Rio de Janeiro city information: Where to eat, drink, shop and stay in Brazil’s hottest city | The Independent

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Its frenetic carnival – going down in 2024 between 9-17 February – and New Year’s Eve celebrations could also be legendary however Rio’s attract goes approach past these signature occasions.

This is a city generously blessed by geography and local weather, with miles of beachfront, forested mountains and greater than its fair proportion of world icons: from Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer to the good, sandy sweep of Copacabana. This bodily range is echoed in a various inhabitants of indigenous, European, Asian and African descent. The result’s a city with year-round enchantment and a Carioca tradition that’s all its personal.

If you’re searching for a samba-fuelled break in one of many world’s most fun cities, right here is your final information, together with what to do, the place to eat and drink, and the most effective locations to stay.

What to do

Bird’s-eye view

Get the lay of the land by taking the cable automotive up Sugarloaf Mountain. The view from up right here takes in Copacabana, Centro and Botafogo’s yacht-filled bay, all underneath the benevolent gaze of Christ the Redeemer wanting down from Corcovado. Soak up the scene from the viewpoints, then comply with the footpath alongside its flank for a break from the crowds.

Hit the seaside

Rio’s greatest trump card is its miles of golden sand. The seashores are as a lot a spot for socialising as sunbathing, drawing Cariocas to play ballgames in the tiniest of swimsuits. Choose from family-friendly Copacabana, Arpoador’s full of life surfer scene or the tall and tanned on Ipanema. Forgotten one thing? No worries: a military of merchants patrols all day, promoting the whole lot from snacks and swimwear to ice-cold beer and panama hats.

Museums and monuments

Head into historic Centro to uncover its power and structure. Opulent public buildings and pale, pastel-painted shopfronts stand alongside modernist masterpieces and towering Seventies eyesores. Wander cobbled streets and chaotic markets, then pop into any colonial church to eyeball its interiors. Don’t miss the wonder-filled Art Museum or Santiago Calatrava’s futuristic, waterfront Museum of Tomorrow and its digital displays on local weather change and sustainability.

Gardeners’ world

Experience Rio’s leafy backdrop with a go to to the Botanical Gardens. Being on the sting of the Tijuca rainforest, it’s crammed with wildlife. Look out for marmosets, monkeys, sloths and toucans whereas strolling down avenues of palms.

Get excessive

There’s no higher approach to see the sights than from a helicopter. Vertical Rio gives half-hour sightseeing flights made much more memorable by the truth that its helicopters don’t have any doorways. Cruise alongside the coast and excessive above Christ the Redeemer for an epic “shoe selfie” (sure, it’s a factor) that would be the envy of Instagram.

Where to stay

Music and ardour have been at all times the style on the Belmond Copacabana Palace. Opened in 1923 on Copacabana Beach, this century-old, 239-room landmark stays Rio’s most elegant tackle. A latest refurbishment has given all 239 rooms a recent replace, although its glamorous historical past is named to thoughts in the “hall of fame” of former visitors (which incorporates portraits of everybody from Ginger Rogers to Princess Di).

Down the coast in upmarket Leblon, you’ll discover the super-stylish Janeiro Hotel. All of its 51 rooms have no less than partial sea views and are huge, vibrant and fantastically embellished with an aesthetic that pairs Scandinavian simplicity with a distinctively tropical slant. Clean strains, pale wooden, travertine, linen and palm-tree artworks make it really feel supremely trendy, plus there’s a rooftop bar and lap pool solely for visitors.

Perfectly positioned on the different finish of Ipanema is Hotel Arpoador, whose side takes in the strand’s full, sandy size. Its 49 compact rooms have tastefully delicate nautical touches and are dressed in a easy palette of white and ocean blue. It’s virtually distinctive in Rio by opening proper onto the patterned promenade and gives bicycles to borrow and complimentary rooftop yoga.

Where to eat

It’s value heading into Centro purely to pig out at Confeitaria Colombo, a patisserie that’s been in enterprise since 1894. Its grand, Art Nouveau interiors, tiled flooring and stained glass ceiling create an aesthetic setting in which to indulge in pastries, muffins and custard tarts (or sandwiches and croquettes). There’s additionally a department in Copacabana when you don’t fancy leaving the coast.

Eating out in Rio isn’t low cost however Filé do Lira bucks the development with its conventional platters sufficiently big for 2. Go for one thing like Brazilian beef stew served with rice, beans, fried eggs and plantain, all washed down with a few caipirinhas.

The most cost-effective and most assorted approach to eat out is in a por quilo restaurant, the place buffets of sushi, salads and heartier dishes are bought by weight. They’re commonplace all around the city however Copacabana’s Restaurante Aipo e Aipim is especially fashionable.

At the opposite finish of the spectrum is MEE, a high-end, pan-Asian restaurant throughout the Copacabana Palace. A recipient of certainly one of South America’s first Michelin stars, eating here’s a deal with: count on dim sum, pork stomach buns, pad Thai and distinctive cocktails.

Where to drink

For the most effective panorama of Copacabana all the way in which to Sugarloaf Mountain, head to Café 18 do Forte on the historic Copacabana Fort. Sip a craft beer or caipirinha and ensure to peek over the wall to spot sea turtles swimming beneath.

Soak up extra water views at Bar Urca, an off-the-cuff joint whose scenic setting makes it fashionable for night drinks. Join crowds of locals alongside the ocean wall and take in the view in direction of Christ the Redeemer because the solar units over Guanabara Bay.

For extra in the way in which of late-night revelry, attempt Canastra. Located on an Ipanema backstreet, this unpretentious bijou bar is a success with locals and guests alike. Squeeze into the crowded ground-floor area or the basement speakeasy, or comply with the enjoyable outdoors onto the road.

Where to shop

Imported items are closely taxed in Brazil, so intention for native buys. Havaianas flip-flops are the apparent selection (there’s a flagship retailer in Ipanema). Find a wider selection of Brazilian manufacturers amongst extra acquainted worldwide shops at Shopping Leblon, plus extra across the nook at Rio Design Leblon, a smaller-scale mall that’s huge on Carioca merchandise, reminiscent of Granado Pharmacias’s soaps and colognes. Also look out for native vogue manufacturers Lenny Niemeyer, Handred, Haight and Osklen, plus swimwear from Adriana Degreas.

Far extra reasonably priced is the Sunday Feira Hippie (Hippie Market) in Ipanema’s General Osório Square. Scores of artisans arrange stalls in the shade of sprawling bushes to promote handmade ceramics, unique artworks, jewelry, souvenirs and high quality handicraft objects made cleverly from bamboo, leather-based, wicker, wooden and brightly colored materials.

Architectural spotlight

Unlike the various classical church buildings that dot historic Centro, the Metropolitan Cathedral has a Brutalist design that appears without delay half Mayan pyramid, half Dalek.

Nuts and bolts

What forex do I want?

Brazilian actual.

What language do they communicate?

Portuguese.

Should I tip?

A ten per cent service cost is mostly included.

What’s the time distinction?

GMT-3.

Average flight time?

Around 12 hours from London.

Public transport

The metro gives a quick, air-conditioned and low cost connection between city and seaside.

Best view

Corcovado (the height topped by Christ the Redeemer) is the very best level in Rio. Anything not seen from up right here is mainly not value seeing.

Insider tip

Arpoador – the rocky headland between Copacabana and Ipanema – is the easiest spot for watching the solar set behind the dual peaks of Dos Irmãos.