Sights

 

• Corcovado with Cristo Redentor. The funicular train up costs R$62 (low season) or R$75 (high season) for a round trip up to Cristo Redentor, and it is definitely worth the view. The queue for the train, in Cosme Velho, can get rather long; you purchase a ticket for a particular departure time (that day only). The box office at the station does not sell same-day tickets. The trains run every 30 minutes. Try going when the morning coach parties have already passed through, i.e. when most tourists are having their lunch. Don’t take the train too late in the day since late afternoon trains may be cancelled if delays throughout the day build up. This is common over holiday weekends. Take a taxi to Cosme Velho, or take the Metro-Onibus Expresso combination (see above) from the Largo do Machado station. If you opt for a taxi to go up instead of the funicular, it’s R$20 round-trip to enter the park, then another R$18 or so for the shuttle up to the monument. After dark, be aware that the steep descent down Corcovado in a shuttle can be dangerous since some less-professional park drivers choose to speed down the mountain to create a roller coaster type effect and even turn the headlights off temporarily to thrill the passengers. If this occurs, passengers should tell the driver to stop by shouting “Pare!” (PAH-ree). Report any such conduct to a police officer at the base of the park before you descend to the base of the mountain by taxi. There’s also a hiking trail that begins at Parque Lage and gets there (see Hiking and Trekking on the ‘Do’ section below).
• Pão de Açúcar. The Sugarloaf mountains (one taller, the other shorter), Brazil’s top landmark, with a two-stage aerial tramway to the top; a definite must see. There is also an unsigned trail leading to the second station, however tickets to the top are not available anymore at this point. Ask locals for directions. The buses number 511, 512, 591 and 592 and the subway buses from Botafogo bring you to the base station. Do not make the mistake of thinking you have seen enough once you have seen the view from Cristo Redentor. Try Sugarloaf at sunset for a truly mind-blowing experience.R$85 (the way back is free after 7PM), 50 % student discount, even for foreign students.
• Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas – A large lagoon in the middle of South Zone, with great views to Corcovado and Ipanema and Leblon beaches; you can jog or cycle all the way round; there are skating areas and you can hire little pedal-operated boats.
• Streetcar of Santa Teresa – The tram is closed because of accidents, but it is planned to reopen.
• Maracanã – The largest football stadium in South America and once the largest on Earth. It is in a state of disrepair following the Summer 2016 Olympics, and daily tours have been suspended. There is also a Soccer Museum inside it.
• Parque Lage – A small park, once a private mansion, which is now home to a school of fine arts. Contains some interesting plants and wildlife as well as strange concrete structures that will entertain the kids. The park is the beginning of a hiking trail Corcovado, through sub-tropical rain forest (see Hiking and Trekking under the ‘Do’ section)
• Jardim Botanico – The Botanical Garden, planted in the 1800s. It is both a park and a scientific laboratory. It contains a huge collection of plants from all over the world, not only tropical ones. Jardim Botanico is also the name of a neighborhood, so make sure you take the right bus to the entrance. The admission is R$6. The gardens are well kept and very lush. Not far from the cafe, first you hear swooshing sounds. Look up and you can see small monkeys swinging from tree to tree.

Buildings

• Paço Imperial (1743) – Old Imperial Palace (though impressively modest), colonial architecture (in downtown, next to Praça XV, Fifteen Square).
• Casa França Brasil (1820) – French cultural centre, with gallery and video hall (in downtown, next to CCBB).
• CCBB – Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (1906) – A cultural centre with gallery, movie theater, video room, library and stages; usually hosts the main exhibitions in town (in downtown). An interesting building with old-fashioned elevators/lifts.
• Candelária Church – Neoclassic cathedral (next to CCBB).
  Inside Candelária cathedral, in downtown.
• Mosteiro de São Bento (1663) – Saint Benedict’s Monastery, colonial architecture (in downtown).
• Ilha Fiscal Palace (1889) – Located in the Guanabara Bay, next to the Navy Museum
• Gloria Church (1739). Small but interesting church reached by a funicular. Nice views. (metro: Gloria)
• Palácio Gustavo Capanema – Former ministry of culture, designed by French architect Le Corbusier; though small, it is regarded as an important pioneering in modern architecture (downtown).
• Arcos da Lapa (1750) – Lapa Aqueduct, colonial structure that brought water from springs to downtown.
• Catedral Metropolitana – a modern, cone-shaped cathedral, designed by Edgar de Oliveira da Fonseca (in Lapa).
• São Francisco da Penitência church (1773) – Colonial church.
• Teatro Municipal (1909) – City Theater, inspired by the Paris Opéra House (in Cinelândia square).
• Biblioteca Nacional (1910) – National Library (in Cinelândia square).
• Câmara Municipal – The City Hall, hosts the city council (in Cinelândia square).
• Palácio do Catete – The former presidential palace (1893-1960), now hosts a museum of recent history and nice gardens (in Catete).

• Itamaraty – Former presidential palace (1889-1893) and foreign office; now hosts a museum of South American diplomacy, a library and the UN information offices in Brazil (in Downtown, next to the Central station).
• Palácio Guanabara – Former palace of the Imperial Princess, now governor’s office; eclectic architecture; not open to public (in Laranjeiras).
• Art Deco. Rio is a major centre for the Art Deco style of architecture. Indeed, the statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado is considered a classic example of Art Deco work. There are numerous buildings in Copacabana and elsewhere that employ this style.

Museums

There is no shortage of things to do on a rainy day. In addition to a wide range of museums, Rio has many cultural centres, which are run by banks and other organizations and usually host free exhibitions. Details of what is on can be found in the Segundo Caderno section of the daily O Globo newspaper, which provides more detail in a weekly Friday supplement. Also very useful is the Mapa das Artes Rio de Janeiro, which provides detailed bi-monthly listings as well as detailed maps of the city. This is free and can be picked up at most museums.

Downtown

• Museu Histórico Nacional (National Museum of History) – A museum of Brazilian history stretching from colonial to imperial times; big collection of paintings, and artifacts (downtown).
• Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) – Includes large paintings from Academicist and Neoclassical Brazilian artists, as well as many copies of European sculptures (downtown, Cinelândia square).
• MAM – Museu de Arte Moderna (Museum of Modern Art) – The second most important contemporary art museum in Brazil, after MASP (downtown, next to Santos Dumont airport). Modernist architecture spreading over almost the sea.
• Museu da Imagem e do Som (Image and Sound Museum) – For researchers about Brazilian film, radio, and broadcasting industry (downtown).
• Museu Naval (Navy Museum) – Located downtown not far from the ferry terminal. (www.mar.mil.br/dphdm/)
• Museu do Carnaval (Museum of Carnaval) – History of Brazilian carnival and parades (in downtown, next to the Sambódromo).
• Museu Chácara do Céu – An important collection of South American modern art (in Santa Tereza).

Carnaval

Still the greatest reason for visiting Rio seems to be the Carnaval. This highly-advertised party lasts for almost two weeks and it is well known for the escolas de samba (samba schools) that parade in Centro, on a gigantic structure called Sambódromo(Sambadrome). During Carnaval, Rio has much more to offer though, with the blocos de rua, that parade on the streets. There are now hundreds of these street “samba blocks”, that parade almost in every neighborhood, especially in Centro and the South Zone, gathering thousands of people. Some are very famous, and there are few cariocas that have not heard of “Carmelitas”, “Suvaco de Cristo”, “Escravos da Mauá” or “Simpatia É Quase Amor”.

The rest of the year, samba shows are popular with tourists, and are held at several venues like Plataforma and Scala. These are expensive and not really representative of Brazilian culture, they present a lot of almost naked women and bad musicians, a tourist trap (much like the real thing.) Much more interesting and genuine, though, are the night practice sessions held by the various samba schools in the months leading up to Carnaval. You will find only a small number of tourists here, and you will be served the best caipirinhas of your trip! These go on into the wee hours of the morning, with the fun really only starting at 1-2AM A good cab driver should be able to hook you up, and cabs will be available to take you back when you are samba-ed out. Salgueiro and Mangueira are good choices, as they are two of the larger samba schools, and are located relatively close to the tourist areas in a fairly safe area.

A change is afoot that may make this genuine experience a thing of the past (or more convenient, depending on your viewpoint) for all but the most savvy tourists. The local government built a complex of buildings (Cidade do Samba) where many of the samba schools are moving their practice halls and float-construction facilities from the gritty warehouses typically located in or near their home favelas. One can expect many more tourists, and shows made-up for the tourists as the tourist bureau milks this facility for all it’s worth year-round.