A city of uninhibited and insolent joie de vivre, Rio de Janeiro never leaves indifferent those who discover it for the first time. It exalts our five senses: the beauty of the sites and bodies is everywhere, the smells of the city, the forest and the sea, the joyful sounds of the beaches and lively neighborhoods, the touch of the warm wind constantly excite our sensuality and the exotic tastes of tropical fruit juices make us happy and amazed. To know Rio is to come into contact at least once in your life with an art of living that borders on happiness.
In Rio, colorful visits
First of all, honor the most visited monument: Corcovado and its statue of Christ the Redeemer. The view is exceptional and will allow you to understand the topography of the city: the right hand of the statue shows the beaches and residential neighborhoods that make up the chic zone of Rio. The left hand shows the downtown area and the popular neighborhoods in the north of the city. To get there, simply go to the funicular station, located in the Cosme Velho neighborhood. For a minimum of three people, a cab will be cheaper and will allow you to stop at the Dona Marta lookout, which offers the best view of the Sugar Loaf, the other calling card of the city. Less high than the Corcovado (396 meters), the ascent is more spectacular because it is done on board a cable car - to be done absolutely in the late afternoon to appreciate the sunset on the city. The departure is made in the district of Urca, next to Copacabana.
Once you've seen the city from above, you have to walk around it, starting with the historical center, which allows you to understand its development - to be done on foot, preferably on a weekday, because the center (which is also the business district) is deserted on weekends. From the 16thcentury São Bento Monastery with its baroque gilding, the 18thcentury Viceroy's Palace, the early 20thcentury Opera House to the Palácio Capanema by Niemeyer and Costa, the founders of Brasilia, the district gathers all the architectural testimonies of the different eras of Brazilian history. Spend between half a day and a full day there, depending on your cultural desires.
But Rio is above all a city of the outdoors, and for nature lovers, two visits are a must: the famous Botanical Garden, founded by Emperor Dom Pedro II in 1822, is a giant herbarium of Brazilian flora. A visit to the Tijuca Forest is also a must: it is the largest urban forest in the world. Completely enclosed in Rio, the sportsmen will be able to make abseiling, climbing, mountain biking, or more simply trekking. The most courageous will be able to go hang-gliding or paragliding from Pedra Bonita, in a double flight with an instructor.
Finally, two nearby cities deserve a nice day trip: Niterói, located on the other side of the bay, offers one of the most beautiful views of Rio, and is the occasion to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art - a flying saucer created by Oscar Niemeyer - as well as the "Niemeyer path", a recent tribute to the most famous Brazilian architect composed of eight of his works. Petrópolis, 69 kilometers away in the mountains, offers a trip back in time with a visit to the Imperial Museum, former palace of the Brazilian emperors of the 19thcentury.
Beaches, gastronomy, parties: the carioca art of living
What about the beach? In Rio, the beach is part of everyday life, waking up with the runners and going to bed with the soccer players. It is a place where you meet with friends or colleagues at the number 4 post (the lifeguard posts are numbered from 1 to 12 between Copacabana and Leblon), where you look at the latest trends in swimwear, where you drink beers while enjoying grilled cheese, where you always buy something useless from the street vendors, and where the regulars play their game of beach volleyball or beach soccer Visiting the beach is a must if you want to enjoy Rio. Ipanema, the trendiest beach, keeps its clichés and the tribes displayed are the following: at station 7 the surfers, at station 8 the gays, at station 9 the hippies-chic and at station 10 the B.C.B.G.
Rio is also about the pleasure of the table, and the city offers a wide range of options to satisfy every palate. One of them is the famous churrascarias, restaurants where the meat, grilled on a spit, is served at will directly to your plate. This would be a mortal sin in any other place in the world, but fortunately the sin does not exist in Rio! But the relaxation is more evident in the botequim (between the bar and the bistro). Not always very clean (hence the nickname pé sujo, or "dirty foot"), everyone has their own in their neighborhood. The botequim is frequented like this: after a few hours on the beach and with a well-burned skin, drink a few ice-cold beers while chatting with your neighbor. You can also eat friendly food at unbeatable prices in the comida a kilo, a kind of neighborhood canteen where you pay for food by weight. Finally, for a refreshing break, try the fresh exotic fruit juices of the sucos (juice) bars without moderation. In addition to the well-known exotic fruits, they offer many fruits endemic to the Amazon (maracaju, guarana, etc.).
After dark, the best neighborhood to go out is Lapa, where the bars are among the best in the city. They are always full from Wednesday to Saturday and you can find a real Carioca spirit with bands playing samba, forró, chorinho and other dance music. The best time to experience the festive Rio is during the Brazilian summer, which runs from November to March, and culminates in Carnival. During this period, samba school rehearsals, blocos (groups that parade in the streets) rehearsals, and all kinds of demonstrations make Rio a perpetually festive city. The influx of Brazilian and foreign tourists also contributes to the feeling that half of the population is always on vacation in Rio.
The carnival of Rio de Janeirothe biggest party in the world
Rio is without a doubt the most organized carnival in the world. The carnival officially lasts five days, from Friday night until Shrove Tuesday (February 17 to 21 this year). The climax of these five days of celebration is of course the parade of the samba schools: the 12 best schools of the city parade two nights in a row in front of 80,000 spectators installed on the terraces of the avenue Marquês de Sapucai, the official address of the Sambodrome.
Each school composes its performance around a theme, called theenredo: politics, nature, sports, art, music, etc. It also invents its own song, some of which will become famous, creates costumes, choreographies and multicolored floats, and rehearses for several months. Sunday and Monday nights of carnival are the key days when the best schools parade, each with 80 minutes and 3,500 to 4,000 participants dressed up and waving to amaze the crowd and the jurors present.
At the end of the two days of parades, a jury of experts distributes marks referring to each dimension of the parade (it is close to the method used in figure skating). One thing is sure, attending the carnival parade is a unique and incredible experience. We can only warmly recommend it to you!
Smart info
When is it? The southern summer (between December and March) is the best time for those who want to experience Rio de Janeiro to the fullest. To attend the 2023 edition of the famous carnival, go to the Brazilian city between February 17 and 21.
To get there. Count on about 11h30 for a direct flight between Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
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