With the winter in full swing here in Santiago, I’ve found myself day dreaming about the warm, tropical beaches of Rio de Janeiro. It’s been a couple of months since we took on this crazy city, but the memories are still fresh.
You could easily spend a week or more in Rio, without running out of things to do or places to explore, but we did our best to pack in the highlights over a long weekend. My friend Jenn was visiting Santiago from the U.S., and we decided Rio would be the perfect place for a side trip during her time here. We booked flights arriving Thursday evening, and flying back on Monday morning, giving us 3 full days and 4 nights to experience life in Rio.
Immediately after booking our flights, I enlisted my Brazilian friends and fellow travelers who had visited the city before to help us put together a list of what we absolutely needed to see, what we should skip, and where we should stay. All in all, though we certainly left a lot unexplored, it was a magical few days in this lush, wild metropolis.
Where to stay
Though the blog posts I read leading up to the trip had various answers to this question, the advice I got from friends was fairly unanimous. If you’re a first timer, especially, Ipanema is the best place to stay. Well located and relatively upscale, this neighborhood offers short walks to both Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, the lakefront dining and park area of Lagoa and is arguably one of the safest, central neighborhoods you can find. In addition, this neighborhood boasts some of the cities best restaurants. For us, Ipanema was perfect.
Because there were 3 of us, we opted for an apartment rental (which we found on VRBO), instead of a hotel, and couldn’t have been happier with our choice. We stayed in a spacious 2 BR penthouse loft, with a large patio that offered views of the Christ statue.
What to do
Copacabana and Ipanema beaches
No trip to Rio would be complete without spending some time at the beach. The city boasts miles of sandy coastline, but two of the most famous and beautiful beaches are Ipanema and Copacabana. If you’re there during the summer or on a weekend, expect there to be enormous crowds, and very little clothing. For whatever reason, towels are not typical here, and beachgoers prefer to rent cheap beach chairs from any number of vendors lining the sidewalk. Grab a few chairs, a fresh coconut or acai bowl and enjoy the people watching.
If you want to do a bit more exploring during your trip to the beach, head to Arpoador, a rocky area that juts out into the water and separates Ipanema from Copacabana. You can hike out onto the rocks for some spectacular views back over the beach. This is also one of the best spots to catch a Rio sunset. Like everywhere in Rio, there was plenty to look at. The rock was crawling with people, as well as what seemed like hundreds of stray kittens and cats running around, and hoping to be fed by some fishermen who were casting out into the water below. It’s well worth venturing off the beach to check out the views.
Christ the Redeemer
One of the most iconic sights in Rio, a visit to this monument will likely find it way onto most tourist’s itineraries. There are a few ways to reach the top of the hill where this statue sits, and be warned, none of them are particularly simple. We did some research ahead of time, and were warned off making the trek by foot, both to avoid mosquitoes and being robbed, both of which are apparently quite common on this hike. That left us with 2 other transit options, a van or a train. We arrived at the train station by taxi, only to find that the next train with capacity wasn’t available for another 3 hours. So, we walked around the corner and purchased tickets for a shuttle.
After a long, slow ride up the hill, the shuttle stopped and let us out at a large tourist center. While there were some good views, it was mostly a tourist trap full of corny souvenirs and overpriced food. First, we were instructed to buy another set of tickets, which would grant us admission into the park itself. From there, we were given passes to yet another shuttle which would take us the rest of the way up the hill. Sadly, this shuttle didn’t depart for over an hour, leaving us trapped in a gift shop, surrounded by stuffed animals. By this point, it’s fair to say we were starting to question our decision to trek up the mountain, and wishing we had booked train tickets in advance.
Finally, after several hours, we arrived to the statue. It was pretty spectacular, both the sheer size of the statue and the views back over the city from the high vantage point, but the huge crowd made it a little hard to take in. We spent some time taking photos and enjoying the views, before starting the journey back down. This time, we decided to skip the shuttle and pay to get on the train going down. The line wasn’t quite as long, and the route was SO much more direct. Moral of the story, if a visit to Christ the Redeemer is on your list, do your best to book tickets for the train in advance. You risk a cloudy day, where the views disappear, but will avoid long waits.
Sugarloaf Mountain
Let me start by saying, that if you have to choose between visiting Sugarloaf or Christ the Redeemer, I would take Sugarloaf hands down. To me, the Christ statue’s real beauty is the way it’s visible from most any place in the city, seemingly always keeping watch over you. But as far as views go, Sugarloaf is unparalleled.
We made the trip up this large, loaf shaped mountain on Easter Sunday. While this is a popular sunset spot, we choose to go in the middle of the day. The combination of the holiday and time of day meant that we had no wait and virtually no crowds to contend with, a welcome treat after our experience visiting Christ the Redeemer. We took a taxi to the cable car station in the neighborhood of Urca. The tickets will set you back a bit, but it’s worth it.
There are 2 stops, both of which offer spectacular views of the city. From here, you can really get an appreciation for just how unique and spectacular this city really is. It’s such a crazy juxtaposition of natural beauty and urban sprawl. We spent some time just walking around, gazing out at the city and ocean below, and intermittently mumbling “wow” and “this is unreal” to ourselves.
Samba, Samba, Samba
A trip to Rio wouldn’t be complete without experiencing a Samba club. Brazilians know how to party, and nightlife here lasts well into the morning hours. We set our sights on the large, popular Rio Scenarium, located in the popular nightlife area of Lapa. The former antique store turned dance club rises vertically, with balconies on the upper floors opening up around the stage, where live music is played each night.
Upon entering the bar, you will first stop at a counter where you pay an entry fee, and receive a drink card. Instead of paying drink by drink, you simply hand the card to the bar tender and they make a note of your order. At the end of the night, you must turn in your card and pay the bill before exiting. Be sure to keep the card in a safe place, as the price for a lost card can be pretty steep.
The energy from the band was infectious, and we bounced around from floor to floor, taking in the atmosphere. At one point, while the band on the main stage was taking a break, we wandered down a hallway toward the sound of music and found a whole other room, with a giant dance floor. We spent the rest of the night here, before catching a cab and grabbing a few hours of sleep before setting out for another day of sight seeing.
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
Just north of Ipanema you will find a large Lagoon, ringed with restaurants and a nice walking/biking path. This makes for a nice spot to take break from the crowded beaches, and enjoy a slightly more tranquil atmosphere. We took a walk along the lake front on a cloudy afternoon, stopping for lunch and to take in the views. Many of the olympic rowing events were held here as well, so you can still see the grandstands and other infrastructure built for the games.
Mureta de Urca
Located near Sugarloaf Mountain, the neighborhood of Urca features a long seafront wall. At the recommendation of a friend originally from Rio, we headed here for sunset, stopping at Bar Urca to grab some cold beers and pastries. The area close to the bars was full of people, all relaxing along the wall and enjoying the last hours of afternoon sunshine. We strolled around for awhile, before finding a spot to sit and watch the sun sink down behind the mountains.
Where to eat
As I mentioned before, one of the great perks of staying in Ipanema is the abundance of delicious restaurants within easy walking distance. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few of the places we enjoyed during our stay.
Via Sete – High quality, organic ingredients. A bit pricy but delicious.
Venga Bar de Tapas – Delicious tapas and drinks with a lively atmosphere
Arab da Lagoa – Mediterranean food in an ideal setting right on the lake front
Blue Agave – Small Mexican bar/restaurant, great for casual drinks in the evening or after a day at the beach
Gringo Cafe – American style breakfast, with great pancakes and coffee. Great for a lazy morning after a night out
Also, don’t forget to grab an Acai bowl and some delicious fresh juice from one of the many juice bars near the beach!
A note about Zika
Ok, I feel like this has to be said, because I know some of you reading this are probably thinking, “BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ZIKA!?” Living in South America for the last couple of years, and working with many Brazilians on a regular basis, I have to admit, I wasn’t overly worried about this. However, I know it’s still a concern, and so I want to address it quickly. First, yes, Zika mosquitos still do exist in Brazil, and Rio’s tropical climate makes it an ideal breeding ground for such bugs. However, during our stay, I saw only a handful of the pesky bugs, and was never bitten. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so we lathered on foul smelling bug spray each day, and avoided dense, jungle areas. By the end of the trip, I was pretty sick of my skin being constantly sticky with sunscreen and bug spray, but unless you are pregnant, I don’t think this should be a deterrent to a trip to Brazil.
Other Resources
Getting a Visa – if you’re a U.S. citizen, you’ll need to get a visa before entering Brazil, so make sure you plan accordingly. This post does a good job of outlining the the general process, and this one explains the process if you happen to already be abroad (specifically for Chile, but similar in other countries).
Lonely Planet Rio de Janiero Guide – I’m not normally big into guide books, but we picked this one up on a whim just before our trip, and found it to be really helpful. We didn’t do a huge amount of planning ahead of time, and the book provided some great tips on dining, nightlife and other spots to check out.
So there you have it. It was a whirlwind trip, with so much to see and do. What did we miss?
