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Rio de Janeiro City Guide

Rio de Janeiro famously played host to the FIFA World Cup 2014 and with the city hosting next year’s Olympic Games 2016, all eyes are on this beautiful Brazilian Cidade Maravilhosa.

Rio de Janeiro famously played host to the FIFA World Cup 2014 and with the city hosting next year’s Olympic Games 2016, all eyes are on this beautiful Brazilian Cidade Maravilhosa.

Rio de Janeiro is known as Cidade Maravilhosa or the ‘marvellous city’ and is surrounded by lush mountains, beautiful architecture, white-sand beaches and a pumping nightlife.

Most people associate Rio with the famous landmark – Christ the Redeemer, the world’s largest art deco statue, standing 30 metres tall with outstretched arms on top of the mountain Corcovado.

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Don’t miss the world’s largest annual carnival

The vibrant city is also famous for its annual Carnival attracting thousands of people from all corners of the world. The celebration is considered the biggest carnival in the world and is showcasing women and men dressed in colourful outfits, dancing a furious samba.

The sexy city also offers incredible beaches, stunning mountain scenery, bossa nova and great shopping all year around.

 

9 Things NOT to miss in Rio de Janeiro

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Enjoy a caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça (sugar cane hard liquor), sugar and lime at a kiosk along the beach

  • Exploring the different beaches, from Ipanema to Copacabana and Arpoador
  • Take the train to the top of Corcovado, home of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue
  • Take in the pageantry at Carnival at least once in your life. The wild annual four-day festivity always starts just before Easter and ends on Fat Tuesday.
  • Seeing Cascatinha Waterfall at lush Tijuca National Park
  • Take a photo op of the granite Sugar Loaf Mountain, or Pão de Açúcar
  • Enjoy a caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça (sugar cane hard liquor), sugar and lime.
  • Cooling off after a hot day on the beach with a tangy star fruit sorbet at Mil Frutas—or any other of its 80 exotic flavors.
  • Partying with the locals and taking in the pageantry at Carnival—at least once in your life. The wild annual four-day festivity always starts just before Easter and ends on Fat Tuesday.
  • Taking a 123-year-old train to the summit of Corcovado, home of the world-renowned statue of Christ the Redeemer.

 

When is the best time to go?

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The height of the Rio de Janeiro travel season is the summer season of December through March, when the weather is hot and beach-ready, and New Year’s and Carnival celebrations are on the agenda.

April and May offer fewer crowds, but still warm temperatures—the only downside being that the weather gets more humid.

June through September offers milder temperatures and is perhaps the ideal time for sightseeing while October and November are also mild and nicely dry.

What’s your top travel tip for Rio de Janeiro?