Rio is famous for its
breathtaking landscape, its laidback beach culture, its annual Carnival and its
people, named carioca, unique joy and
happiness.
The real fascination starts at
Rio de Janeiro harbor, comprised of a rare entry from the ocean that makes it
appear to be the mouth of a river. Additionally, the harbor is surrounded by
spectacular geographic features including Sugar Loaf Mountain at 395 meters
(1,296 feet), Corcovado Peak at 704 meters (2,310 feet), and the hills of
Tijuca at 1,021 meters (3,350 feet). These features work together to
collectively make the harbor one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Rio was founded in 1565 by the
Portuguese as a fortification against French privateers who trafficked wood and
goods from Brazil.
The South Zone holds 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 within walking distance of each other. Travel
fantasies don’t always live up to the reality, but the “marvelous city”, as
citizens call their beloved hometown, can knock even the most jaded travelers
off their seen-it-all perches. The marvels range from singular settings –
primo beaches surrounded by jungled slopes and granite monoliths – to some of
the best music on the planet, to a lifestyle that invites all to slow down and
sample life at a beachside kiosk, sidewalk bar or juice stand.
Famed for
girls from Ipanema and Carnival, the best of Rio is all that but a lot
more. The party goes on year-round in the cultural heart of Brazil, from
the samba renaissance in the Lapa District, where you can choose from an array
of great clubs, music and restaurants, to Carnival rehearsals at local samba schools
that redefine the word “celebration”.
As it
prepares for the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016, the city has
launched a massive security program that’s finally addressing long-standing
safety concerns. The best of Rio beaches of the South Zone are heavily
patrolled and many other areas – especially those troubled by crime and drugs – have been cleaned up.
Mostly Rio
specializes in life celebrants who bring you into the fold. Whether it’s
hanging out over caipirinhas (most
famous Brazilian drink, a mix of lemon, sugar and cachaça, blended with a small pestle, then shaken and served with
ice) at a neighborhood bar, hiking in the rainforest or dancing in a circle of
samba at an old dancehall, Rio is a realm of the senses, beauties and wonders
of the world.
Here are our top 12 places not to be missed while
visiting the city.
Sitting by the
margins of Guanabara Bay, Flamengo Park holds the Flamengo Beach, Modern Art Museum, the Carmen
Miranda Museum and the Monument to the World War II Dead Soldiers, besides
Glória Marine. The Roberto Burle Marx-designed space offers a shady
green refuge from downtown rush of the city. The park is almost 300 acres (30 thousands m²) of wonderfully
green, urban parkland. It’s the biggest landfill in the world. The wealthy carioca Lota Macedo Soares [1910–1967] came up with
the initial plan, destroying a hill and using the rubble to fill in the edge of
the bay and create the new highway and park, re-drawing the city's geography in
the process. Well tendered for by legions of council workers every
morning, famous carioca landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx [1909–1994] dreamt up the
undulating curves and banks, planting 11,600 trees throughout the area
including rare species and a huge variety of palms. Running all the way from
Botafogo beach up to Glória Marine and the Santos Dumont airport (also built on
landfill), there are two public tennis courts, countless football and
basketball pitches, an outdoor theatre and even a designated area for remote
control airplane enthusiasts. Weekends become packed with families and the
sporting masses, with beach volleyball, frescoball and futvolei (footvolley: game similar to volleyball in
which, instead of hands, players use feet) the favourite ways to build up and
appetite for the all-important barbecue. Best avoided at night, the early
mornings are a hive of energy as runners and cyclists take advantage of the
cool breeze to get their training on. The Park is the largest leisure area of Rio de Janeiro. The place
has a strong sport tradition, the arrival point of marathons.
This 395-meter summit offers sublime views over Rio
and is a must on even a short visit to the city. Most visitors take the
two-stage aerial cable car to the top, though others rely on ropes, reliable
shoes and plenty of perspiration to reach the top. The Sugar Loaf [Pão de Açucar] Mountain is
one of the most important natural, historical and touristic landmark of the
city of Rio de Janeiro. With its unusual warhead shape, the Sugar Loaf Mountain is
a monolithic mountain of granite and quartz that rises at the mouth of
Guanabara Bay. Its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional
shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar.
The glass-paneled cable car, capable
of holding 65 passengers, offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding city. It
goes from the base at Vermelha (Red) Beach to a height of 220m (720ft) above sea level and
stops at the summit of Urca mountain. On this plateau lies an amphitheatre,
restaurants, and shops. The second leg completes the journey to the 396-metre
(1,299 ft) high Sugar Loaf over a distance of 750m (2460ft). Similar
facilities exist at the final stop, which offers one of the most magnificent
panoramic views of the ocean, beaches and mountains of the cities of Rio de
Janeiro and Niterói. The original cable car line was built in 1912 and rebuilt
around 1972/1973 and in 2008.
One of Rio’s icons, the impressive 40-meter-tall open-armed
saviour sits atop his not-so-lonely Corcovado Mountain, where he enjoys
unrivalled views (which surely explains the contented expression on his face).
The best way up is by cog train as it makes the short steep ascent through
well-preserved rain forest. Go early to beat the crowds. The Christ Redeemer statue [Cristo Redentor], a
monument of Jesus Christ, is a symbol of Christianity that became one of the
most internationally recognized icons of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is the
second biggest statue of Christ in the world with 38 meters high, and 710
meters of the Corcovado Hill, and 30 meters (98 ft) wide. It weighs
635 tonnes, and is located 709 meters above the sea level at the peak of the Corcovado
mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city.
It was
inaugurated in 1931, after nearly five years of work, and since 2003 it counts
on three glass-sided panoramic elevators, each able to carry 13 people, and
four escalators. Thus, there is no longer the need to climb 220 steps of stairs
that lead to the statue’s feet. Elected one of the new Seven Wonders of the
World in 2007, the Christ Redeemer has a privileged panoramic view of Rio de
Janeiro offered from its belvedere. The summit is reached by an electrified
train that leaves every 30 minutes from the station on Cosme Velho Street. The
20-minute train ride provides a nice ride through the tropical forest, the
world’s largest urban forest, along a steep and winding set of tracks.
The Copacabana Beach,
considered one of the most famous beaches in the world, is a mix of tradition,
glamour and glory. Bounded by the Atlantic Avenue, it is home to large events
such as world championships of beach soccer and volleyball, the stage of
concerts that bring together millions of people and the planet’s biggest New
Year’s Eve celebrations, with more than 3 million viewers in loco. The Copacabana promenade, a pavement landscape 4-kilometer
long, is a famous place to walk in Rio de Janeiro, where you can see sand
sculptures, the Copacabana Beach and statues that portray some renowned brazilian artists. One of them is the statue of Carlos Drummond de Andrade, a
famous poet that is admiring Copacabana from a seat in the promenade. The
geometric wave design of its black and white sidewalk is world famous and was
inspired by the sidewalk from Lisbon. Hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and
residential buildings dot the promenade. For seaside strolls, it’s hard to beat
Copacabana, with its comely crescent-shaped beach that stretches for 4 km
against a backdrop of dramatic forest-covered peaks. Eating and drinking kiosks
dot the shore – with kitchens cleverly hidden below ground – and make fine
places to rehydrate while admiring the view.
Even though Ipanema is the most world known, they are
considered to be twin for theirs high similarities. Both beaches have a common
point of geographic limit: the Alah Garden, a water channel that links the
Atlantic Ocean to Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. In all remaining aspects Ipanema
and Leblon beaches are very similar to each other but Ipanema became widely
known by the song “The Girl from
Ipanema”, written by Antonio (“Tom”) Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, with English lyrics written
later by Norman Gimbel. Vinicius and Tom penned their famous song in homage to
the young beauty who passed by their bar stools each sunny day. Besides those
magnificent beaches the tourist find himself around leafy streets dotted with
enticing outdoor cafes and restaurants, pricey boutiques and lively bars. These
famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro are urbans and have a broad band of soft sand,
with relatively strong waves. In extension, Ipanema doubles Leblon. Symbol of
music, art and bohemia, throughout its history, the beauty and charm of these
beaches served as inspiration for poets, writers and composers. Mostly Ipanema
beach, which is often a place of outdoor concerts. An extensive bike path and
several kiosks flank the four kilometers sidewalk by the beaches, which
stretches from the Arpoador to Alah Garden and, side by side, Leblon stretches
from Alah Garden to the mountaintop viewpoint, the Leblon Viewpoint, from where
you can have the finest view of both beaches. The beaches are used for practice
of various sports, including the skiboard surfing, racquetball, volleyball,
soccer and foot-volley.
The sunset is so fantastic that it is common to see
swimmers clapping to this scenario. Depending on the season of the year, the
sun sets in the sea horizon or behind the two spectacular mountains called the
Two Brothers, which rise at the western end of the beach. One interesting thing
about Ipanema beach is that there is a gay-friendly area, situated near the position
of “Posto 9” (lifeguard tower 9), near Farme de Amoedo Street, where there is
a rainbow flag flying in the air. At the end or beginning of the famous Leblon
beach, there is a scenic mountaintop viewpoint, the Leblon Viewpoint, where you
can contemplate a gorgeous bird’s-eye view of Ipanema and Leblon beaches
together and listen to the waves hitting the rocks right below. It is a great
spot for a romance or a date. Try climbing the viewpoint for the early morning
to enjoy the sunrise. The belvedere is made of a huge deck with wooden planks
supported on the rocks and garnished by a wooden fence. There are kiosks where
you can drink coconut water or a cold beer.
Even the carioca, the so-called native born in city, doesn’t know so much about
this surprising multipoint of wonderful views. The Two Brothers [Dois Irmãos] Viewpoint was constructed
in 1992 and is located at the bottom of Two Brothers Mountain. This an excellent walk uphill for high quality of life, starting at the end of Aperana Street, near Leblon Viewpoint. The park has leisure area with gardens, squares, playground, sports court, open-air theater, spot for a picnic, park for children and seven viewpoints from where you may see Christ Redeemer, Arpoador, Ipanema, Leblon
and São Conrado beaches, the sinuous
Niemeyer Avenue, Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Botanical Garden, Corcovado Mountain,
Jockey Club and Copacabana Beach. Woow! Is that enough?! What a place!
Lying just close to Ipanema and Leblon, the “Lake” is actually a saltwater lagoon and a favoured destination for
egrets as well as joggers and cyclists looping around the 7.5km-long shoreline
path. In the evening, outdoor restaurants near the lake’s edge make a fine
setting, great spot, for a sundowner, particularly Palaphita Kitch, an
open-air, thatched-roof wonderland with rustic bamboo furniture, flickering
tiki torches and a peaceful gardenlike setting on the edge of the lake. This is
a popular spot with couples, who come for the creative, tasty and pricey
cocktails and the fine views. You can run, walk, skate or cycle the 7.5km
around this freshwater lake and then retire to your luxurious penthouse
apartment, or just imagine it! Some have been known to swim in it although
pollution levels are not so low. Around Lagoa you can rent cycles, swan-shaped
pedalos and, on the western side near where the helicopters take off, electric
cars for the kids.
Mostly known as “Lagoa”, considered to be “The
Heart of Rio de Janeiro”, is a
lagoon and district in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Its neighborhood is an
upper middle-class and it has one of the largest human development indexes in
the country. The lagoon is connected to the Atlantic Ocean, allowing sea water
to enter by a channel along the edge of a park locally known as Alah Garden.
With 2.4 million square meters (0.93 square miles) of surface area, aquatic
sports such as rowing or simply biking happen around its reflecting water. It
is home to a rowing stadium, a paved biking path of 7.5 kilometers (more than
4.5 miles), diverse leisure equipment, and food kiosks that offer regional and
international gastronomy items. Some of the most important sports clubs in the
city are by the lagoon. It attracts quite a number of visitors during the
Christmas holidays due to its famous and gigantic Christmas Tree, which is
built over a floating platform that moves around the lagoon and during the
night, lightning lamps installed from bottom to top, flash, blink and change
multiple colors.
A few blocks west of Lagoa, the exotic Botanical
Gardens occupy 137 hectares and blossomed thanks to Dom João VI himself, who by
royal decree, ordered the garden’s creation in 1808. Over 5000 tropical species
are on view, including a fine orchid collection and the stunningly large
Vitoria Regia water lilies in the Amazonas section. This Botanical Garden is
one of the greatest tropical botanical gardens and arboretums of the world and
one of the most beautiful and best-preserved green areas in the city. The 137-hectare
park lies at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain and is an example of the
diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora with more than 6,000 different species
of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm
trees. Dom João VI, prince regent of the United Kingdom of Brazil and Portugal,
for introduction and acclimatizing economic beneficial plants brought from the
West Indies, the garden is an excellent place to visit in Rio de Janeiro for
those who wish to contemplate nature. The park, designated as a biosphere
reserve by UNESCO in 1992, also houses monuments of historical, artistic and
archaeological significance. A striking feature of the botanical garden is its
spectacular Avenue of Royal Palms, a 750 m line of 134 palms that measure about
100 feet (30 meters) high, leading from the entrance into the gardens. The
Central Fountain, located at the midpoint of the meeting of the alleys, is one
of the most beautiful attractions of the Garden. Made in England, it consists
of two basins, where four figures represent Music, Poetry, Science and Art. The
orchid house, with three thousand specimens of 600 different species, is
another rare beauty attraction in the garden.
The Vista Chinesa is a
monument located at 380 meters high in the Tijuca Forest, at the ascent of the “Alto da Boa Vista”. Famous for having an oriental style gazebo, with spectacular
views of the city of Rio de Janeiro, it has won an award in China as the best
Chinese portal outside this country. Its name dates from the reign of Dom João
VI, when Chinese who came to cultivate tea in Brazil were installed there. From
that point, at a glance, the visitors may admire Christ Redeemer, Sugar Loaf
Mountain, Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Botanical Garden, also Arpoador, Ipanema,
Leblon, Copacabana and São Conrado beaches, Corcovado, Pedra Bonita, Pedra da
Gávea and Dois Irmãos Mountains. Surely fantastic!
Pedra Bonita
is a deforested mountain with an altitude of 696 meters, covered, in the past
by Atlantic forest. From its top you can get a beautiful and closer view of Pedra
da Gávea, another seaside monolith,
close by its side. Rio de Janeiro is known worldwide as a perfect place for
hang gliding. Starting from Pedra Bonita bound to Cucumber [Pepino] Beach
you can take a hang glider flight and enjoy the beauties of the city from
another perspective. The view you get from the top of Pedra Bonita is
incredible, one of the best visuals of the city, so is the view from top of Pedra
da Gávea, simply amazing, breathtaking and stunning.
Almost simultaneously, the visitors may see
Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Restinga da Marambaia, Barra da Tijuca, São Conrado,
Christ Redeemer, Arpoador, Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana, Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon,
Botanical Garden, Corcovado Mountain, Jockey Club, Sugar Loaf Mountain,
Guanabara Bay, Niterói, Maracanã Soccer Stadium, Tom Jobim and Santos Dumont
airports, Flamengo Park and Glória Marine. Give yourself a break! Close your eyes and breathe in deeply three times!
Open your eyes. This is not the top of the world but… it seems to be!!
The 18 km long beach is the largest one in Rio de
Janeiro. Known simply as Barra, it starts at Morro do Joá and ends at the Recreio dos
Bandeirantes neighborhood, in Pontal de Sernambetiba. Most of its waters are
clear and green, and have an uncommon wave formation. Barra da Tijuca is
one of the most sought after beaches by surfers, fishing enthusiasts, bodyboarders,
kitesurfers and windsurfers. There is also a cycling lane along the
beach. The waves, depending on the month, are strong and quite big. Beachside
kiosks and sidewalk bar stand all along the way. One of the most amazing
regions inside Barra is the untouchable Reserva Beach where there are no buildings, only seaside kiosks to serve
drinks and appetizers. Barra da Tijuca
is a famous borough, located southwest of the city on the Atlantic Ocean.
Barra
is well known for its beaches, its uncountable lakes and rivers, and its highly
Americanized lifestyle. The atmosphere in Barra da Tijuca is more like that of
cities like Miami or Los Angeles. Although representing only 4.7% of the city
population and 13% of the total area of Rio de Janeiro, Barra is responsible
for 30% of all tax collected in the city. The neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca
is the cultural, economic, and administrative center of the borough, and is
believed to be the safest of Rio's upper-class neighborhoods due to its lack of
favelas and plentiful private and public security. Barra da Tijuca neighborhood
is well known for being the home of celebrities and soccer stars.
Sítio Burle Marx
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