Rio de Janeiro's bay setting never fails to wow visitors. White sandy beaches
fringe the city, while rainforest-clad mountains such as Sugar Loaf provide a
backdrop. The year-round sunshine means Copacabana and Ipanema beaches are
hard to leave, but the colonial churches of Glória and Lapa make
a wander inland worthwhile.
Background
Rio de Janeiro's most famous symbol, the Christ the Redeemer statue,
commissioned for Brazil's 1922 centenary and located on the summit of
Corcovado mountain, is a great place to get your bearings. To your south
you'll see the Zona Sul, edged by the beaches of Leblon and
Ipanema. To your east, Sugar Loaf is on a spit of land jutting out
into Guanabara Bay and overlooking glamorous Copacabana. To the north
is Centro, Rio's historic centre.
First-time visit
Spend the morning sunbathing and watching the girls go walking by on Rio's
classiest beach, Ipanema. After lunching on caranguejos crabs, head up
to Corcovado for great city views. Take the cable car to the top of Sugar
Loaf or hire a guide and climb, if you're feeling energetic. Watch
the sunset and then enjoy dinner and a samba show at one of Rio's samba
schools.
Return visit
Tear yourself away from the beaches to explore the city centre, where traces of
Rio's Portuguese colonial past can be found in the Outeiro da
Glória Church and the vast collections of art and relics at the
National History Museum. Walk along Atlantic rainforest trails in the
Tijuca National Park on Rio's outskirts. Or catch a football
game amid the frenetic atmosphere of the Maracanã Stadium, which at
85,000 capacity is one of the world's biggest football stadiums.
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