Rio de Janeiro

Overview

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful and spectacular cities on the planet. Even the most well-traveled individuals will love what the city has to offer. One of the best ways to appreciate the setting is by going up Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), where you'll get a spectacular 360-degree view of Rio and Guanabara Bay. Across the Bay, you will see the Rio-Niteroi bridge (14 km long). Cariocas (Rio natives) disagree on which point give the more spectacular view: Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf) or Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). It is well worth experiencing both and deciding afterwards which view is better. Notice how the natural harbour is surrounded by lush, high mountains that meet the sea in the world-famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.

Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain gives an even higher perspective, and is the most well known and recognized landmark of Rio. You can either drive or take a tram up to the statue�the best view is on the right-hand side. From up here you can see that Rio is divided by a mountain range into two areas: the Zona Norte (North Zone) and the Zona Sul (South Zone). The Zona Sul holds most of the city�s sights, including the Sugar Loaf and the famous beaches.

For any true football fan, a visit to the Maracana Stadium is a required pilgrimage, where you can lay your feet in the imprints of those belonging to the great Pele and many other legends. Currently...more

History

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 Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue, the stadium of Maracanã and Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) are all well-known sights of what the inhabitants call the "marvelous city" (cidade maravilhosa), and also the first images to pop up in someone's mind, along with the Carnaval celebration. Sadly, most 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 mountain slopes. 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 Sao Paulo.