Rio de Janeiro

[happytraveller]

Hi, I'm considering going to Rio in the February half term. I was just wondering if anyone has been and if you have any tips. The main things, I want to see is the Christ the Redeemer Statue, those tiled steps, the sugar loaf mountain, a football match (I'm not even into football lol ) The Mane Garrincha Stadium and the Marcana stadium and the Tomorrow Museum. Any tips would be very much welcomed. It will be me and DS 13. Thanks

[Peko]

I've been to Rio several times, but your post made me realise that the last time was about 7 years ago (time flies), so things may well have changed, especially with the Olympics happening there since my last visit.

Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain are definite must-dos, and (IMO) worthy of the hype, genuinely impressive. The Selaron (tiled) Steps are in an area (Lapa) which was always pretty good for less touristic nightlife when I visited, though perhaps better for adults than with children, and not sure how it will be in pandemic times (always throngs on the streets at night before).

Haven't seen the Tomorrow museum, it opened since my last visit. If you're into a bit of slightly unusual culture, a Favela tour is an interesting option. There's a limit to what they show you, since parts of the favelas are off-limits to outsiders for good reason, but interesting to see how the people there have built their lives and communities against the odds. Rio is one of the few cities where the poor people live up in the hills looking down on the rich areas...

For football, I've only been to the old Maracana, but am sure the new one would be great. Just to note that the main Brazilian football season is not on during February, but I think there are state competitions, there is rarely a time without football in Brazil. Also note that the Mane Garrincha stadium isn't in Rio, it is in the capital, Brasilia, around 700 miles inland from Rio.

If you're meat eaters, a meal at a churrascaria is also a great idea, probably best to Google the latest recommended places. Make sure you are hungry when you go, and don't load up on bread and salad before the meat starts coming...

Can't talk about Rio without mentioning beaches. Tourists will often stay around Copacabana / Ipanema, both of which are worth a visit (you will often see very competitive football matches happening on the sand on Copacabana). Leblon beach is also cool (next to Ipanema). Just be very careful (in my time avoid) going on the beaches themselves at night - the beachfront street / promenade is ok.

Things might be different if your visit coincides with Carnival (I've never been during Carnival), but Easter is later in 2022, so I guess Carnival will probably be after the UK half term.

Somewhere I never managed to get to, but always wanted to visit, is Paraty, a beautiful preserved colonial town with great beaches, about 120 miles from Rio. It's maybe a bit far for a day trip, and very busy with Cariocas (Rio people) at the weekends, but worth considering.

Lastly, security. If you're used to big cities, it's not a lot worse than elsewhere, but definitely keep your wits about you. And, this has probably changed since my last visit if wireless terminals and chip+PIN have become more widespread and, but never let your credit card out of your sight in bars / restaurants, card cloning was rife there. All that said, I wouldn't let security concerns prevent me visiting, it's an iconic and amazing city. And if you drink alcohol, perhaps a Cachaca-based cocktail or two...

[happytraveller]

Originally Posted by Peko

I've been to Rio several times, but your post made me realise that the last time was about 7 years ago (time flies), so things may well have changed, especially with the Olympics happening there since my last visit.

Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain are definite must-dos, and (IMO) worthy of the hype, genuinely impressive. The Selaron (tiled) Steps are in an area (Lapa) which was always pretty good for less touristic nightlife when I visited, though perhaps better for adults than with children, and not sure how it will be in pandemic times (always throngs on the streets at night before).

Haven't seen the Tomorrow museum, it opened since my last visit. If you're into a bit of slightly unusual culture, a Favela tour is an interesting option. There's a limit to what they show you, since parts of the favelas are off-limits to outsiders for good reason, but interesting to see how the people there have built their lives and communities against the odds. Rio is one of the few cities where the poor people live up in the hills looking down on the rich areas...

For football, I've only been to the old Maracana, but am sure the new one would be great. Just to note that the main Brazilian football season is not on during February, but I think there are state competitions, there is rarely a time without football in Brazil. Also note that the Mane Garrincha stadium isn't in Rio, it is in the capital, Brasilia, around 700 miles inland from Rio.

If you're meat eaters, a meal at a churrascaria is also a great idea, probably best to Google the latest recommended places. Make sure you are hungry when you go, and don't load up on bread and salad before the meat starts coming...

Can't talk about Rio without mentioning beaches. Tourists will often stay around Copacabana / Ipanema, both of which are worth a visit (you will often see very competitive football matches happening on the sand on Copacabana). Leblon beach is also cool (next to Ipanema). Just be very careful (in my time avoid) going on the beaches themselves at night - the beachfront street / promenade is ok.

Things might be different if your visit coincides with Carnival (I've never been during Carnival), but Easter is later in 2022, so I guess Carnival will probably be after the UK half term.

Somewhere I never managed to get to, but always wanted to visit, is Paraty, a beautiful preserved colonial town with great beaches, about 120 miles from Rio. It's maybe a bit far for a day trip, and very busy with Cariocas (Rio people) at the weekends, but worth considering.

Lastly, security. If you're used to big cities, it's not a lot worse than elsewhere, but definitely keep your wits about you. And, this has probably changed since my last visit if wireless terminals and chip+PIN have become more widespread and, but never let your credit card out of your sight in bars / restaurants, card cloning was rife there. All that said, I wouldn't let security concerns prevent me visiting, it's an iconic and amazing city. And if you drink alcohol, perhaps a Cachaca-based cocktail or two...

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Thank you SO much for taking the time to write such a detailed reply I can’t believe I didn’t realise the Mane stadium was not in Rio We will have to make do with the other stadium then as we will only have 8 nights. I definitely want to do a favela tour. I’m considering the Sheraton Rio Grande. It’s not particularly central, but it looks good for my son when we will not be out and about. It’s near the Vidigal Favela, so hoping for a tour. Living in London we are always extremely careful by default and will be on our guard.We will not be taking anything flashy and will not be sporting jewellery, watches, phones out in public. A Kodak disposable and a cheap phone that can still get us connected to Uber will suffice. We are only going for 8 nights.

I’ve yet to book but probably will tonight. Thanks again

[pritch]

was in rio 2 years ago, it took best part of 6 hours to get up to the Redeemer statue and back, placed rammed and minibuses only take you half way point. stayed at the hilton, nice roof top pool, and some decent restaurants, lots of ladies of the night frequent the streets and bars at the front on Copacabana.
the beach is clean can be busy people pleasant, did feel overdressed in swim shorts!

[happytraveller]

Originally Posted by pritch

was in rio 2 years ago, it took best part of 6 hours to get up to the Redeemer statue and back, placed rammed and minibuses only take you half way point. stayed at the hilton, nice roof top pool, and some decent restaurants, lots of ladies of the night frequent the streets and bars at the front on Copacabana.
the beach is clean can be busy people pleasant, did feel overdressed in swim shorts!

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OMG 6 hours? I couldn’t be doing with that Well I certainly won’t be wearing less than swim shirts lol. But I’m sure DS will appreciate the views

[happytraveller]

Well I've just booked in the BA sale and very excited Off to watch the City of God for the millionth time to celebrate

[Daisychick]

So we did Rio in February 2019. Only 3 nights (and one of those was the night we arrived).

We stayed at PortoBay International which is on Copacabana Beach and was one of the few hotels in Rio that we found with balconies. We paid a little extra for the balcony room and had a view overlooking the Beach. Quite central and a view of Christ the Redeemer from the rooftop pool.

The first day was a little cloudy so we did a free walking tour of the centre, which was very useful as there was a little history (but not too much!) and the guide obviously knew the most efficient way between the sights. The tour finished at the Selaron Steps so there was plenty of time for photos afterwards.

From there we got the historic tram to the hillside area of Santa Teresa were we had a little wander, a drink and then back to the hotel. Evening meal we took a taxi to a traditional Brazilian restaurant.

The next day was less cloudy so we went to Sugar Loaf Mountain. Whilst there the cloud started to clear so afterwards we took a taxi to the Trem do Corcovado and got the little tram up the mountain to Christ the Redeemer.

That night we joined the throngs of families parading up and down the promenade at Copacabana and walked to an Italian restaurant.

The next morning we only had time for a walk between our hotel, round the bay to Ipanema and back before we had to go get our flight to our next destination.

My tips would be:

1. We also flew with BA and the aircraft we were on had a very back row of only 2 seats. We paid for the seats on the way out and as we were coming back 3 weeks later we used our Avios points from the first flight to pay the majority of the cost of booking the same seats on the way back.

2. You will probably be there longer than us so hopefully won't have a problem but if you can see Sugar Loaf Mountain / Christ the Redeemer then do them. Cloud was a bit of a problem for the first half of our stay. Don't assume because it's sunny it will stay like that!

3. Keep safe. I was especially paranoid before we went and we probably overdid it with the precautions we took(eg we left our smartphones in the hotel and took an old little prepaid mobile out with us) . However, the guide on the free walking tour pointed out that if you take a photo of something with a camera or phone, that's fine but then put it away immediately. During our last day someone tried the "you've got bird poo on your shoe" trick. Can happen in any city, but I would assume that if anyone approaches you, they're up to no good until they prove otherwise!

4. Unless you speak Portuguese, if you are getting taxis always have handy the name of where you want to go written down. We took a sheet of notepaper from the hotel with the name on and also used the guide book. None of the taxi drivers could understand anything we said, even when we tried speaking Portuguese! (hotels and restaurants were fine, it was just taxis we struggled with).

5. We used the taxi service at the airport to book a return taxi. You can pay on credit card in the airport which saves having to get cash out in the open in public when arriving at your destination. The return taxi turned up 5 minutes early for our return journey.

There was loads more that we would have done, had the time permitted but I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter what you do. Happy to answer any questions you have, if I can.

[happytraveller]

Originally Posted by Daisychick

So we did Rio in February 2019. Only 3 nights (and one of those was the night we arrived).

We stayed at PortoBay International which is on Copacabana Beach and was one of the few hotels in Rio that we found with balconies. We paid a little extra for the balcony room and had a view overlooking the Beach. Quite central and a view of Christ the Redeemer from the rooftop pool.

The first day was a little cloudy so we did a free walking tour of the centre, which was very useful as there was a little history (but not too much!) and the guide obviously knew the most efficient way between the sights. The tour finished at the Selaron Steps so there was plenty of time for photos afterwards.

From there we got the historic tram to the hillside area of Santa Teresa were we had a little wander, a drink and then back to the hotel. Evening meal we took a taxi to a traditional Brazilian restaurant.

The next day was less cloudy so we went to Sugar Loaf Mountain. Whilst there the cloud started to clear so afterwards we took a taxi to the Trem do Corcovado and got the little tram up the mountain to Christ the Redeemer.

That night we joined the throngs of families parading up and down the promenade at Copacabana and walked to an Italian restaurant.

The next morning we only had time for a walk between our hotel, round the bay to Ipanema and back before we had to go get our flight to our next destination.

My tips would be:

1. We also flew with BA and the aircraft we were on had a very back row of only 2 seats. We paid for the seats on the way out and as we were coming back 3 weeks later we used our Avios points from the first flight to pay the majority of the cost of booking the same seats on the way back.

2. You will probably be there longer than us so hopefully won't have a problem but if you can see Sugar Loaf Mountain / Christ the Redeemer then do them. Cloud was a bit of a problem for the first half of our stay. Don't assume because it's sunny it will stay like that!

3. Keep safe. I was especially paranoid before we went and we probably overdid it with the precautions we took(eg we left our smartphones in the hotel and took an old little prepaid mobile out with us) . However, the guide on the free walking tour pointed out that if you take a photo of something with a camera or phone, that's fine but then put it away immediately. During our last day someone tried the "you've got bird poo on your shoe" trick. Can happen in any city, but I would assume that if anyone approaches you, they're up to no good until they prove otherwise!

4. Unless you speak Portuguese, if you are getting taxis always have handy the name of where you want to go written down. We took a sheet of notepaper from the hotel with the name on and also used the guide book. None of the taxi drivers could understand anything we said, even when we tried speaking Portuguese! (hotels and restaurants were fine, it was just taxis we struggled with).

5. We used the taxi service at the airport to book a return taxi. You can pay on credit card in the airport which saves having to get cash out in the open in public when arriving at your destination. The return taxi turned up 5 minutes early for our return journey.

There was loads more that we would have done, had the time permitted but I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter what you do. Happy to answer any questions you have, if I can.

See more...

Thank you so much for all of this. I did look at the aircraft and noticed the seats. I love the back seats as I hate people behind me, so I think I'll do what you did as they aren't cheap The only thing putting me off is restriction changes that we can't go. But then I'd kick myself if those seats are gone.

Your trips are great. I was actually going to get a disposable camera so it's reassuring to hear you say that. We won't be speaking to anyone unless we need to, thanks for the warning of that party trick! I'm sure I'll have loads of questions between now and February. We are there for 8 nights, although it will be gone 9 by the time we reach the hotel I'm sure so 7 really.

[Daisychick]

Originally Posted by happytraveller

Thank you so much for all of this. I did look at the aircraft and noticed the seats. I love the back seats as I hate people behind me, so I think I'll do what you did as they aren't cheap The only thing putting me off is restriction changes that we can't go. But then I'd kick myself if those seats are gone.

Your trips are great. I was actually going to get a disposable camera so it's reassuring to hear you say that. We won't be speaking to anyone unless we need to, thanks for the warning of that party trick! I'm sure I'll have loads of questions between now and February. We are there for 8 nights, although it will be gone 9 by the time we reach the hotel I'm sure so 7 really.

See more...

A disposable camera is probably a good shout, at least for some of the time. We tried to only take out with us things we weren't too bothered about and that weren't worth stealing. With the exception of OH's DSLR camera, as he is very into photography and there was no way he wasn't going to take it.

He had a cross body man bag to keep it in and whilst he took photos I did my best meerkat impression! I had read before we went that generally the tourist attractions where you have to pay to get in are usually safe in that respect for 2 reasons. One being any thieves aren't going to be paying money to get in somewhere and secondly it would be difficult for them to make a quick getaway. I would say that seemed to be a fair assessment.

I think I got too caught up in the safety aspect before we went. The closest we ever came to being pickpocketd actually was Barcelona not Rio.

We had also been told to get taxis everywhere on an evening and whilst this is probably good advice depending on where you are going, we were very much taken by surprise by the promenading families at Copacabana on the Friday evening. Seemed ok to us, so we joined in!