Sil & Alex
Things To Do
Cristo Redentor
You cannot go to Rio and not visit the biggest icon of the city. Standing atop Corcovado (which means ‘hunchback’), Cristo Redentor gazes out over Rio, a placid expression on his well-crafted face. The mountain rises straight up from the city to 710m, and at night the brightly lit 38m-high open-armed statue – all 1145 tons of him – is visible from nearly every part of the city. Corcovado lies within the Parque Nacional da Tijuca. The most popular way to reach the statue is to take the red narrow-gauge train that departs every 30 minutes, and takes approximately 20 minutes to reach the top. To buy tickets, please visit the website and schedule your visit to Christ the Redeemer. All the tickets have a set up time, to avoid lines. You can get there by taxi
Sugarloaf Mountain
There are many good times to make the ascent, but sunset on a clear day is the most rewarding. Two cable cars connect to the summit, 396m above Rio. At the top, the city unfolds beneath you, with Corcovado mountain and Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) off to the west, and Copacabana Beach to the south. A visit to Pão de Açúcar is a must, but be prepared for heavy crowds. If possible, go first thing in the morning – and avoid going on cloudy days. The two-stage cable cars depart every 20 minutes.
Copacabana Beach
Copacabana beach is famous the world over, and while it's 1950s glamorous heyday is over, it is still a spectacular stretch of sand. The crashing waves, scantically-clad beachgoers and skilled beach soccer players all call the eye, while the vision of Sugar Loaf mountain in the background frames the scene perfectly. This is one of the best places in Rio to shop for keepsakes and gifts for friends and family back home - and you can do it all from the comfort of a beachfront bar. Vendors stroll along the beachfront, selling all manner of goods from replica christ statues (scaled down, of course) to hats, t-shirts and sarongs.
Ipanema
While Copacabana wins out as the most picture-perfect city beach in Rio, Ipanema is easily the more chic of the two neighboring stretches of sand. Less flanked by high rise hotels than its neighbor, Ipanema is the ideal place to while away the hours just working on that tan and watching the beautiful people glide by. There are scores of kiosks selling tempting food and drink, too. The towering twin peaks of the Dois Irmaos (two brothers) mountains frames the beach scene in spectacular fashion, and visitors will find the beach informally divided into social groups. Head to Posto Nove (Lifeguard post 9) for a young, hip crowd, or look for the giant rainbow flag if you're looking for gay-friendly sunbathing and socializing.
Praia do Arpoador
rpoador is considered one of the best metropolitan surf spots in Rio de Janeiro. Given its metropolitan location, crowds are ferocious and competitive. Given the fact that waves start to break against the rock on a good day, and that a strong rip tide along the promontory creates a quick re-entry, the take-off point is very small. During some time around midsummer it is possible to see the sun setting over the sea from Arpoador, a rare event on the generally eastward-facing Brazilian coast. On these occasions crowds gather around the place and cheer when the sun disappears.
Foods to try
Pão de Queijo: A popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil. Paste: A crisp, deep-fried pastry that makes the perfect street food. Coxinha: Popular food in Brazil consisting of chopped or shredded chicken meat, covered in dough, molded into a shape resembling a chicken leg, battered and fried. Feijoada:National famous dish. The basic ingredients of feijoada are beans with fresh pork or beef. It is usually made with black beans and served with rice and kale. Acai: typical Brazilian dish made of frozen and mashed açaí palm fruit. It is served as a smoothie and is commonly topped with granola and banana, and then mixed with other fruits and guaraná syrup. Caipirinha: is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça, sugar and lime. You can find this drink anywhere, but we recommend you have it on the beach. Churrasco: if you have never gone to a Brazilian's steakhouse, we highly recommend you to go. And last but not least; YOU CAN DRINK AT THE BEACH AND ON THE STREETS. HAVE FUN