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home - destinations - central america - brazil - destination: rio de janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is a large city in Brazil, on the South Atlantic coast. Rio is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its laidback beach culture and its annual carnival.
It is not an uncommon mistake to point out Rio as Brazil's capital, as in fact it was until 1960.
Beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema, the Christ The Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue, the stadium of Maracanã and Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) are all well-known sights of what the inhabitants call the marvelous city (cidade maravilhosa), and also the first images to pop up in someone's mind, along with the Carnaval celebration.
Sadly, most people also know Rio for its violence and crime. The drug lords and the slums or favelas are the tip of very old social problems. The favelas are areas of poor quality housing, slums usually located on the city's many mountain slopes, juxtaposed to middle-class neighborhoods.
The South Zone gathers most of Rio's landmarks and world-famous beaches, in an area of only 43.87 square km (17 square miles). Many of them are walking distance from each other (for instance, the Sugar Loaf lies about 5 miles from Copacabana beach). Most hotels and hostels are located in this side of the city, which is compressed between the Tijuca Range (Maciço da Tijuca) and the sea. There are relevant places in other regions as well, such as Maracanã stadium in the North Zone.
The inhabitants of Rio, called cariocas, are known for being easy-going and friendly, in contrast to the more reserved citizens of other cities like Sao Paulo. Informality rules in dress codes and talking in most situations - with notable exceptions in business and religion, for example.
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Rio's beaches are undoubtedly one of the main reasons why travellers visit the city. Copacabana and Ipanema are by far the most famous, but there are many others, each with a distinct character. Travellers should be aware that most beaches are polluted, and bathing is not advisable in any of the non-oceanic beaches (except for those in the island of Paqueta).
The beaches that are often proper for swimming are Copacabana, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, and Grumari. Some of the most noticeable are (ordered from North to South):
- Flamengo (by the bay)
- Botafogo (by the bay)
- Praia Vermelha (oceanic, but often polluted)
- Leme (oceanic)
- Copacabana (oceanic)
- Arpoador (oceanic)
- Ipanema (oceanic)
- Leblon (oceanic)
- São Conrado (oceanic, but often polluted)
- Barra da Tijuca (oceanic, but often polluted)
- Recreio dos Bandeirantes (oceanic)
- Grumari (oceanic)
It is also worth visiting the beaches in Paqueta, particularly:
- Praia da Moreninha (on the Guanabara Bay, but often proper for swimming)
Cariocas have an unique beach culture, with a total costums code which outlanders (even Brazilians from other cities) can misbehave. Unlike many foreigners might think, there is no topless in the beaches - in fact, it is outlawed and women who dare to try it can be arrested. Girls can wear tiny string bikinis (fio dental), but it doesn't mean they're exhibitionists. For most of them, it's highly offensive to stare. Until the 1990s, men and boys wore speedos, but since then wearing bermudas has become more usual. Smoking marijuana is quite common among youth (and not only), even in crowded spots, but it is still illegal (though a minor felony since 2006) and undercover policemen can watch for infractors. Other drugs are rare, except for beach raves.
Waves in Rio vary from tiny, calm in Guanabara bay beaches (Paquetá, Ramos, Flamengo, Botafogo, Urca) to high, surf-ideal waves in Recreio. In Leme, Copacabana, Arpoador, Ipanema, and Leblon, there's a popular way of "riding" the waves called pegar jacare (pe-GAHR zha-kah-REH; literally, "to grab an alligator"). You wait for the wave to come behind you then swim on top of it until it crumbles next to the sand.
If you don't want a sunburn and you are typically white, get a strong sunblock for yourself. Locals are used to get a tan easily, but don't try to mimic them; you might end at a hospital. Also, having a red-burnt skin is considered as "lame", and cariocas can make fun of it - especially girls, say, if you're trying something at a nightclub.
Commerce is common in Rio's beaches, with thousands of walking vendors selling from sun glasses to fried shrimps and cooling beverages (try mate com limão, a local ice tea mixed with lime juice). For food, there is also empada (baked flour pastry filled with meat or cheese) and sanduíche natural (cool sandwich with vegetables and mayo). Vendors typically shout out loud what they're selling, but they won't usually bother you unless you call them.
Although beaches are often considered a plural, democratic space, there are still some informal (and not too strict) "social area" divisions. In the South Zone, Copacabana attracts mainly tourists (foreign and national) and lower-classes bathers. Prostitution is also spread up there, even in daylight. Ipanema is the major beach for middle-class, and specifically the Posto 9 section (baywatch tower #9) is prefered by left-wing, intellectuals, artists, journalists and similar beach-goers.
You can easily walk into a politician or someone famous there. The beaches in Barra and Recreio (Quebra-Mar, Pepê, Pontal, Prainha) were favoured by surfers and hang-glinders until the 1980s, but now they are outnumbered by the middle-class and nouveau riche from the suburbs and also West Zone favela residents, such as now world-famous Cidade de Deus (City of God, that of the film).
There is also Praia de Ramos in the Guanabara Bay, a popular destination among low-class beach-goers. There the government built an artificial pool on the sand (piscinão), which is usually dirty and infected.
Sights
- Corcovado The tram up cost R$36 for roundtrip up to Cristo Redentor.
- Pão de Açúcar - the Sugar Loaf mountains (one taller, the other shorter), Brazil's top landmark, with an aerial tramway to the top; unmissable
- Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas - a large lagoon in the middle of South Zone, with great views to Corcovado and Ipanema and Leblon beaches; there are skating and jogging fields all around it
- Maracanã - the largest football/soccer stadium in Rio and once the largest on Earth
- Parque Lage - a small park, once a private mansion, where now a school of fine arts works.
- Jardim Botanico - The Botanical Garden, planted up in the 1800s. It is both a park and a scientific laboratory. If you take the bus note that Jardim Botanico is also the name of a neighborhood so make sure you take the right one to the entrance. The admission is $4. The gardens are well kept and very lush. Not far from the cafe, first you hear swooshing sounds. Look up and you can see small monkeys swinging from tree to tree.
Buildings
- Mosteiro de São Bento (Saint Benedict's Monastery) (1663)
- Paço Imperial (1743) - old Imperial Palace
- Arcos da Lapa (1750) - Lapa Aqueduct, colonial structure that brought water from springs to downtown; now it has a suspended tramway track
- São Francisco da Penitência church (1773)
- Casa França Brasil (1820)
- Ilha Fiscal Palace (1889)
- Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (1906)
- Theatro Municipal (1909) - City Theater, inspired by the Paris Opera House
- Biblioteca Nacional (1910) - National Library
Museums
- Museu Nacional
- Museu Histórico Nacional
- Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts)
- MAM - Museum of Modern Art
- Museu da República
- Museu do Índio (Museum of the Indian)
Parks
- Jardim Botânico
- Parque Lage
- Parque do Flamengo
- Parque Guinle
- Campo de Santana
- Quinta da Boa Vista
- Carnival -
Still the greatest reason for visiting Rio seems to be the Carnival. This highly advertised party lasts for almost two weeks and it is well known for the escolas de samba (samba schools) that parade in Centro, on a gigantic structure called Sambódromo (Sambadrome). During Carnival, Rio has much more to offer though, with the blocos de rua, that parade on the streets. There are now hundreds of these street "samba blocks", that parade almost in every neighborhood, especially in Centro and the South Zone, gathering thousands of people. Some are very famous, and there are few cariocas that have not heard of "Carmelitas", "Suvaco de Cristo", "Escravos da Mauá" or "Simpatia É Quase Amor".
The rest of the year, samba shows are popular with tourists, and are held at several venues like Plataforma and Scala. These are expensive and not really representative of Brazilian culture, they present a lot of almost naked women and bad musicians, a tourist trap (much like the real thing.) Much more interesting and genuine, though, are the night practice sessions held by the various samba schools in the months leading up to Carnival. You will find only a small number of tourists here, and I promise you will be served the best caipirinhas of your trip! These go on into the wee hours of the morning, with the fun really only starting at 1-2 A.M. A good cab driver should be able to hook you up, and cabs will be available to take you back when you are samba-ed out. Salgueiro and Mangueira are good choices, as they are two of the larger samba schools, and are located relatively close to the tourist areas in a fairly safe area.
Note that a change is afoot that may make this genuine experience a thing of the past (or more convenient, depending on your viewpoint) for all but the most savvy tourists. The local government is in the process of building a complex of buildings where many of the samba schools are expected to move their practice halls and float-construction facilities from the gritty warehouses typically located in or near their home favelas. One can expect many more tourists, and shows made-up for the tourists as the tourist bureau milks this facility for all it's worth year-round.
The following is a list of some of the samba schools:
- Mangueira
- Salgueiro
- Acadêmicos da Rocinha
- Beija-Flor
The newest addition to the municipality's attempt to make money off of tourists is the Samba City.
- Music - Rio was the cradle of three of Brazil most important musical genres: samba, choro, and bossa nova. In recent years, there has been a boom of traditional samba and choro venues. A lot of them are in the downtown district of Lapa. There are good and cheap nightlife options, where you will see some of the best musicians of the country. Any of the city newspapers provide pointers to the best shows.
If you're not such an anthropological type of tourist, you can check out the same papers for tips on other kinds of music.
Being a big city, Rio has big and small clubs that play almost every kind of music. The major mainstream clubs mostly play whatever's on the Radio - which is usually whatever's on the USA radios and MTV - but the underground scene has a lot to offer on Rock, E-Music, Rap and such. The best way to find out about those are the flyers handed or left at hostels, cinema and theater lobbies, nightclub lines, etc.
- New Year's Eve celebrations - Rio hosts the country's largest and most popular New Year's Eve celebrations. The huge fireworks display and music shows attract 2 million people to the sands of Copacabana beach every year. People dress in white for luck and toast the arrival of the new year.
- Hang Gliding and Paragliding - Hang Gliding in Rio de Janeiro started in the mid 70's and quickly proved to be perfectly suited for this town due to its geography with steep mountains encountering the Atlantic ocean which provides excellent take off locations and great landing zones on the beach.
- Pan American Games - Many tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro as well as some urban facilities such as the subway are being revamped for the Pan American Games that will take place in 2007, when the city expects to draw a lot additional tourists.
When shopping in street commerce, always bargain; this can lower prices considerably. Bargaining in stores and malls, though, is usually unpolite. But naturally merchants won't bargain unless you ask, especially if you are clearly a tourist. To tourists, items can easily be overpriced by a factor of 10 especially in highly informal markets such as Saara or on the beach.
- A typical Brazilian hammock shouldn't be more than R$20-30 but they can sell for up to US$150.
- A beer on the beach should cost around R$3.00
- A caipirinha can be had for the same price (around R$3.00) and you get a great show as the ingredients are produced from a cooler and lime slices muddled before you eyes
- You can get coconut water for R$2.50
- For trinkets, your best bet is the "hippie fair" in Praça General Osório in Ipanema every Sunday.
- For a sterile norte-americano-style shopping experience, head to the malls in Barra da Tijuca. There's also the Fashion Mall in São Conrado.
- For a cheap price, head to Norte Shopping in Del Castilho (the 456 or the 457 bus can leave you in front of it. Take them at Praça General Osório in Ipanema) or to the Nova America Outlet Shopping in Del Castilho too (take the subway and leave it on Del Castilho Station. It has a passage to the shopping).
Great bargains can be had on Brazilian-made clothing, as well as some European imports. Imported electronics are insanely expensive due to protective import duties. For example, you will find digital cameras sell for about twice what they sell for in the U.S.
Store managers in Rio often speak some English, as this gains employees an almost-automatic promotion. But "some" can be very little, so it is useful to learn at least some very basic Portuguese. Just knowing basic greetings, numbers, and how to ask directions and prices will get you at least a "B" for effort, and despite finding that store clerks may know more English than you Portuguese, it can still come in handy to know a bit of the language. Don't be afraid to resort to writing numbers, pictures, or resorting to pantomime. (I had a hilarious incident where I was trying to ask for a shirt with a picture of a bird, and instead got directions to the airport.) Clerks will often tap out prices for you on a calculator.
Rio has several malls (shopping centers, just like this, in English), most of them in the South and West Zones. Everything there is normally more expensive than in street shops, but safety and comfort might worth if you don't feel like walking too much.
- Rio Sul - the biggest mall in the South Zone, located just between Copacabana and the Sugar Loaf
- Botafogo Praia Shopping - in the Botafogo beach facing the Sugar Loaf and Guanabara Bay; has a nice view and a belvedere on the rooftops; it is sometimes called just "Shopping Botafogo", but don't take it for Rio Sul, which is also located in Botafogo neighborhood
- Barra Shopping - the biggest mall in the city and arguably the largest in Latin America
- New York City Center - next to Barra Shopping, has multiplex movie theaters, American-like restaurants and videogaming places
- Norte Shopping - the biggest in the North Zone
- Nova America Outlet Shopping - find cheapest stores for clothing and typical Brazilian wear; can be easily reached through Del Castilho subway station (Line 2)
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Destination: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
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