Rio De Janeiro
Brazilian Food in Rio — Churrasco, Feijoada, Açaí & Carioca Cuisine
Brazilian cuisine in Rio de Janeiro — the most accessible, varied, and affordable food culture in South America — is shaped by the extraordinary biodiversity of Brazil (the most biodiverse country on Earth), the three-way cultural fusion of indigenous Brazilian, Portuguese colonial, and African slave heritage, and the particular Carioca food traditions that have developed in Rio's specific social context: the beach, the favela, the churrascaria, and the Saturday feijoada are the defining food experiences of Rio.
Rio Carnival — Sambódromo, Samba Schools & the World's Greatest Party
Rio Carnival (Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro — the annual pre-Lent celebration held in Rio de Janeiro in February or March, the largest carnival in the world by attendance (approximately 2 million people per day for 5 days, total of approximately 5 million participants) and by international reputation): the centrepiece of Rio Carnival is the Sambódromo Marquês de Sapucaí (the 700-metre parade avenue designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, built 1984, seating 90,000 spectators) where the samba school parade competitions take place over two nights.
Niterói, Oscar Niemeyer's MAC & the View Back Across Guanabara Bay
Niterói (the city of 500,000 inhabitants directly across Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro, accessible by ferry from the Praça XV terminal in 20 minutes — the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro until 1975) is the location of the Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói (MAC Niterói, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, completed 1996 — one of the most celebrated buildings of the late 20th century and Niemeyer's own favourite among his works): a flying-saucer-shaped white structure cantilevered from a single 9-metre concrete column on the edge of a cliff above the bay.
Christ the Redeemer, Corcovado Mountain & the Tijuca Forest
Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor — the Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ on the 710-metre summit of Corcovado mountain, overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, completed October 12, 1931, designed by sculptor Paul Landowski and engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, 38 metres tall including the 8-metre pedestal, 28 metres wide at the outstretched arms, weighing 635 tonnes, clad in 6 million soapstone tiles — one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and the most recognizable monument in South America) stands at the heart of Tijuca National Park — the largest urban rainforest in the world.
Jardim Botânico — Rio's Royal Botanical Garden & the Avenue of Palms
Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (Royal Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro — Rua Jardim Botânico 1008, adjacent to the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in the South Zone, founded 1808 by King João VI of Portugal during the Portuguese royal family's exile in Brazil, 137 hectares, containing over 8,000 plant species including approximately 6,500 tropical and subtropical species from Brazil and around the world): the Jardim Botânico is one of the great botanical gardens of the world and the most important institution for the study of Brazilian tropical flora.
Sugarloaf Mountain, Cable Car & Guanabara Bay
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar — the iconic 396-metre granite and quartz monolith at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, accessible by cable car (bondinho) from the Praia Vermelha beach in Urca, the mid-station on Morro da Urca (215 m), and the Sugarloaf summit — one of the 50 most visited tourist attractions in the world and the defining natural landmark of the city of Rio de Janeiro, offering a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, the bay, and the surrounding mountains.
Santa Teresa — Bohemian Hilltop Neighbourhood & the Historic Tram
Santa Teresa (the hilltop neighbourhood overlooking central Rio, between the Centro Histórico and the Tijuca Forest, accessible by the historic Santa Teresa tram (bonde) from the Lapa Arches — the most atmospheric neighbourhood in Rio and the traditional home of Rio's artistic and intellectual community): the neighbourhood's cobblestone streets, 19th-century colonial mansions converted to artists' studios, boutique hotels, and restaurants, and its extraordinary views over Guanabara Bay and the city centre make it the most photogenic neighbourhood in Rio.
Copacabana, Ipanema & Leblon — Rio's Famous Atlantic Beaches
The South Zone beaches of Rio de Janeiro — Copacabana (4.0 km, the world's most famous urban beach), Arpoador (the rocky headland between Copacabana and Ipanema, the best surf spot in the city), Ipanema (2.9 km, immortalized by the 1964 bossa nova song 'The Girl from Ipanema'), and Leblon (1.3 km, the most exclusive residential neighbourhood in Rio) — form a continuous 8-kilometre arc of Atlantic beach that is the defining feature of Rio's identity and the social heart of Carioca (Rio) life.
Centro Histórico, Lapa Arches & Colonial Rio de Janeiro
The Centro Histórico (historical centre) of Rio de Janeiro — the oldest part of the city, founded 1565, containing the principal architectural heritage of the colonial, imperial, and early republican periods of Brazilian history: the Praça XV de Novembro (the main square of colonial Rio, where the Portuguese royal family disembarked in 1808 and where Emperor Pedro I declared Brazilian independence in 1822), the Confeitaria Colombo (the famous 1894 Art Nouveau café), and the Lapa Arches (the colonial-era aqueduct of 1723) are the most visited sites in the historic centre.