Hike. This is actually another one I haven't done but certainly have it at the top of my list for the next time I visit Rio. The hike up Dois Irmaos, which means two brothers, offers excellent views of the cityscape and landmarks of the city. In order to start the hike you need to get a ride up into the Vidigal favela. It's typically advised against wandering into favelas however Vidigal is known as the safest favela in the city and even offers a variety of tourist accomodation and infrastructure. From what I've heard safety shouldn't be a problem entering Vidigal which makes it fairly easy to access. It's also relatively close to Ipanema so it doesn't take long to drive out there.
There are plenty of options for food or drink. You can visit a traditional Brazilian barbeque place where the waiters walk around with a variety of meat on skewers. When they come by you can ask them for the types of meat you want. Another staple in Brazil is Feijoada which is like a stew of beans in pork or beef. I highly recommend also trying this. As it's a tropical city you'll find a huge variety of fresh fruit and other tropical items like coconuts. There is plenty of street food and a huge variety of different things to try. Another food I enjoyed here were the Joelhos which were like ham and cheese sandwiches in a roll.
There are a few drinks I recommend trying in Rio. For alcoholic drinks a Caipirinha is a must try. They are kind of like the stronger cousin of the Margarita and are made with Cachaca instead of rum. They are quite acidic but make for a good beach drink. There are also different varieties usually flavoured with different fruits. You can also find the caipivodka options which is basically the same but uses vodka instead of cachaca. As far as non alcoholic drinks any fruit juice you have here will be fantastic. The fruit is fresh and there is a huge variety of it. You can also enjoy a refreshing coconut on the beach.
These are my top neighbourhoods to spend time in in Rio. They vary quite dramatically. For example Copacabana
and Ipanema are very crowded beach areas that are world famous. Leblon is slightly more relaxed and still on the
beach. Lapa is full of action, party and nightlife. Rocinha is the largest favela in the city and is available
to visit on tours. I'll detail my experiences and recommendations for these areas.
Ipanema is one of Rio's two most famous beach communities. It spans a few kilometers and is an affluent neighbourhood of Rio. It is sandwiched between Rodrigo Freitas lagoon and the beach. This is personally my favourite area to stay in Rio. There is a large amount of accomodation, restaurants, bars and activities. This area is also relatively safe and you shouldn't have too worry too much about safety. A fun hostel to stay in is Che Lagarto. They offer a variety of rooms and have a very social atmosphere with caiprinha happy hours daily. It's also located just a couple blocks from the beach and is surrounded by plenty of activities. They also can arrange airport transport and tours. I've seen Ipanema beach empty and completely full and basically everything in between.
Copacabana is maybe the most famous neighbourhood and beach in Rio. Copacabana beach is world famous and you will almost certainly spend time there if you visit Rio. It's a great place to start to get a feel for the beach culture that exists throughout much of Brazil. I stayed at the Olinda hotel on Copacabana and would recommend it. It had everything that we needed and included a nice breakfast all for a reasonable price considering the location. They were able to arrange tours and were very accomodating and friendly. It's quite similar to Ipanema in layout and things to do. It's full of restaurants, bars, shopping and activities. I recall that Copacabana had more beach shack style restaurants and bars than Ipanema. Ipanema didn't have very many of these but Copacabana did, as well as pop-up street markets where vendors sell souvenirs.
Leblon is a quiet neighbourhood next to Ipanema. The beaches on this side of Ipanema are typically less crowded than on the main Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. It's a nice neighbourhood with many shopping options, restaurants and nightlife. It's a great area to explore and to stay in Rio de Janeiro.
Santa Teresa is a large neighbourhood right in the center of the city. There is a lot of character in this neighbourhood and it's more indicative of what life is like in the city away from the famous beaches. There are some cool sights to see here such as the Escaderia Selaron pictured below. Also the Lapa area in Santa Teresa is my favourite part of the city for nightlife. The bars and streets here get packed with people and it's a great area to go out for a night out. Take a bit of precaution in this area as it's not quite as safe as the beach areas.
Rocinha is the largest favela in the city and there are tours available that take you on a walk through this community. It's highly advised to go here on a tour and not alone as the locals are familiar with tour guides but may be skeptical of unknown foreigners entering. Here you will see a much different side of Rio than what you see at the beach distrcits. The living conditions are much denser and the infrastructure isn't nearly as good. This is an area that has basically been left to develop by itself without government help (as all the favelas are). While on the tour it did feel relatively safe but don't be surprised if you see people walking around holding guns or grenades. There are some different restaurants and vendors selling souvenirs. It's also great to come here so you can actually help to support some of the people who need it most by helping contribute to their business. It was a very eye opening experience and I would recommend anyone to visit here to see a different side of Rio. Another popular favela to visit nowadays is Vidigal. This favela is known as being one of the safest ones and it's quite common for tourists to even stay in accomodation in this area. Vidigal is also the starting point for the Dois Irmaos hike which offers an incredible view of the city.
