On your first day in Rio de Janeiro, you will notice that it is a city of contrasts (and some complications), a city to both enjoy and respect for it’s differences.
Tucked on the edge of Brazil’s portion of the Atlantic Ocean, Rio is built between bays and amidst towering mountains which makes for a stunningly beautiful city with some identifying (and world-known) landmarks such as the Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue serving as guideposts in the sky. It’s home to just over six million people while the population of the greater area is about 13 million. You soon notice much diversity in ethnicity and socio-economic status. There is plenty of information online about inequality in Rio between classes and ethnicities and neighbourhoods. As travellers, we are privileged, so my view is to enjoy what we have been given and be respectful of others’ circumstances.
We have spent the past week in Rio. The first concern when visiting any new-to-you city is where to stay. There are some unsafe areas in Rio (as in any huge city). The general safety rule for travellers to Rio is to stay somewhere in the southern portion of the city, or ‘Zona Sul’. As we are not ‘beach people’ and did not want to stay in the far southern regions which line the famous Rio shoreline, we chose a business hotel just south of Centro on Guanabara Bay in the Botafogo neighbourhood and were most satisfied. We did pay more than usual but the location and safety and access to restaurants and grocery stores was worth it. The view didn’t hurt, either. It was convenient to travel from here on the metro (a super easy, basically two-line system; buy the pretty pink Riocard Mais at any station - it’s cheap and cheerful) or Uber to the centre and to the main points of interest.
The view from our hotel window.
Botafogo is a neighbourhood previously inhabited by the elite who built luxurious mansions. Today it is considered a middle class or prosperous neighbourhood where the old mansions are slowly being renovated. It is walkable and liveable. Here are only two such mansions with manicured grounds, renovated and open for viewing, the Firjan House and the Casa de Rui Barbosa.
Rio is a city that might be overwhelming at first (it can be hot, humid, crowded, and hectic) but once you become more comfortable, you realize there is more than enough to fill a week or much more if you want to become more immersed. This is how we spent our week - without touring any museums or enrolling in any samba classes or attending any ‘futebol’ matches or hiking any of the tropical trails or even taking the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain.
A great way to immediately enage yourself with a new-to-you city is to join a food tour which provides you with a good overview of local dining and delicacies - both food and drink. In Rio, I have to give a shout-out to Eat Rio Food Tours (www.eatrio.net) and to Gabriel who accompanied us for five hours to a little authentic street market, bars, and restaurants for the freshest tropical fruit (who knew mangoes could be that sweet and juicy?), juices, cheeses, meats (slow-roasted and then deep-fried lamb was a highlight, but chicken hearts not so much, at least for me), vegetables, and deserts (think the sweetest and smoothest flan or the gooiest, richest chocolate), and not to forget beer and Brazil’s national drink, the Caipirinha. (Speaking of drinks, it’s fun to reflect back on, and compare, the national drinks we have tried. The lime pineapple Caipirinha I sampled in Rio ranks right up there with the pineapple Mezcal with chili liqueur in Mexico, but I could barely down a sip of Palinka in Hungary or the Ouzo in Greece. Likewise, the end of the tour shot of Cachaca on which the Caipirinha is based was toxic for me. And if you know me, my alcohol tolerance is minimal, so a few sips of any of these was plenty to get a taste. There’s always someone in the group who will finish your drink.) What could be better than sitting in the street in Rio sampling exotic food?
I said that Rio has diversity and complications. It’s easy, when visiting one of the world’s most beautiful cities, to pay attention only to the touristic highlights, and to overlook some of the more ‘contentious’ areas. ‘Favelas’ fit into that category, and the ethics of touring a favela as a tourist are also, subsequently, up for debate. Favelas are complicated, very complicated; and you would be given a variety of opinions depending on the source - a favela resident, a law maker, a government official, an activist, or a resident living in a more gentrified area of town. Favelas are areas of a city, frequently high in the hills, that are often over-crowded, impoverished, substandard in services, and have a reputation for drug involvement. There are over 1,000 favelas in Rio inhabited by almost 25% of Rio’s population. I am in no way knowledgeable about favelas, and I encourage you to read a variety of articles from different sources for history and insight. A couple of articles which provide several viewpoints might be “Favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Past and Present” (Brown University, library.brown.edu) or “Rio Favela Facts” (Catalytic Communities, catcomm.org). It would seem that the relationship between the favelas and local government has been strained from the beginning with issues relating to autonomy, government assistance, social control, and reputation versus reality. There are a lot of politics involved. This is a picture of a typical favela area:
I would say that to tour a favela, choose an ethically sourced company which uses local guides and donates the majority of profits back to the favela. Keep an open, non-judgemental, and respectful mind. This way, you receive a more realistic overview of life in a favela, and you visit as a sincere, inquisitive traveller without intruding or being a nosy ‘voyeur’.
So, we toured a favela - the Santa Marta Favela with Favela Santa Marta Tour, an agency founded by a resident who turns profits back to the community’s social development. This was an eye-opening and thought-provoking experience. Our guide has been conducting the tours for nine years, and she advised that the Santa Marta Favela remains a more authentic favela than some that have become more gentrified. She explained that the majority of the people work and would be considered middle class (by Rio standards) and have some social services (for example, she advised that a public school has to be placed right outside the entrance to a favela), there is a favela association which communicates issues with the city government and provides opportunities for youth, and the majority of residents are pro-social; but the favela remains controlled by drug lords (which was quite evident - no pictures were allowed of certain areas and activities), and there were signs of poor sanitation throughout. Interestingly, pop star Michael Jackson put the Santa Marta Favela on the map, so to speak, when he filmed his video “They Don’t Care About Us” in the favela in the early 1990’s, and there is a small square in the favela honouring his presence. Whatever your opinions about favelas, they are a part of the Rio fabric and a way of life for a quarter of the population.
As the world knows, there are at least two main sights to see in Rio - Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue. Sugarloaf has a famous cable car that takes you, first, up Urca Mountain and then continues up to the top of Sugarloaf, 1,312 feet or 400 metres high, for an amazing view of the city, especially in the dusk. We chose not to take the cable car (are we the only persons to visit Rio and not go to the top of Sugarloaf?) because we had such an incredible view from our hotel and also because we had such amazing views from the Christ the Redeemer Statue and the Santa Marta Favela. You can see Sugarloaf on the left of the photo. Tip: purchase tickets online beforehand to avoid lines.
The Christ the Redeemer art-deco statue is perched high on Corcovado Mountain which is 2,316 feet or 706 metres high in the Tijuca National Park and is the defining guidepost in Rio. It is so massive, you can see it from everywhere. It was declared one of the winners of the New Seven Wonders of the World. An iconic way to visit is to take the funicular railway Trem do Corcovado which opened in 1884 and is almost 50 years older than the statue. Taking the train allows you to see parts of the Tijuca National Park without actually hiking (or getting lost). The train is worth the trip, and the statue is quite remarkable. Again, sunsets and sunrises provide classic photos. Pro tip: purchase a ticket online and go early on a weekday to avoid throngs of people.
A view of Christ the Redeemer from the Santa Marta Favela.
Of course, a visit to Rio requires a visit to the famous Selarón Steps, or Escaderia Selaron, in the Lapa neighbourhood where an early morning visit might help you avoid crowds, especially if you want that perfect Instagram photo - everyone thinks they are a model or a rockstar. The 215 steps were decorated by Chilean artist Jorge Selaron and are covered by 2,000 tiles from over 60 countries around the world. Yes, we found Canada’s tile. The steps are famous around the world including in numerous music videos and media and in several seasons of The Amazing Race.
One of our favourite activities in Rio was riding the adorable little yellow tram, the Bondinho, to the Santa Teresa neighbourhood. This is a tram dating to 1877 and used daily by locals to travel back and forth between Centro (near the Carioca metro station) and Santa Teresa. It is very small, seating about 32 people, and we had heard of massive lineups and waits; and tickets are available only at the ticket booth. Pro tip: go early on a weekday - there were only four of us in the tram car; go to the end of the line at Dois Irmãos and return on the same tram. We stopped on the way back at the main square, Largo Dos Guimaraes, for coffee before completing the trip back to Centro. As they say, “10/10 recommend for the adventure”.
The Bondinho crosses the Carioca Aqueduct (also known as Lapa Arches) which was built in the 1700’s and is constructed of 42 limestone double-arches over 17 metres high. We waited for the perfect shot of a tram car crossing the aqueduct.
Rio was named by UNESCO as the first World Capital of Architecture in 2019, and you know that two of my favourite things are UNESCO sites and architecture (if you like architecture, you might like to browse my blog from November 2023 on Copenhagen, Denmark, which was the subsequent World Capital of Architecture). Rio combines iconic old with cutting-edge new.
Centro Rio is very walkable and holds the majority of the historic sites. Here are a few:
We enjoyed the beauty of the neoclassical Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, part of a complex of cultural spaces managed by the Banco do Brasil. The old bank building has a beautiful dome, refurbished in the 1980’s. It’s a great place for music and arts.
Adjacent, and right next to the Olympic cauldron, is the Casa Franca-Brasil, another arts and music space. It was a good place for calmness and simplicity amidst the heat and hustle.
It’s not a historic site, but the Rio Olympic 2016 cauldron is set amongst the classics and is unique, said to replicate the sun. I can just imagine how beautiful it must have looked at night with the Candelaria Church in the background (see the stately church later in this blog).
Two classic buildings that we did not tour are the Teatro Municipal theatre and the National Library.
The Teatro Municipal theatre was constructed in the early 1900’s, inspired by the Paris Opera.
The National Library is one of the largest in the world and the largest in Latin America with about nine million items.
But some sources say that the Portuguese reading room is even more beautiful inside than the National Library. It was easy to find and easy to enter, humbly tucked away on a side street:
Another classical building is the Tiradentes Palace, headquarters of the legislative assembly of Rio. The style inside and out is said to symbolize the past merging with the present and into the future.
We were able to admire the stately palace on Fiscal Island from a boat tour of the bay. The palace was built as a customs house near the boat moorings and occupies one third of the small island. When built, it was considered one of Rio’s most elegant buildings (it’s still pretty spectacular). By the way, Fiscal Island used to be called Ihla dos Ratos, or Island of Mice.
The Musem of Tomorrow (or Museu do Amanha) is a stunning work of new architecture. It was opened in December 2015 and is a science museum exploring the “opportunities and challenges” of “sustainability and conviviality” in future decades, as stated by their website. It would definitely be worth a tour.
Another sample of modern architecture is the Museum of Contemporary Art across the bay in Niterói. It is 16 metres high and 50 metres wide. I managed to get a shot from our boat tour of the bay.
What would an historic city be without some magnificent churches? Rio has many. Here are just a few (you could do a theme trip to Rio just for the churches - there is apparently over 200).
The Catedral Metropolitana stands out for it’s unique conical shape. It is a Catholic cathedral designed after the style of pyramids. The outside might be bland, but the inside is spectacular with four stained glass panels that are 64 metres high.
The Church of Nossa Senhora da Candelaria (the backdrop to the Olympic cauldron) is a much more traditional cathedral. It is considered a city landmark in Centro Rio that took over a century to complete; and the ‘rich and famous’ get married here.
The Mosteiro de Sao Bento is another must-see church dating to the 1600’s. Plain on the outside, the inside is ornate, decorated in wood and gold.
While downtown, we visited the original Confeitaria Columbo, founded in 1894 and listed as one of the most beautiful cafes in the world. The outside is ordinary, but the inside is detailed art nouveau, and the food was also worth the hype. Writers, artists, and heads of state have eaten here.
On the edge of downtown, we ‘discovered’ Rio’s large naval base with several navy ships open for touring. We were delighted by a very affordable (approximately $5 for us seniors) hour-long boat tour of Guanabara Bay. Unfortunately, the tour was in Portuguese, but we still enjoyed the fresh air and smells and the view of Rio from the water.
Sugarloaf and a fishing boat.
After several days of exploring the Centro area and main sights, we were ready to venture out . . . Being strategically situated in a tropical climate, Rio has flora that we are not used to on the Canadian prairies where long, cold winters make for a short growing season. The Jardim Botanica is not only a tropical wonderland, it is also a nice respite away from the crowds. It covers about 350 acres and has more than 6,000 species of plants. It’s like one big greenhouse. Here is just a small sample:
If you don’t want to visit the Jardim Botanica, you can get a good taste (or is that smell?) of tropical flora right on the streets. I was particularly fascinated by one tree native to Central and South America, the Courouptia Guianensis, commonly known as the ‘cannonball tree’ for obvious reasons.
The cannonball tree has beautiful aromatic flowers growing from the trunk which is awesome enough; but it is the ‘fruit’ that is amazing. The fruit is shaped like a wooden ball that might weigh several kilograms and contains hundreds of seeds. Each tree could have over a hundred such fruit. The fruit takes over a year to ripen and then falls to the ground, usually cracking open. Interestingly, although the flowers have a pleasant odour, the fruit gives off an acrid smell once the shell is cracked open so the fruit is rarely eaten. Although the trees are used mostly for ornamental purposes, they have also been used in traditional medicinal and religious practices. It might be worth researching. I just wonder how many people and cars have been damaged by a falling cannonball?
Rio circles the huge Tijuca National Park, the world’s largest urban forest covering some 30 square kilometres. It’s apparently easy to get lost, and parts are remote and maybe not safe, so a hike might best be taken with a professional guide or tour group. But you can have a sampling by visiting Pargue Lage on the edge of Tijuca National Park and close to the Jardim Botanica. It’s a developed area with hiking trails, an old palace, and restaurants. It’s a popular place for families and, apparently, weddings.
Parque Lage is right across from Rio’s very own lake, Lagoa, which has a seven kilometre walking and running path encircling it.
Of course, Rio has beaches if sun and sand are your thing - miles and miles of beaches and umbrellas and lifeguard stations and volleyball nets and high end hotels and drinking kiosks. The most popular beaches circle the southern edge of the city, the wealthier part of town. We walked along the famous Copacabana Sidewalk. It’s synonymous with Rio. The design dates back to 1905 and resembles waves and, after being refurbished and expanded, the sidewalk is considered one of the largest art installations (and tourist attractions) in the world.
Well, that was ‘a lot’, as they say, but Rio is ‘a lot’ (and I feel we barely touched the surface). As I said, we did not tour any museums or climb any mountains or take any samba lessons or watch any futebol or lounge on any beaches, but we had to pace ourselves. Rio is hot and humid and busy, and it’s far different than the Canadian prairies; but it is inspiring and intriguing and beautiful and dichotomous. There is still so much more ‘Rio’ to discover if we are ever this way again.
Yes, Rio has some reputation regarding safety. We were very cautious, as we should be in any city. Stick to the main areas where there are people, know where to go and not to go, don’t flash your belongings, wear a theft-proof over-the-shoulder bag, carry a minimum of cash and credit cards, minimize alcohol use, watch for behaviour that is meant to distract, use your cell phone carefully, use organized tours, etc.
I hope this blog has revealed a little about the sights and experiences in the intriguing city of Rio. There is lots to enjoy and to marvel at - and some issues to ponder.
Our next stop is Santiago, Chile.
Enjoy this photo collage:
Amazing architecture and surroundings!