Things to do in Rio de Janeiro
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Rio de Janeiro
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Hot, wet and peak. Warmest sea, heaviest rain, highest prices and crowds.
Smart shoulder. Rain eases, highs 26 to 29C, crowds and prices drop, sea still swimmable.
Dry, mild and clearest views. Best hiking, easier reservations, cooler and rougher sea.
Warming up, rain returning. September is a sweet spot before pre summer prices bite.
What's on
- Réveillon 31 December
Around two million people in white on Copacabana beach for fireworks over the water.
- Carnaval February or early March; 2027 Special Group parades 7-9 February
Sambadrome parades at night and hundreds of free bloco street parties by day, peak prices.
- Rio Open mid-to-late February
South America's only ATP 500 tennis tournament, on outdoor clay at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.
- Rio de Janeiro Marathon June
Marathon, half, 10K and 5K along the waterfront, a World Athletics Label race.
- Rock in Rio September, in edition years
The year's big rock and pop festival energy in some years, typically a September event.
- Festival do Rio early-to-mid October
Rio International Film Festival, one of Latin America's biggest, across city venues.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Rio de Janeiro
Cristo Redentor
The 360 degree read of Sugarloaf, the bay, the lagoon and the beaches explains how Rio fits together.
Sugarloaf Mountain
Two stage cable car to Morro da Urca and the summit, best at sunset as the city lights come on.
Ipanema Beach
Rio's best first beach day, with posto culture, barraca chairs and the Arpoador sunset to finish.
Morro Dois Irmãos
Sunrise summit view over Leblon, Ipanema, the lagoon and Rocinha that many rate above both big icons.
Parque das Ruínas
Free viewpoint in the Santa Teresa half day, paired with the tram and the Selaron Steps nearby.
Parque Lage
Free 1920s mansion and courtyard pool at the foot of Corcovado, paired with the Botanical Garden.
Pedra do Sal
Free open air Monday night samba circle where Rio samba was born, joyful and mostly Brazilian.
Maracanã Stadium
A match, ideally a Flamengo home game or Fla Flu derby, is a world football night out.
Where to stay in Rio de Janeiro
Ipanema
first trip, all-round base
Best beach day, best restaurant streets, Arpoador sunset and metro, with a lived in feel.
Leblon
upscale, quiet, couples and families
Calmer beach and Rio's best dining street, Dias Ferreira, an easy walk into Ipanema.
Copacabana
value and hotel choice
Most hotels at every price and great metro, but the most tourist targeted stretch in Rio.
Botafogo
local feel and value in the South Zone
Residential base facing Sugarloaf, with Rio's best casual bar scene and rates below the beachfront.
Santa Teresa
romantic and boutique stays
Hilltop mansions, tram and gardens, but steep quiet streets and a logistics tax at night.
Flamengo / Catete
longer stays and local insider alternative
Leafy and calm in front of the Aterro park on the metro, with good value hotels, not a swim beach.
Think twice about
- Centro
Empties after office hours and on weekends, with deserted streets and visible homelessness and drug use. Visit in daylight only.
- Lapa
Great night out but a poor base, noisy and seedy feeling by day with thin hotel stock.
- Barra da Tijuca
Car oriented mall and condo sprawl far west, 45 to 90 minutes from Centro and Ipanema in traffic.
- Zona Norte and unvetted favela-adjacent rentals
Do not base in the North Zone or next to or inside a favela as an unvetted rental. In Rio the exact block matters.
Best restaurants in Rio de Janeiro
Lasai
Tiny chef counter tasting menu from its own gardens, the reservation that anchors a food trip.
Restaurante Oro
Two star live fire tasting menu reworking Brazilian ingredients and street food memory playfully.
Oteque
Immaculate Brazilian seafood with Japan inflected technique, much of it plated in view.
Aprazível
Garden hillside restaurant for Brazilian dishes, caipirinhas and a panorama over Centro and the bay.
Aconchego Carioca
Destination boteco credited with the bolinho de feijoada, generous comfort plates and a serious beer list.
Bar do Mineiro
Classic Santa Teresa bar for feijoada, pasteis and caipirinhas spilling onto Largo dos Guimaraes.
Braseiro da Gávea
Neighbourhood grill locals queue for, with shared picanha platters, farofa, fries and cold chopp.
Churrascaria Palace
Long running Copacabana rodizio with tableside noble cuts and a buffet that runs to seafood and sushi.
Outdoor things to do in Rio de Janeiro
Pedra Bonita
Tandem hang glide or paraglide off the ramp over Sao Conrado, landing on Pepino Beach.
Morro Dois Irmãos
Cheap sunrise hike via Vidigal with a local guide for the best view per real spent in Rio.
Parque Nacional da Tijuca
Guided waterfalls and caves circuit past Cascatinha Taunay and Cachoeira das Almas, with a swim stop.
Arpoador Beach
Beginner friendly morning surf lesson where Brazilian surfing started, with board included.
Prainha
Small forest backed surf cove west of Barra with no buildings and none of the South Zone theatre.
Marina da Glória
Three hour sunset sail past Sugarloaf and the bay fortresses as the city lights up on the run home.
Campo Olímpico de Golfe
Gil Hanse links style Olympic course on the Marapendi reserve, worth it for the 2016 pedigree.
Ilha Grande
Very full boat day to clearer island water, with three to four swim and snorkel stops and lunch.
Best hotels in Rio de Janeiro
Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro
Starck design splurge facing Arpoador, with a rooftop pool and one of the best hotel views in Rio.
Hotel Arpoador
Smaller design led beachfront hotel on Arpoador, with a rooftop made for the sunset.
Janeiro Hotel
Small calm contemporary hotel near Leblon dining streets, with an ocean facing rooftop pool.
Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel
The 1923 grand dame on Avenida Atlantica, with Rio's most storied pool and two fine-dining restaurants.
Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana
Modern resort scale five star at the quieter Posto 6 end, with views back down the Copacabana arc.
Emiliano Rio
Cooler design led lower key luxury at Posto 6, an easier Copacabana than the dense middle strip.
Santa Teresa Hotel Rio de Janeiro - MGallery Collection
Former coffee fazenda mansion in gardens above the city, a romantic escape with pool and spa.
Vila Santa Teresa
Small villa hotel with sweeping bay views, Santa Teresa at intimate guesthouse scale.
Is Rio de Janeiro expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | R$235 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | R$615 a person |
| Splurge | R$1,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cristo Redentor: a few days ahead
- Sugarloaf Mountain: a few days ahead
- Morro Dois Irmãos: a few days ahead
- Parque Lage: a few days ahead
- Maracanã Stadium: weeks ahead
- Parque Nacional da Tijuca: a few days ahead
- Pedra Bonita: a few days ahead
- Morro Dois Irmãos: a few days ahead
- Christ the Redeemer official timed tickets days ahead in high season, prime early slots sell out.
- Lasai, Oro and Oteque weeks ahead. Aprazivel reserve and request a view table.
- Sugarloaf buy the timed ticket direct for late afternoon. Parque Lage reserve the free slot online.
- Carnival and Reveillon hotels months ahead and read cancellation terms twice.
Is Rio de Janeiro safe?
- Phones are the top target. Do not walk with a phone out, step into a doorway to check a map.
- Carry a copy of ID, one card and small cash, passport in the hotel safe, almost nothing to the beach.
- Never leave beach belongings unattended while you swim, and do not walk the sand late at night.
- Never enter a favela alone or follow a GPS route through one. If robbed, hand everything over.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Rio de Janeiro travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Compressed Rio in a day combo tours give queues, no weather flex and ten minutes everywhere.
- Selaron Steps as a standalone trip is 15 minutes and a crowd, pair it with Santa Teresa.
- Beachfront quiosque touts in Copacabana are priced for tourists, walk one street back.
- Pedra da Gavea is a long hard exposed climb for experienced guided hikers only, not a fun hike.
Getting around Rio de Janeiro: public transport and more
- Uber and Brazil's 99 app are the default, cheap and door to door, especially at night and for Santa Teresa, Lapa and GIG.
- Metro is clean and good in the South Zone to Centro corridor in the day and early evening.
- Do not rent a car. Navigation errors have high stakes, parking is hard and Uber is cheaper.
Who Rio de Janeiro suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Rio de Janeiro your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store