Between the mountain and the sea: Rio’s great sights

About Between the mountain and the sea: Rio’s great sights

By the ULTIMATE Rio de Janeiro Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

UNESCO listed Rio de Janeiro as a World Heritage site in 2012 for its “Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea”: the forested peaks of the Tijuca, the Corcovado and Sugarloaf, the Botanic Garden, the Flamengo park and the curve of Copacabana beach. Below them, Centro keeps the city of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the port, rebuilt as Porto Maravilha, has the Museu do Amanhã and the Valongo Wharf, a World Heritage site of its own.

The peaks

Christ the Redeemer stands on the summit of the Corcovado, reached by the Trem do Corcovado from Cosme Velho (running since 1884, in its own words) or by the official vans from Paineiras. Sugarloaf is reached by the Bondinho, the cable car from Praia Vermelha in Urca, in two stages via the Morro da Urca; it has run since 1912.

The beaches

Copacabana runs from Leme to the fort at Posto 6, with its wave-patterned promenade; round the Pedra do Arpoador, Ipanema and Leblon run to the twin peaks of the Dois Irmãos. Beach life is organised by posto, the numbered lifeguard stations.

Go up the Corcovado early, before the cloud and the crowds, and save Sugarloaf for the late afternoon.

Centro and the port

The Theatro Municipal, the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, the Confeitaria Colombo and the Praça XV are all within a walk of each other in Centro. North of them, the Praça Mauá has the Museu do Amanhã and the MAR, and the Orla Conde runs along the water to the Valongo Wharf.

Santa Teresa and Lapa

The bonde, Rio’s old tram, climbs from Centro over the Arcos da Lapa into the lanes of Santa Teresa; the Escadaria Selarón links the two neighbourhoods in tiles.

Our advice: check the forecast and the summit webcams before you go up: on a cloudy day, swap the Corcovado for the museums of Centro.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Between the mountain and the sea: Rio’s great sights before you go.