Rio de Janeiro

Brazil·South America

Currency

BRL

Language

Portuguese

Timezone

Sao Paulo

Continent

South America

Our guide

Discover Rio de Janeiro

Rio is built between mountain and ocean, and the two contest every metre. Christ the Redeemer commands the city from Corcovado, which a rack railway climbs through the forest. Sugarloaf is taken by cable car and supplies the other half of the panorama, the one facing the bay. Below, the beaches are not scenery but daily life: Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon run on for kilometres. The Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí, empty eleven months a year, makes sense in February.

When to go

Southern hemisphere. May to October, the austral winter, is dry, mild and bright — the best stretch for walking and climbing. December to March is hot and heavy with short storms; it is also beach season and Carnival, whose date moves between February and early March depending on the year. Book far ahead if you are aiming for that week.

Getting around

The metro, two main lines, serves the coastal strip from Copacabana to Ipanema and the centre well. Ride-hailing apps are widely used, often preferred to taxis, and stay affordable. The Corcovado train and the Sugarloaf cable car are transport as much as attraction, and are booked ahead in season. The seafront districts walk well; the rest does not — Rio stretches nearly fifty kilometres.

Where to eat

Feijoada, a black bean and pork stew, is traditionally eaten on Saturday and takes the whole afternoon. Churrasco comes on the skewer, without limit. Pão de queijo goes with the morning coffee, açaí is taken frozen in the middle of the day. The botequim, the corner bar, is the city's social institution: very cold beer and small plates. A caipirinha is made with cachaça, not vodka. No halal address is listed in our data.

Good to know

The real is the currency and cards work almost everywhere. Safety asks for common sense rather than fear: little on show at the beach, phone away on the street, and ask locally about a district before walking it at night. The sun is stronger than it feels because of the sea breeze. Portuguese dominates; Spanish helps less than you would hope and English stays limited outside tourist areas.

Smart Planning