Known for
Samba, Carnival and a coastline where granite rise from the beaches
Must-see landmarks
Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Copacabana Beach
UNESCO World Heritage listed since 2012
Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea
Days needed
4 to 5 days for the main sights
The Corcovado Rack Railway runs daily from 08:00 to 18:00, every 20 minutes, from Cosme Velho station to the 30 metre statue on its 8 metre pedestal, arms spanning 28 metres, declared a New7Wonder of the World in 2007. Escalator works mean part of the final climb uses stone stairs. Sugarloaf Mountain is about a 10 minute drive.
Brazil's first cable car climbs in two stages from Praia Vermelha over Morro da Urca to the granite dome of Pão de Açúcar, running daily from 08:30 to 21:00 with last boarding at 19:30. Praia Vermelha beach is a short walk from the cable car station.
This small, calm cove sits right beneath the cable car station, its sheltered water a contrast to the open Atlantic surf further round the coast. Copacabana Beach is about a 10 minute drive around Urca's headland.
Copacabana's curve of sand runs the length of the wave-pattern mosaic promenade that landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx laid along the beachfront, with the Copacabana Fort anchoring its southern end. Arpoador is a 14 minute walk south along the beachfront.
The rocky outcrop dividing Copacabana from Ipanema is, in the city tourist board's words, the best spot to enjoy the sea and the sunset, drawing crowds to its rocks every clear evening. Ipanema Beach continues a 21 minute walk further along the sand.
Ipanema curves toward Leblon beneath the twin peaks of Dois Irmãos, its name carried worldwide by the 1962 bossa nova standard Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes wrote here. Posto 9 draws the liveliest stretch of sand.
Whindersson Nunes brings his stand-up show to Qualistage on 18 October at 20:30.
The Cat Empire play Circo Voador on 13 November at 21:30.
Nando Reis performs at Qualistage on 13 November at 21:30.
CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso bring the Free Spirits World Tour to Vivo Rio on 20 November at 21:00.
Like every beach in Brazil, Copacabana's sand and water are open to everyone free of charge around the clock; kiosks and chair rentals along the promenade charge separately, and the calçadão is quietest for a walk in the early morning.
The tiled staircase is a public street, free to climb and photograph at any hour; the tiles Jorge Selarón added over two decades are easiest to see in the soft light of morning before the tour groups arrive.
Free and open access year-round, the same as every beach in the city; Posto 9 draws the liveliest crowd, while the sand towards Leblon is calmer.
The rocky outcrop and its park are free to reach on foot from either Copacabana or Ipanema, with no gate or ticket booth; the sunset views over the ocean are the reason most people climb up.
No ticket is needed to sit on the sand here even though it shares a plaza with the paid cable car queue; arrive before the tour buses for a quiet swim before heading up Sugarloaf.
The old aqueduct is a public viaduct that costs nothing to see, whether from the street below or from Lapa's nightlife strip underneath its arches.
Entry to the park and its wooded trails is free, and even the historic mansion inside can be visited with a free online reservation, confirmed on the park's own site.
Wandering the hillside neighbourhood's cobbled lanes, colonial houses and street art costs nothing, whether or not a ride on the historic bonde tram is added to the day.
Rio de Janeiro folds a tropical city between granite mountains and the Atlantic, its skyline framed by Sugarloaf and Corcovado rather than towers. UNESCO listed the setting itself, Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea, as a World Heritage site in 2012. Samba schools rehearse year-round for Carnival, and beach culture runs through daily life, from dawn joggers on the sand to the sunset crowds gathering at Arpoador.
Zona Sul, the South Zone, gathers the beach neighbourhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon around the Lagoa. Centro holds the colonial churches, the Theatro Municipal and the Museu do Amanhã, with Lapa's nightlife and the hillside lanes of Santa Teresa just above. Urca, a quiet peninsula at the foot of Sugarloaf, and Zona Norte, home to the Maracanã, sit further round Guanabara Bay.
August sits in Rio's winter, drier and cooler than the rest of the year; summer runs December to February, hot and humid, and Carnival falls in February or March on the moveable Christian calendar. Four to five days cover Corcovado, Sugarloaf, the main beaches and Centro at a steady pace.
MetrôRio's two lines reach the beach neighbourhoods and Centro directly, connecting at Vicente de Carvalho with a dedicated BRT service to Galeão International Airport. Taxis and ride-hailing apps fill the gaps the metro doesn't cover, including the routes out to Urca and Corcovado.