Jon and Miriam's top tips for Rio.
- Spend time on Ipanema or Copacobana beaches. This is what most Brazilians and visitors spend their time doing. They will rent you chairs, umbrellas and ply you with food and drinks. It’s a great coast to walk, jog or bike down. There are a lot of police on these beaches but people still warn that you need to be careful with cameras and wallets. You might leave your wallet at the hotel and just bring a $100 Reals – it’s plenty. There are nightime concerts on the beach sometimes at Copocabana. Ask at your hotel.
- Take a trip to the Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf) for sunset. This is the gondola tram that takes you to the prominent mountaintop. The most touristic thing to do in Rio, but it’s great. If you don’t like being in trams, you can do Corcovado instead (the enormous statue of Christ on top of a mountain). It also has an incredible and different view of the city.
- Take the bonde (an old cable car) from the civic center to Santa Teresa. Stop along the way and have lunch at one of the restaurants in the small Santa Teresa commercial district.
- Visit the Jardim Botanico (Botanical garden) or if you have a whole day go to the Tijuca National Park or Floresta da Tijuca. Ask the cab to take you to Alto da Boa Vista, have lunch at the restaurant in the square and hike from there into the tropical forest.
- Dining in Rio is international – you can find most anything. There is a large Japanese population in Brazil, and the Japanese restaurants can be great. Don’t worry about eating or drinking things that will make you sick. We don’t know any visitors who have suffered from Montezuma’s revenge in Brazil. #
