Travel in Rio de Janeiro (city)
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Informations on Rio De Janeiro City : history, politics, economy, culture, Did you mean: Rio De Janeiro City
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Rio de Janeiro is a large city in Brazil, on the South Atlantic coast. Rio is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its beach culture, its annual carnival and - on the darker side of things - huge slums and crime problem.
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Districts
Rio de Janeiro is largely divided into four regions:
- Zona Sul (South Zone) including Copacabana and Ipanema. Contains some of the more upscale neighborhoods and concentrates the largest part of the city's tourist activity.
- Centro including Santa Teresa. The city's financial and business center also has many historic buildings from its early days.
- Zona Norte (North Zone) -The Maracanã stadium and more.
In addition, the West Zone - and the district of Barra da Tijuca - is popular for its beaches.
Understand
It is not an uncommon mistake to point out Rio as Brazil's capital, as in fact it was until 1960. Beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema, the Christ The Reedmer statue, the stadium of Maracanã and Sugar Loaf Mountain are all well-known sights of what the inhabitants call the "wonderful city" (cidade maravilhosa), and also the first images to pop up in someone's mind, along with the Carnival celebration.
Sadly, most of people also know Rio for its violence and crime. The drug lords and the slums or favelas are the tip of very old social problems. The favelas are areas of poor quality housing, slums usually located on the city's many mountains.
The inhabitants of Rio, called cariocas, are known for being easy-going and friendly, in contrast to the more reserved citizens of other cities like São Paulo.
Official tourist information can be obtained from Riotur (http://www.riodejaneiro-turismo.com.br/travel/)
Get in
Distance from some capitals:
- Belo Horizonte - 450 km (280 mi)
- Brasília - 1160 km (725 mi)
- Porto Alegre - 1550 km (970 mi)
- Salvador - 1730 km (1080 mi)
- Sao Paulo - 430 km (270 mi)
By plane
International and most domestic flights land at International Airport Tom Jobim (also called Galeão, (21) 3398-5050, fax:(21) 3393-2288), is 20 km away from the city center and main hotels. Domestic airport Santos Dumont (phone (21) 3814-7070, fax (21) 2533-2218) gets flights from São Paulo and is located right in the city center, by the Guanabara bay.
Air-conditioned bus service operated by Real1 (http://www.realautoonibus.com.br) departs every 30 minutes and connects both airports and further to Zona Sul (along the beachfront in Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon) and Barra da Tijuca. A single ticket costs R$ 6.
Taxis, considerably more expensive, are also a convenient way to reach the tourist areas.
By train
Rio's glorious Central Station, or Central do Brasil, made famous in a movie by the same name, serves mostly local commuter lines, so it's unlikely that you'll arrive through here. It's worth a visit just to see it, though.
By bus
The long-distance bus depot, Rodoviária Novo Rio, is located in the North Zone's São Cristovão neighborhood. Taxis and coach buses can get you to the South Zone in about fifteen minutes; local buses take a bit longer. Frescão air-conditioned coaches can be caught just off the bus station. The coaches connect the station to the city center and main hotel areas of Copacabana and Ipanema.
By car
Rio is connected by many roads to neighboring cities and states, but access can be confusing as there are insufficient traffic signs or indications of how to get downtown.
By boat
Ferries (balsas) connect neighboring Niteroi to Rio de Janeiro and arrive at Praça XV, in the city center.
Get around
By taxi
A cab is one of the best ways to move around Rio. Most of the tours will cost around R$15, and the car can usually hold four people. You can ask a cab for a city tour, and arrange a fixed price (maybe around US$20).
By car
Traffic within some parts of Rio can be daunting, but a car may be the best way to reach distant beaches like Grumari, and that can be an extra adventure. In Rio, most road signals are placed after the curve you were supposed to take, and do not help unless you already know how to go there. Buy a map, and have fun.
By bus
Buses are a cheap and nice way to get around by day. By night they are more scarce but you can ride them anyway. Buses usually cost R$ 1.80, but some buses with air conditioning charge higher fares.
Bus lines with a * means that this bus has a variant. It means that there may be a bus with the same name, same number, same origin, even same destination but with a complete different tour. Weird ain't it? Ask the driver, he won't mind.
By subway
The Metrô Rio (http://www.metrorio.com.br) subway system takes you to the main places, from Copacabana to downtown. The air-conditioned subway is clean, comfortable, and quick, but there are not many stations (especially in Zona Sul), and it closes after midnight. There are two main lines. Line 1 has service to Copacabana, the Saara district, and much of Downtown, as well as Tijuca, where you can visit Corcovado. Line 2 stops at the zoo, soccer stadium, and State University. The two lines intersect at Estácio.
See
Beaches
Rio's beaches are undoubtedly one of the main reasons why travellers visit the city. Copacabana and Ipanema are by far the most famous, but there are many others, each with a distinct character. Some of the most noticeable are:
- Flamengo
- Botafogo
- Leme
- Copacabana
- Arpoador
- Ipanema
- Leblon
- São Conrado
- Barra da Tijuca
- Recreio dos Bandeirantes
- Grumari
Sights
- Corcovado
- Pão de Açúcar
- Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
Buildings
- Mosteiro de São Bento (Saint Benedict's Monastery) (1663)
- São Francisco da Penitência church (1773)
- Biblioteca Nacional (National Library) (1910)
- Theatro Municipal (1909)
- Ilha Fiscal Palace (1889)
- Lapa Aqueduct (1750)
- Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (1906)
- Casa França Brasil (1820)
- Paço Imperial (1743)
Museums
- Museu Nacional
- Museu Histórico Nacional
- Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
- MAM - Museum of Modern Art
- Museu da República
- Museu do Índio (Museum of the Indian)
Parks
- Jardim Botânico
- Parque Lage
- Parque do Flamengo
- Parque Guinle
- Campo de Santana
- Quinta da Boa Vista
Do
Carnival
Still the greatest reason for visiting Rio seems to be the Carnival. This highly advertised party lasts for almost two weeks and it is well known for the escolas de samba (samba schools) that parade in Centro, on a gigantic structure called Sambódromo (Sambadrome). During Carnival, Rio has much more to offer though, with the blocos de rua, that parades on the streets. There are now hundreds of these street "samba blocks", that parade almost in every neighborhood, especially in Centro and the South Zone, gathering thousands of people. Some are very famous, and there's not one carioca that has not heard of "Carmelitas", "Suvaco de Cristo", "Escravos da Mauá" or "Simpatia É Quase Amor".
The rest of the year, samba shows are popular with tourists, and are held at several venues like Plataforma and Scala. These are expensive and not really representative of Brazilian culture, they present a lot of almost naked women and bad musicians, a tourist trap. Much more interesting and genuine, though, are the night practice sessions held by the various samba schools in the months leading up to Carnival. You will find only a small number of tourists here, and I promise you will be served the best caipirinhas of your trip! These go on into the wee hours of the morning, with the fun really only starting at 1-2 A.M. A good cab driver should be able to hook you up, and cabs will be available to take you back when you are samba-ed out. Salgueiro and Mangueira are good choices, as they are two of the larger samba schools, and are located relatively close to the tourist areas in a fairly safe area.
Note that a change is afoot that may make this genuine experience a thing of the past (or more convenient, depending on your viewpoint) for all but the most savvy tourists. The local government is in the process of building a complex of buildings where many of the samba schools are expected to move their practice halls and float-construction facilities from the gritty warehouses typically located in or near their home favelas. One can expect many more tourists, and shows made-up for the tourists as the tourist bureau milks this facility for all it's worth year-round.
Music
Rio was the cradle of three of Brazil most important musical genres: samba, choro, and bossa nova. In recent years, there has been a boom of traditional samba and choro venues. A lot of them are in the downtown district of Lapa. There are good and cheap nightlife options, where you will see some of the best musicians of the country. Any of the city newspapers provide pointers to the best shows.
If you're not that of an anthropological type of tourist, you can check out the same papers for tips on other kinds of music. Being a big city, Rio has big and small clubs that play almost every kind of music. The major mainstream clubs mostly play whatever's on the Radio - which is usually whatever's on the USA radios and the MTV - but the underground scene has a lot to offer on Rock, E-Music, Rap and such. The best way to find out about those are the flyers handed or left on hostels, cinema and theater lobbies, nightclub lines, etc.
New Year?s Eve celebrations
Rio hosts the country's largest and most popular New Year?s Eve celebrations. The huge fireworks display and music shows attract 2 million people to the sands of Copacabana beach every year. People dress in white for luck and toast the arrival of the new year.
Hang Gliding and Paragliding
Hang Gliding in Rio de Janeiro started in the mid 70?s and quickly proved to be perfectly suited for this town due to its geography with steep mountains encountering the Atlantic ocean which provides excellent take off locations and great landing zones on the beach. Operators include:
- Rio Hang Gliding2 (http://www.riohanggliding.com)
Pan American Games
Many tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro as well as some urban facilities such as the subway are being revamped for the Pan American Games (http://www.cob.org.br/pan2007/Ingles/Indexing.asp) that will take place in 2007, when the city expects to draw a lot additional tourists.
Learn
- Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (http://www.uerj.br)
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (http://www.ufrj.br)
- Universidade Federal Fluminense (http://www.uff.br) (located in Niterói)
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (http://www.puc-rio.br)
- Goethe-Institut (http://www.goethe.de/br/rio)
- Instituto Brasil-Estados Unidos (http://www.ibeu.org.br)
- Cultura Inglesa (http://www.culturainglesa.com.br)
- Aliança Francesa (http://www.rioaliancafrancesa.com.br)
Buy
Always bargain, this can lower prices considerably. But naturally merchants won't bargain unless you ask, especially if you are clearly a tourist. To tourists, can easily be overpriced by a factor of 10 especially in highly informal markets such as Saara or on the beach.
- A typical Brazilian hammock shouldn't be more than R$20-30 but they can sell for up to US$150.
- A beer on the beach should cost around R$3.00
- A caipirinha can be had for the same price (around R$3.00) and you get a great show as the ingredients are produced from a cooler and lime slices muddled before you eyes
- You can get coconut water for R$1.50
- For trinkets, your best bet is the "hippie fair" in Praça General Osório in Ipanema every Sunday.
- For a sterile norte-americano-style shopping experience, head to the malls in Barra da Tijuca. There's also the Fashion Mall 3 (http://www.scfashionmall.com.br/) in São Conrado.
Great bargains can be had on Brazilian-made clothing, as well as some European imports. Imported electronics are insanely expensive due to protective import duties. For example, you will find digital cameras sell for about twice what they sell for in the U.S.
Store managers in Rio often speak some English, as this gains employees an almost-automatic promotion. But "some" can be very little, so it is useful to learn at least some very basic Portuguese. Just knowing basic greetings, numbers, and how to ask directions and prices will get you at least a "B" for effort, and despite finding that store clerks may know more English than you Portuguese, it can still come in handy to know a bit of the language. Spanish is likely to do you much less good than you may think, but if you know Italian, you may find it of more use than you might expect. Don't be afraid to resort to writing numbers, pictures, or resorting to pantomime. (I had a hilarious incident where I was trying to ask for a shirt with a picture of a bird, and instead got directions to the airport.) Clerks will often tap out prices for you on a calculator.
Eat
Rio de Janeiro lacks little in choice when it comes to food - you can probably find something to fit any craving.
Don't miss Brazil's national dish, feijoada! For connoisseurs of meat, nothing beats a good rodizio.
- Confeitaria Colombo 4 (http://www.confeitariacolombo.com.br/) (Rua Gonçalves Dias, 32, Centro) dates back to 1894 and has a dazzling tea room and arguably the best sweets and other delicacies in town.
- Marius 5 (http://www.marius.com.br/) has arguably the best rodizio in town.
- Porcão 6 (http://www.porcao.com.br/) and Carretão 7 (http://www.carretaochurrascaria.com.br/) has good and cheap(er) rodizio.
Drink
- Botequim (pronounced 'boo-chi-KEEM') - These quite unpretentious bars with simple appetizers and lots of ice-cold chope (draft beer) are everywhere and are almost inseparable from the carioca lifestyle. Try Bracarense (85, José Linhares street, Leblon), one of the most traditional.
- Juice bars - Of particular note for an often hot and muggy city are the refreshing juice bars, found on nearly every corner in the city. Choose from dozens of freshly squeezed fruit juices - mix two or three fruits together or simply try the freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Caipirinha
Sleep
While Rio's fancy hotels are along the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, there are lots of small and cheap, but clean, hotels around Flamengo and Catete. Rio also has a large selection of apart-hotels, which provide apartment-style accommodations with kitchen facilities.
The street in front of the strip of tourist hotels in Copacabana can be seedy, due to both garishly-dressed tourists, and a few opportunistic locals ready to take advantage of them. The apart-hotels in Ipanema are a much more pleasant alternative, being both better appointed and in a nicer neighborhood with fewer tourists.
Private condominium apartments can also be rented short-term at excellent rates, and can be found on the Internet. This is probably a preferable means of finding one of these than the notes that will be passed to you by anonymous persons on the street.
Prices for most accommodation can more than triple during New Year's and Carnival. Those are very busy periods and booking well in advance is recommended. Also, during those events, most hotels in tourist areas will only sell 4-day packages and charge in advance - even if you want to stay only for a couple of days. Other than those, the busiest month is January - summer holidays in Brazil.
Budget
If hostel life is more your style, they are easy to find in Rio. The more expensive ones boast locations that are short walking distance to either Ipanema or Copacabana beach, however if you prefer to stay in Lapa, Botafogo or another area, there are many options.
- Copacabana Praia 8 (http://www.wcenter.com.br/jucati/) is nicely located five minutes walking from the beach.
- If staying in the favela is your fancy, you might want to check out the newly openeded Pousada Favelinha 9 (http://www.favelinha.com/) in Laranjeiras/Santa Teresa.
Splurge
- If you don't mind to pay a bit more it's very interesting to stay at Copacabana Palace Hotel 10 (http://www.copacabanapalace.com.br/) in Copacabana beach. Dating back to 1923, it's the most famous hotel in the city where lot of famous people have been guested.
- Hotéis Othon 11 (http://www.othon.com.br/) has eight locations in Rio.
- The French chain Le Meridien 12 (http://www.rio.lemeridien.com/) has a hotel in Copacabana. It's 37 floors, and boasts a nice view of the city from the restaurant/bar on the top floor.
Stay safe
In order to fully enjoy your trip the traveller should pay attention to simple things. Avoid the downtown area, especially Saara, after dark. Although downtown is a relatively safe place during the day, after dark all the people who work there have already gone home. If you are going to a theater or a show, it's all right; but do not wander in those dark streets by night. Go to Copacabana beach, all lighted and policed during the night, though it's not entirely safe for tourists that look obviously like tourists at any time.
Avoid wearing jewelry or other signs of wealth if possible as these attract attention. Thieves have been known to run past targets and tear off necklaces, rings, and earrings without stopping. Earrings are particularly dangerous as tearing them off often harms the owner.
Favelas are a big problem in Rio. These slums grew from being impoverished neighborhoods but are now large areas ruled by drug dealers. If you want to keep your nice vision of Rio, you don't need to go there. However, they are amazingly huge, and a new experience for some-- there are some travel agencies who take tourists on tours there. If you want to go, pay one of those agencies. Never, never go to a favela by yourself, or with a unknown guide. The tour operators have "peace treaties" with the local drug dealers. If you don't have one, you'll be in trouble, maybe lethal.
At night, especially after traffic has died-down you may hear what sounds like explosions. This is not as menacing as it sounds, though it is still indicative of somebody up to no good. These are often firecrackers set-off as signals in the favelas. It might mean that a drug shipment has arrived and in in-transit, or that the police are making a raid into the favela. It is a signal to gang operatives who act as lookouts and surrogate police to be extra-vigilant.
Some drivers in Rio are certifiably insane, and seem to stop for nothing. In particular, they will go whizzing around corners without even slowing down. The crosswalks are located some considerable distance from corners for a good reason. For your safety, cross at the crosswalks - not closer to the corner - and watch for cars regardless of traffic lights.
Get out
- Niteroi - The ferry between Rio and Niteroi, a city across the bay, is a pleasant and cheap trip. There are a couple of kinds of boats, ranging from very cheap and slow to fairly cheap and fast. Niteroi does not have many tourist attractions, but it does have a wonderful unique view of Rio and an intriguing contemporary art museum, which looks like a flying saucer jutting out over the sea. Also, it has one of state's the most beautiful beaches, Itacoatiara, which can be reached by the bus numbered 38.