Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s exciting cities with much to do and enjoy.
| Famous Ipanema Beach - Rio de Janeiro |
In Rio de Janeiro, Ipanema Beach (see photo) is the place to be! The world-famous beach is legendary as the place for people watching and it has a large pleasant lagoon to enjoy walks and bike rides (see photo below) with large beautiful gardens and parks. Many of Rio de Janeiro’s best restaurants, open-air cafes & bars, and shops abound on the streets of Ipanema Beach.
| Romantic French Restaurant - Ipanema Beach |
Ipanema Beach’s main shopping street is Rua Visconde de Piraja with upscale and bargain shops. We found the prices in Rio de Janeiro very reasonable for fashions, food, and drinks. Rua Vinicius de Moraes has some very nice restaurants (see photo) and cafes. See below for more great things to do in Ipanema Beach.
| Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) - Rio de Janeiro |
Visiting the Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue is a wonderful experience! Yes, it is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World... which is cool. It is the breathtaking views of beautiful Rio del Janeiro from the top that makes this a must-do visit (see photo). Standing tall overlooking Rio de Janeiro, the Christ Redeemer is considered the world’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ (130 feet) as well as the largest Art Deco statue. It weights 635 tons and is located at the 2,300-foot peak of Corcovado Mountain – quite impressive!
| Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar) |
The cable car ride to Sugarloaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar) offers incredible views of Rio de Janeiro and is a highly recommended excursion (see photo). Travel Tip: Excursions are offered to visit sites such as the Christ Redeemer, Sugarloaf, and others making it an easier experience, often with preferred access.
| Confeitara Colombo bakery - Centro |
If you find yourself visiting world-class museums, etc. in Rio de Janeiro’s Centro (downtown) area, you should visit the very beautiful Confeitara Colombo bakery – lovely experience (see photo). You can also take nice boat trips to the nearby islands from docks close to Centro.
| Lapa at Night is fun! |
Lapa at night is fun! This is a group of clubs and restaurants playing lively Samba music (see photo). A number of them are located along Av. Mem de Sa by the Lapa Arches. By 9:30PM most of them were packed so if you want a table you should go earlier. Your name is written on a paper and what you drink and eat is recorded. When you are ready to leave, you pay and are given a slip of paper to hand to the doorman to leave. One of Rio de Janeiro’s most visited sites is the Lapa Steps (Escadaria Selaron).
| Jardin Botanico - Rio de Janeiro |
Rio de Janeiro offers some beautiful parks and gardens. We enjoyed Jardim Botanico and Parque Lare located around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas just north of Ipanema Beach. Jardin Botanico is a large botanical garden (see photo) designed in 1808 by Portugal’s Prince. It has more than 8,000 plant species. For an entrance fee of about $2, you can wander through this wonderful place enjoying such things as the avenue of tall palm trees, the Orquidario home to 600 species of orchids, a small lake with Vitoria Regia water lilies, and much more.
| Plage Cafe in Parque Lare |
Just up the way from Jardin Botanico is Parque Larebacked up to Rio de Janeiro’s tropical Parque Nacional da Tijuca (Floresta da Tijuca). We enjoyed wandering around and watching the monkeys here as well as having a very enjoyable lunch at the atmospheric Plage Café (see photo). Try the pulled pork sandwich. A nice photo of the Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) can be taken here on a clear day.
| Bridge - Floresta da Tijuca |
Hikers visiting Rio de Janeiro will enjoy trekking around the excellent and well-marked trails of the rainforest in Rio de Janeiro’s Floresta da Tijuca (see photo). The heart of the forest is the Alto da Boa Vista area.
| Soccer in Maracana Stadium - Rio de Janeiro |
Brazilians take their Soccer (football) VERY seriously! We attended a soccer game in Rio de Janeiro’s huge Maracana Stadium. Get this... with drums pounding and flags waving, 60,000 (yes, 60,000) extremely enthusiastic fans cheered for their favorite team yelling songs while standing for the entire game (see photo). This excitement is a must-enjoy for soccer fans and should be considered by everyone visiting Rio de Janeiro to witness this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
| Bonde Cable Car |
| Aprazivel Restaurant - Santa Teresa |
For a unique experience, the cobblestoned streets of Santa Teresa is a bohemian neighborhood reminding us of Rio de Janeiro’s version of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury area with its funky bars, shops, and artists. Santa Teresa is best visited on weekends and Friday night. Lovers of cable cars can board the Bonde Cable Car (see photo) here and ride both ways for about $5 for an hour round trip. Not a great ride but does offer some nice views of the city. The restaurant Aprazivel (see photo) up a windy road is very nice.
| Carnaval Samba School Event - Rio de Janeiro |
Rio de Janeiro is known for having one of the largest and most festive Carnaval in the world with 600 parades happening all over Rio with elaborate floats, whirling dancers, and pounding drum groups. The epicenter is theSambodromo. We did attend a Samba School that a hosts parties from September to Carnaval for practice (see photo). During the thousand-person event we attended, we learned their Samba means very LOUD although people were enjoying themselves. Bossa Nova also makes for a nice dinner (think of the famous song “Girl from Ipanema” - see photo below).
| Open Air Market (Feira de Arte de Ipanema) |
More about wonderful Ipanema Beach... Don’t miss the Sunday Open Air Market (Feira de Arte de Ipanema) in Praca General Osorio (see photo) - named hippie fair for its bohemian but nice fashion and gift bargains. More upscale restaurants in Ipanema Beach are closer to Leblon Beach while more affordable (as well as more affordable accommodations) are closer to Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach. Sunsets are a party scene at the end of Ipanema Beach at the Arpoador.
| Wayne & Pat Trying Tasty Cheese on Ipanema Beach |
Try the tasty cheese (Queijo Assado) they roast for you on the beach (see photo). In season, people watching can’t be beat – get prepared for the small Brazilian bikini in Rio de Janeiro (see photo below). Sipping a caipirinha drink is a thing to do in Brazil and can be done in many favors – they are nice.
| Logoa Rodrigo de Freitas - Ipanema Beach |
Public transportation is good and safe in Rio de Janeiro – a car rental will make your visit stressful. The subway (metro) runs from Ipanema Beach to downtown and beyond with many stops. We found the taxis to be professional, available everywhere, and very reasonable for a large city. The yellow and blue comum taxis use meters and took us direct routes to our destination so we never got ripped off. Purchase your taxi from the airport at the booth in the airport. We also found affordable domestic flights in Brazil.
| Wayne at Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) |
A note about the Brazilian people... The people of Brazil exhibit a zest for life with their love for friends, family, music, food, and laughter. Their willingness to be friends with you was shown throughout our visit. A friendly smile is almost always returned in kind and they often go out of their way to help you. We can learn a lot from Brazilians. Portuguese is spoken in Brazil. You will encounter some English, especially in hospitality. Due to the similarities of Portuguese with Spanish and the fact that most the rest of the South American continent speaks Spanish, we found trying some Spanish worked well in many cases during our Rio de Janeiro visit.
| Garota de Ipanema Restaurant - Girl From Ipanema |
Some history... The Portuguese landed here in 1502 and mistook the large bay for a river – hence the name (Rio de Janeiro). By the 17th century Rio de Janeiro was Brazil’s third-most important settlement. Slaves were brought in to work the sugar plantations and gold mines. In 1807, escaping the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Portuguese prince set up his court in Rio de Janeiro to rule Portugal and all its colonies. Rio experienced a population explosion in the late 19thcentury from European immigration and slave moving from declining plantations.
| Get Ready for Sexy Brazilian Bikinis! |
Rio de Janeiro’s golden age was from 1920-1950’s with grand hotels being built becoming a romantic destination for Hollywood and high society. Rio de Janeiro did decline with issues of violence and slums. Due to huge investment in infrastructure and security in the build-up to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro is now ready for visitors.
| Map Ipanema Inn |
We stayed at the Ipanema Inn and were very glad we did. With its fantastic location close to the action and steps to Rio de Janeiro’s most famous beach (Post 9 – Ipanema Beach), friendly and extremely helpful staff, comfortable bed and room, wonderful restaurant offering great breakfast (included), good Internet included, free use of beach chairs and umbrella, the Ipanema Inn is deservingly one of Trip Advisor’s top-rated hotels in Rio de Janeiro. Although the rooms are modest size, the affordable price provides excellent value in this normally expensive location.
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