UltimateCity Guide Rio de Janeiro
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Stories from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Rio de Janeiro City Guide, in one place.

Culture

Arts + Culture

All of Arts & Culture

The MAM on the bay, the MAR at Praça Mauá, opera at the Theatro Municipal and the samba schools of the Carnival.

The gilded auditorium of the Theatro Municipal, with an orchestra on stageArts + CultureArts & Culture in RioMuseums, music and the Carnival

Areas

Rio, beach by beach and hill by hill

Seven neighbourhoods, each with its own guide: the great curve of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon under the Dois Irmãos, Santa Teresa on its hill above Lapa, the old Centro and the rebuilt port, Botafogo and Urca round the bay to Sugarloaf, the Lagoa under the Christ, and Barra to the west.

The long curve of Copacabana beach and its seafront blocks, seen from the hill at LemeNeighbourhood guideCopacabana & LemeThe Palace and the promenadeTurquoise water at Ipanema, with the Dois Irmãos and the beachfront beyondNeighbourhood guideIpanema & LeblonThe beach, the boutiques and the starsThe red, yellow, green and blue tiled steps of the Escadaria SelarónNeighbourhood guideSanta Teresa & LapaThe tram, the steps and the sambaThe façade of the Theatro Municipal, with its green and gold domes and eagleNeighbourhood guideCentro & Porto MaravilhaTheatres, tearooms and the portBotafogo bay with Sugarloaf beyond, the Flamengo park and the seafront road in the foregroundNeighbourhood guideBotafogo, Urca & FlamengoSugarloaf and the bay

On the beach

Rio’s beaches are measured in postos, the numbered lifeguard stations: tell a friend you’ll meet at Posto 9, and they’ll know exactly where to find you.

  1. Neighbourhood guideLagoa, Jardim Botânico & GáveaUnder the Corcovado
  2. Neighbourhood guideBarra da Tijuca & São ConradoThe west

Practical

Before you go

The e-visa for some passports, arriving at Galeão or Santos Dumont, the Carnival dates for 2027, and three days that work for a first visit.

The long curve of Copacabana beach and its seafront blocks, seen from the hill at LemeBefore you goRio essentialsEntry, money, safety and 192A MetrôRio train arriving at an open-air stationGetting aroundGetting aroundThe airports, the metro, the VLT and the ferryChrist the Redeemer on the Corcovado and Sugarloaf in silhouette at sunrise, above the bay and the cityItineraryRio in three daysThe Christ, Sugarloaf, the beaches and Santa TeresaCopacabana beach seen from the sea, with the white façade of the Copacabana Palace among the seafront buildings and the hills behindLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe Copacabana Palace’s pool with its blue mosaic and green parasols, the hotel’s white façade and the beach beyondItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Palace, Mee and Oro
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Fasano, Lasai and Sugarloaf at sunset

Our advice

Go up the Corcovado early

Take one of the first trains from Cosme Velho, before the cloud and the crowds, and keep Sugarloaf for the late-afternoon light. On a cloudy day, swap the peaks for the museums of Centro. Rio’s great sights

Day trips

Beyond Rio

The mountains of Petrópolis are a morning’s drive north; Búzios lies east along the coast, Paraty and Ilha Grande west on the Costa Verde, and Niterói a ferry ride across the bay.

The pink façade of the Museu Imperial and its clipped hedges in PetrópolisBeyond RioPetrópolisThe imperial cityThe bay of Búzios and its boats seen from the garden of the Igreja de Sant’AnnaBeyond RioBúziosA peninsula of beachesA cobbled street of whitewashed colonial houses with blue and yellow doors in ParatyBeyond RioParatyA colonial town on the bayThe long white sand of Lopes Mendes beach on Ilha GrandeBeyond RioIlha GrandeAn island without carsThe Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói at sunset, framing Sugarloaf across the bayBeyond RioNiteróiAcross the bay to Niemeyer

Our advice

Give Paraty and Ilha Grande a night each

Both are a long way from Rio along the Costa Verde. Stay a night in Paraty for the schooners, and travel light to Ilha Grande, where there are no cars and everything is carried by foot or boat. Paraty

In depth

Rio in depth

The peaks and the beaches, the table, the arts and the Carnival, the hotels, the metro and the ferry, and where to buy: the stories behind Rio.

The Atlantic Forest of the Tijuca National Park below the Pedra da GáveaIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild RioThe Tijuca Forest, toucans and marmosetsThe back storyRio at the tableLasai, the Bibs and Saturday feijoadaA samba school parading down the Sambódromo between the packed standsThe back storyModernism, samba and the CarnivalRio’s arts

At sunset

On a clear evening, climb the Pedra do Arpoador before the sun goes down behind the Dois Irmãos: Rio often applauds when it sets.

  1. The back storyWhere Rio sleepsThe Palace, the beaches and the hills
  2. The back storyRio by metro, tram and ferryUnder the beaches and across the bay
  3. The back storyBuying in RioNeighbourhoods and the deed
  4. Fun factsRio fun factsThings you might not know

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