Population: 8 million

Language: Portuguese

Currency: Real (R$)

Visas and immigration: Visas are not required for stays of up to 90 days for travellers from the United Kingdom.

Taxes: Usually incorporated into airfare.

Time: GMT -3

Climate: Summer (Dec-Mar) is warm and wet, up to 30°C; winter (Apr-Oct) is dry with blue skies.

Country code: +55

Health issues: Vaccinations: Polio, Tatanus, Typhoid, and Hepatitis A.Water: bottled water recommended.

Plug type: European and US 2-pin plugs.

Don’t forget to pack: Money belt, earplugs and walking shoes.

Be aware: Avoid carrying valuables or wearing expensive designer clothing.

Aeroporto Internacional Tom

Jobim is 15 km north of the city

centre. Taxis can be booked from

within the airport or picked up at

the stands outside the terminals.

Fixed-rate taxis charge around

US$30 from Jobim to Copacabana

and Ipanema and US$25 to the

city centre and Santa Teresa. Taxis

leave from the first floor of both

terminals.

Alternatively, there are frequent

bus services to the city running

between 0500 and 2400 and

costing around US$3.

The city is made up of separate

districts connected by urban

highways and tunnels heavy with

traffic so it’s best to use public

transport, such as the metro or

buses or taxis, to get around.

Hiring a car is recommended for

visiting the more remote areas in

Rio state but not for the city.

The Metrô costs US$1.60 for a

one-way journey. Buses run to all

parts, but should be treated with

caution at night, when taxis are a

better option. Taxis should always

be booked through a hostel or

hotel, or caught from a designated

taxi posto.

Head to Ipanema and Leblon for a large variety of cuisine including vegetarian, Japanese, Italian, French, Brazilian and South American fusion. Some restaurants have a beach view.

O Redentor – Christ the Redeemer Statue at Corcovado

39.6 metres tall, including its 9.5 metres pedestal, and 30 metres wide. Weighs 635 tonnes and

is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest

National Park overlooking the city. The statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil.

Essential Information

Arriving from the airport

Finding your way around

First night

Rio de Janeiro

Sugar Loaf

The western hemisphere’s most

famous monolith rises almost

sheer from the dark sea, towers

over Botafogo beach and boasts

unforgettable views out over

Copacabana, Ipanema and

the mountains and forests of

Corcovado and Tijuca. A cable

car is open daily 0800-1950, costs

US$25 and runs to the top where

there are extensive paths, plentiful

shade and snack bars.

Lagoa de Freitas

Surrounded by a series of parks,

the Lagoa is another of Rio de

Janeiro’s unfeasibly beautiful

natural sights and has long been

admired. It is best seen in the

early evening when thick golden

sunlight bathes the rainforest-clad

slopes of the Serra da Carioca,

which rise high above it to reach

their spectacular pinnacle with

the distant xenon-white statue of

Christ. Best accessed by bus.

Santa Teresa

Nowhere in this city of distinct

neighbourhoods is more of a

world unto itself than Santa Teresa.

The neighbourhood has a strong

community identity forged by one

of the highest concentrations of

artists, writers and musicians in

the city, who congregate in bars

like O Mineiro on the Largo dos

Guimarães or Bar Porto das Neves

on the Largo das Neves.

Ipenema and Leblon

Ipanema and Leblon are essentially one long curving beach enclosed by

the monolithic Dois Irmãos rocks at the western end and the Arpoador

rocks to the east. Almost all of the city’s best restaurants and bars are

here. Both Ipenema and Leblon have metro stations.

Christ statue at Corcovado

O Redentor – Christ the Redeemer,

towers over a panoply of bays,

fringed with white and backed

by twinkling skyscrapers. A cog

railway operates daily 0830-1830

and costs US$8 one-way, US$15

return. To get to the cog railway

station take a taxi or bus to Cosme

Velho and get off at the station.

Top 5 sights and attractions

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Travel to the pretty colonial port of

Paraty, which is surrounded by beautiful

beaches or fly to São Paulo for a taste of

the city’s restaurants and nightlife.

Where next?

House door of the beautiful Portuguese colonial town of Paraty in Rio de Janeiro state.