Population: 8 million
Language: Portuguese
Currency: Real (R$)
Visas and immigration: Visas are not required for stays of up to 90 days for travellers from the United Kingdom.
Taxes: Usually incorporated into airfare.
Time: GMT -3
Climate: Summer (Dec-Mar) is warm and wet, up to 30°C; winter (Apr-Oct) is dry with blue skies.
Country code: +55
Health issues: Vaccinations: Polio, Tatanus, Typhoid, and Hepatitis A.Water: bottled water recommended.
Plug type: European and US 2-pin plugs.
Don’t forget to pack: Money belt, earplugs and walking shoes.
Be aware: Avoid carrying valuables or wearing expensive designer clothing.
Aeroporto Internacional Tom
Jobim is 15 km north of the city
centre. Taxis can be booked from
within the airport or picked up at
the stands outside the terminals.
Fixed-rate taxis charge around
US$30 from Jobim to Copacabana
and Ipanema and US$25 to the
city centre and Santa Teresa. Taxis
leave from the first floor of both
terminals.
Alternatively, there are frequent
bus services to the city running
between 0500 and 2400 and
costing around US$3.
The city is made up of separate
districts connected by urban
highways and tunnels heavy with
traffic so it’s best to use public
transport, such as the metro or
buses or taxis, to get around.
Hiring a car is recommended for
visiting the more remote areas in
Rio state but not for the city.
The Metrô costs US$1.60 for a
one-way journey. Buses run to all
parts, but should be treated with
caution at night, when taxis are a
better option. Taxis should always
be booked through a hostel or
hotel, or caught from a designated
taxi posto.
Head to Ipanema and Leblon for a large variety of cuisine including vegetarian, Japanese, Italian, French, Brazilian and South American fusion. Some restaurants have a beach view.
O Redentor – Christ the Redeemer Statue at Corcovado
39.6 metres tall, including its 9.5 metres pedestal, and 30 metres wide. Weighs 635 tonnes and
is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest
National Park overlooking the city. The statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil.
Essential Information
Arriving from the airport
Finding your way around
First night
Rio de Janeiro
Sugar Loaf
The western hemisphere’s most
famous monolith rises almost
sheer from the dark sea, towers
over Botafogo beach and boasts
unforgettable views out over
Copacabana, Ipanema and
the mountains and forests of
Corcovado and Tijuca. A cable
car is open daily 0800-1950, costs
US$25 and runs to the top where
there are extensive paths, plentiful
shade and snack bars.
Lagoa de Freitas
Surrounded by a series of parks,
the Lagoa is another of Rio de
Janeiro’s unfeasibly beautiful
natural sights and has long been
admired. It is best seen in the
early evening when thick golden
sunlight bathes the rainforest-clad
slopes of the Serra da Carioca,
which rise high above it to reach
their spectacular pinnacle with
the distant xenon-white statue of
Christ. Best accessed by bus.
Santa Teresa
Nowhere in this city of distinct
neighbourhoods is more of a
world unto itself than Santa Teresa.
The neighbourhood has a strong
community identity forged by one
of the highest concentrations of
artists, writers and musicians in
the city, who congregate in bars
like O Mineiro on the Largo dos
Guimarães or Bar Porto das Neves
on the Largo das Neves.
Ipenema and Leblon
Ipanema and Leblon are essentially one long curving beach enclosed by
the monolithic Dois Irmãos rocks at the western end and the Arpoador
rocks to the east. Almost all of the city’s best restaurants and bars are
here. Both Ipenema and Leblon have metro stations.
Christ statue at Corcovado
O Redentor – Christ the Redeemer,
towers over a panoply of bays,
fringed with white and backed
by twinkling skyscrapers. A cog
railway operates daily 0830-1830
and costs US$8 one-way, US$15
return. To get to the cog railway
station take a taxi or bus to Cosme
Velho and get off at the station.
Top 5 sights and attractions
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Travel to the pretty colonial port of
Paraty, which is surrounded by beautiful
beaches or fly to São Paulo for a taste of
the city’s restaurants and nightlife.
Where next?
House door of the beautiful Portuguese colonial town of Paraty in Rio de Janeiro state.