Rio de Janeiro The Carnival City

Rio is a city we have visited twice, well to be honest the first visit was part of a cruise itinerary and lasted only 12 hours but the second was at the end of that same trip for a few days, but in those two short visits we crammed most things in and it was then I caught the bug ......!

that bug being the Rio Bug... because if there is one city in the world I am looking forward to going back to ( and we will) its Rio. It is everything you expect, and then some.

Rio is truely magical well known for its beaches, Sugarloaf Mountain, Carnival, Christ the Redeemer Statue & of course the national sport football. ( Soccer for my American friends)

Saftey

This is normally one of the first topics that people who have not visited Rio raise with you. Due to some unsavoury incidents and news reporting over the years much of it justified. However Rio has improved since Rio hosted the Football World Cup and the Olympics but it would be naive and wrong not to acknowledge that there remain areas that tourists should not venture into, and also that you are visiting a city where extremely poverty lives right next door to extreme wealth and as a result its prudent for any visitor to be sensible about how they travel around the city and how they act. So in short best not ware a expensive watch, don't flash the cash etc etc simple steps like these make you less of a target, in fact they are sensible steps to take in any major city in the world, but to be honest we felt fine and never under threat and there are plenty of visitor friendly areas to enjoy freely.

Some simple tips;

1 Dress appropriately

2 Take a taxi when travelling from area to area.

3 Don't walk in areas you don't know at night in particular.

4 Only carry enough cash as you require.

5 Be aware of your surroundings.

Taxi's and Getting around Rio.

Rio has licensed taxi's they are yellow with a blue strip and red number plate, they are safe to use. However there can to a language issue with English speaking tourists because you quickly find out English is not spoken widely in the general population including taxi drivers.

Better option is UBER, yes its available and is safe plus there is then no confusion over price or where you are going, as it is all there on the App.

Finally you can get your hotel to call you a cab, these are normally licensed private hire vehicles with no markings they can be more expensive that the normal taxi's or Uber but are safe and reliable.

Another option for getting around this vast city is the metro which is considered safe but plan your route and stops in advance, mainly due to the language issue again, and also avoid the rush hour times as it then gets very busy. Also like any metro system the world over be sensible.

One interesting point is the metro has woman only cabs so be aware of them.

Definitely avoid any unlicensed cabs and also Rio's network of mini buses which are not recommended for tourists.

Where to stay

This is a vast city and there are therefore plenty of choice of hotels and apartments of all standards to pick from as well as hostel's for people on a budget. So I will concentrate on a couple of areas to base your stay.

We stayed on Copacabana and I would highly recommend staying in this area, its safe, its vibrant has loads of restaurants bars and cafes to enjoy and you can walk around even at night and of course you have the beach which is fantastic.

Another area is the one you will know from the song !! Inpanema like Copacabana its a beach area and has some excellent hotels and apartments. You can also find some really top end restaurants to enjoy here again its safe to walk around.

Finally for the younger at heart, possibly on a budget or back packing another area which is full of a younger vibe with nightlife to match is Lapa. Here you will find budget hotels and hostel's its a safe area to stay but don't walk out of it get a taxi particular at night.

Finally a hotel recommendation,

I have already said we stayed on Copacabana and the hotel we used was excellent so comes recommended, it was the PortoBay Rio de Janeiro Hotel. It's right on the beach with a fantastic rooftop pool and bar. Its very central on Copacabana with its own section of serviced area on the beach. Rooms were a good size and comfortable. Plus hotel staff were friendly and helpful.

Copacabana Beach from PortoBay Hotel

View from rooftop bar PortoBay Hotel Rio

Night view from Hotel on Copacabana Beach

View opposite direction along beach

Myself and my Logistics Manager at the PotoBay Hotel Rio.

Visiting the iconic Attractions

So what to see and do in Rio, well there is plenty to choose from, so let's cover a few of the popular toursist spots that we visited.

But first thing its prudent to point out here and I have already alluded to is, Rio is a vast city with a huge population and there all travelling within it. So its busy and the traffic can be horrendous, its not often in Rio you need your higher gears because it is a slow drive, so factor that into any schedule or plan you have.

Also the iconic attractions are what everyone wants to see so at Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf expect queues and they can at certain times be long.

Christ the Redeemer

This iconic statue sits high above the city on top of Mount Corcovado, the way to visit it is to make your way to the visitor center at the mountain then you have a couple of options, you can use one of the official vans that drive up the mountain to the statue, or like us you can take the more popular option which is to use the Cog Train up. You can get tickets online so to reduce that queuing time its recommended. The train rises through initially a urban area before more lush jungle where you get glimpses of the views's across the city. Once there you have more steps till your at the base of the 30 meter high statue. Its is busy up there with everyone trying to get that special photo, but its worth it to see the statue close up as well as the views from the top. There is a small shop/cafe there where you can get a refreshment.

That must have photo.

Sugar Loaf Mountain

Another classic that must be done, and on a personal note I think this is a much better place to get those pictures of Rio and its islands and bay from high up. I really enjoyed our trip up Sugar Loaf. This time to get up you have to use the cable car, in fact its two cable cars, you go up to a stop off point half way up then onto a second car to reach the top. (Its worth stressing again the cable cars get busy so once again there is the wait in line, so plan ahead and book online to try and reduce that wait.) There is plenty of vantage points to take pictures at both cable car stops as well as places to grab a refreshment. There is much more space up there also than at Christ the Redeemer.

On our way up to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain

Views from the top are really worth it.

Maracana Stadium

Confession time, I am a huge football fan so this was my must do for me on our visit to Rio. The Maracana is one of the world's most iconic football stadiums. It has undergone a modern transformation in recent years for the Olympics and football World Cup Final but retains its magic for all of the games fans. We did a tour of the stadium which includes the museum that gives some of the history of the stadium and Brazilian football including some of the legends of the game like Pele, Garrincha and Ronaldo. Not expensive and if you like football really enjoyable.

Dreaming of managing the world champions

Within the Maracana

Another view of the stadium

Maracana Museum

Selaron Steps

Selaron Steps also known as Escadaria Selaron is a famous art work by Chilean born artist Jorge Selaron who stated it was a tribute to the Brazilian people. He lived in Rio and began to renovating and decorating dilapidated steps that ran outside his house, this grew over the years into his obsession and at the same time a Rio toursist attraction. It took many years and he sold paintings to complete it but eventually he covered all the stairs in tiles, the prominent colours being blue green and yellow the colours of the Brazilian flag, its is quiet a unusual site to see and worth a look.

Selaron Steps

Logistics Manager on the steps

Visiting the steps

Spotted a reference to home on the steps

Santa Teresa Tram

This is a historic tram in Rio that runs from the city center up the hills to the neighbourhood of Santa Teresa. The tram is open sided giving you great views on the way up through urban neighbourhoods. Once there Santa Teresa itself is worth a wander around it has a collection of elegant old mansions, a few boutique hotels and a number of quirky cocktail bars some with great views out over the bay.

The Santa Teresa Tram

A view of the tram, oh and Logistics Manager 😊

Confeitaria Colombo

Possible the most famous coffee house in Rio, it is the oldest and definitely one you have to try and not just for the coffee, the cakes are something else... 👍

Confeitaria Colombo Coffee House

Copacabana & Ipanema Beaches

Well after all Rio is all about the beach and its inhabitants do love it, and if you lived near some of the beaches it has so would you. As a tourist both Copacabana and Ipanema are brilliant for a day at the beach they truely are something else. Enjoy the sun see and sand.

The Girl from Ipanema

Well when in Rio do as the locals do, it was great.

Carnival

Ok we were not lucky enough to visit at the time of the Carnival which is around February and lasts a full week. It is official holiday in Rio and the full city parties, with each neighbourhood having its own small Carnival or celebrations and with the main competition Carnival where local Samba Schools compete against each other the crowned champions at the end of Carnival. This main Competition takes place in a purpose built Mile long stadium / avenue with stands on each side. You can visit the site and we did, we also met one of the participants.

Samba dancer in full costume with a local 😄

The Stadium where the carnival parade takes place.

Recommendation for a local guide.

My top tip to see this city and all it has to offer is seriously considered hiring a local guide, it really will help smooth your way around this vast busy vibrant city. Its always good to tap into local knowledge and experience. If your a confident traveller then yes the city and be done on your own BUT there are times its good to have guidance. We did use a guide for some of our stay and one I have no hesintation in saying was one of the best we have ever used in all our travels. So he comes highly recommended. He has great reviews on Trip advisor, you can see here Tour Guide Gus

He is also to plan tailor made trips including day excursion if you visit Rio from a cruise ship.

He was always on time, planned the trip as you wanted, was full of information and .ocal tips and even managed to get us tickets for a Samba show and then booked into a very busy restaurant. If you want to use him his e mail address is gusguide@hotmail.com

Tips for visiting Rio

1 Hire a local guide

2 Be aware of your surroundings and plan ahead

3 Have a open mind its a new culture

4 Don't expect people to speak or understand English many won't

5 Travel between areas in taxis particularly at night

So thats another destination done, but its a big world out there so where should we go to next ?

Keep following and find out.

Thanks